mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING VINCE HOLLAND, MATT BOYD, MATT CONNOLLY, BILLY DONAHUE
Ralph Norman (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-10-29

I rise today to say that September 10, 2019, was a very special day for an infant child who had been severely neglected by her mother. And had it not been for the quick action by members of the Tega Cay Police Department located in South Carolina, the abuse would have continued. prgtoken Four officers--Sergeant Vince Holland, Officer Matt Boyd, Officer Matt Connolly, and Officer Billy Donahue--responded to a call at 6 p.m. from employees of the Tega Cay Walmart who were concerned about a mother who was with an infant who, in the words of the officers, was ``filthy'' and in dire need of help. prgtoken The officers immediately reacted to the situation by cleaning the infant and giving food, diapers, and other aid to the child. The officers stayed with the child while the South Carolina Department of Social Services was notified and the child was taken into emergency custody by the agency, along with two other children who were removed from the home. prgtoken The mother was charged with three felony drug charges, shoplifting, and cruelty to a child. In the words of Chief Steve Parker, ``That little baby did nothing wrong.'' prgtoken Because of the action of these brave officers who showed compassion and empathy, three children are now out of danger and living in a safe environment. prgtoken The four officers of the Tega Cay Police Department lived out the words of Winston Churchill, who said, there are times when doing your best is not good enough; we must do what is required. prgtoken Sergeant Vince Holland, Officer Matt Boyd, Officer Matt Connolly, and Officer Billy Donahue are shining examples of the saying, ``to live is to serve.''
HELP AMERICA RUN ACT
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-10-29

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I, too, rise in support of H.R. 1623, the Help America Run Act, a bill drafted by my colleague across the aisle, newly-elected Congresswoman from the great State of California, Ms. Katie Porter. prgtoken I want to commend Ms. Porter for this important legislation that I believe will allow, as Chairperson Lofgren said, more people of all socioeconomic strata, to be able to run for office. prgtoken Strong candidates should not be limited by their circumstances to the point that it prevents them from representing their communities in Congress. Representatives of this body should and do come from all backgrounds to allow for equal representation of all who make up this institution and this great Nation. prgtoken I believe this bill will make that happen by allowing the candidate who is not currently a Member of Congress to pay for specific necessary services like childcare and dependent care, that will enable a congressional candidate to participate in all campaign-connected activities. prgtoken This is a decision between the candidates and the donors that give to their campaign. All we are asking to do with this piece of legislation is to allow candidates to publicly disclose childcare expenses on their FEC reports. Everyone is going to know what they paid. Everyone is going to know what it went for, and that is an issue prgtoken they can discuss with the people who are funding their campaigns. prgtoken What this bill does not do--let me repeat, . What this bill does not do is put more money in the pockets of current Members of Congress. Instead, it allows for an equal opportunity for new representation, providing more Americans who aspire to represent their communities in Congress the chance to do just that. prgtoken This is not a radical idea. We should absolutely want to give everyone an equal opportunity to run, to be able to serve, if elected, in this great institution; including single parents who want to run for Federal office but cannot afford the necessary childcare for the grueling campaign schedules that everyone in this institution knows exists. prgtoken Again, I want to thank Congresswoman Porter for her hard work on this legislation. I look forward to seeing it implemented, and .
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
James M. Inhofe (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-10-29

I have four requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. prgtoken Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: committee on armed services prgtoken The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, at 9:30 a.m in open session to consider the nominations of Ms. Lisa W. Hershman to be Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense; Mr. Dana S. Deasy to be Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense; and Mr. Robert J. Sander to be General Counsel of the Department of the Navy. committee on commerce, science, and transportation prgtoken The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to hold a meeting during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, at 10 a.m in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building. The Committee will hold a Full Committee Hearing titled ``Aviation Safety and the Future of Boeing's 737 MAX.'' committee on foreign relations prgtoken The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing on nominations. select committee on intelligence prgtoken The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the 116th Congress of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, from 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m in room SH-219 in the Senate Hart Office Building to hold a closed roundtable.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-10-30

I will talk just for a very few minutes today about something that has been on my mind and on my heart. We so easily forget how fortunate we are to live in a country like America. I wish all of our world's neighbors were as fortunate as we are, but they are not. We can't lose sight of that fact. I don't know why bad things happen to good people, and I am not suggesting that I have a complete solution to it, but trying to understand it is at least a good first step. prgtoken I am talking about the ongoing crisis in South Sudan. As you know, South Sudan is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa, and it is a fairly new country. In the 7 years since South Sudan was plunged into a very bloody civil war, not only have millions of people been displaced from their homes, but over 400,000--think about that--men, women, and children have been killed in the crossfire--400,000. prgtoken I would like nothing more than for the recent negotiated ceasefire between the government and the rebels prgtoken to hold. We all would. But if we are being honest, we have to express our sincere doubts. I don't have any doubt that the people of South Sudan yearn for peace. prgtoken Unfortunately, there are some who are taking advantage of the sad situation in South Sudan. They are taking advantage of South Sudan's conflicts and widespread corruption within its government in order to steal the nation's and the people's natural resources. I am talking about kleptocrats. I am talking about war criminals. I am talking about corrupt multinational corporations that are pilfering South Sudan's natural resources, regardless of the chaos that they are causing and the extraordinary human cost. prgtoken Until good people in this world take a stand and say enough is enough, the people in South Sudan will continue to be at the mercy of the corrupt. The predatory extraction of South Sudan's resources not only directs vital capital outside of the war-torn nation, where it is desperately needed inside, but it makes meaningful investment in sustained peace simply impossible. prgtoken That is why I am respectfully calling on the U.S. Senate to stand with peace, to stand with right--not with might, with right--and to stand with the people of South Sudan. The people of South Sudan are a proud people. They are a resilient people. They are tired of being ruled by a government that is ripe with corruption. They are tired of seeing their nation torn apart by war. The U.S. Senate ought to condemn the marauding, the stealing of resources, and the widespread corruption within the South Sudanese Government. Furthermore, I also call on the United States to support sanctions against those companies and those individuals outside of South Sudan that continue to profit off of the ongoing conflicts and instability in the region. prgtoken Now, we are a powerful nation. I just listened to your very eloquent talk about the men and women in our military who
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY AND THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-10-30

we are going to vote on a CRA later this afternoon, and this has been the issue dominating D.C. and did in my campaign: the cost of healthcare. prgtoken I am going to vote against the CRA, and I am not going to go into the particularities of it. I just want to tell you how it works on Main Street USA and kind of my perspective of how we really solve healthcare in a way that is going to be affordable and last for a long time. prgtoken I just finished visiting all 92 counties in Indiana talking to Hoosiers, young and old, small businesses to farms. Everyone is concerned about where is healthcare cost going in the future. prgtoken We don't seem to, here, have a real good plan for it. As a Main Street entrepreneur that took it on myself a few years ago to create a sustainable, affordable plan, most people think it absolutely can't happen using free market principles. I will go into a few details of how that works in my own business. prgtoken Care was addressing an issue that has been boiling up for a long time. I took on the insurance companies to fix it in my own company back in 2008--covered preexisting conditions, no caps on coverage. prgtoken But Care was a solution that was never going to work. It was Big Healthcare in cahoots with Big Government. Never have I seen that result in something less expensive and more effective. prgtoken I believe in free markets driving the solutions, and the healthcare industry is who I blame for being in this pickle. That sounds unusual coming from a free market guy that doesn't believe in government. prgtoken But not all markets are free. One of the most disappointing things is when my own colleagues mistake the healthcare industry for being one that is free and transparent. It has evolved over the years to where it has become as bloated and dysfunctional as the Federal Government that runs trillion-dollar deficits. prgtoken Care decisions are made by healthcare industry executives and Federal Government bureaucrats, instead of by patients, employees, and mostly employers who are the only ones that really have skin in the game when it comes to our healthcare system. prgtoken I believe the underlying principles of Care were right on. No one should go broke because they get sick or have a bad accident. prgtoken I believe that you cover preexisting conditions with no caps on coverage. Kids staying on the plan until they are 26? Fine. But it didn't work from the beginning, and it won't be an affordable--it was the Affordable Care Act. It turned into the un-Affordable Care Act, and it is not a solution in the long run. prgtoken The solution will be to get the industry out of the doldrums and to realize that when 80 Senators weigh in with an idea of how to fix your business, the cat is out of the bag. You have a problem. Sadly, in a place like this, which you can see can get sidetracked in so many different ways and then never really craft solutio
APPROPRIATIONS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-10-30

tomorrow the Senate will vote on funding for the national defense. It will offer a test for our ic colleagues: Will their party's impeachment obsession crowd out even the most basic governing responsibilities? prgtoken Unfortunately, it seems we may already have our answer. The ic leader said at a press conference yesterday that his party intends to filibuster funding for our Armed Forces. have plenty of time and energy for their 3-year-old journey to impeach the President, but they can't get to yes on funding our servicemembers. That is about as clear a statement of priorities as you could get around here. prgtoken Just a few days ago, U.S. Special Forces executed a daring mission and took out the founder of ISIS. It was the clearest possible reminder that the national security of the United States and the missions of our servicemembers do not pause for partisan politics. But less than a week later, for political purposes, Senate say that they will refuse to secure funding for those very same missions. prgtoken Washington have talked up a storm in recent days, criticizing the administration's approach to Syria and the Middle East. Lots of talk--but, apparently, they are not concerned enough about the Middle East and fighting ISIS to actually vote for the funding that keeps the missions going. prgtoken Consider this. If filibuster this defense funding, as they threatened to, they will literally be filibustering the exact kind of military assistance for Ukraine over which they are trying to impeach the President. prgtoken Let me say that again. This legislation is what appropriates the money for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is precisely the program that are trying to impeach President for supposedly slow-walking. Yet, tomorrow, right here in the Senate, they say that they are going to filibuster funding for the exact same program. prgtoken Only in Washington--only in Washington will you see a show like that. prgtoken They want to impeach the President for delaying assistance to Ukraine while they block funding for the program themselves. I would say it is unbelievable, except that is exactly what is happening. prgtoken Look, I think it is pretty clear that our ic colleagues do not have a great affinity for President . But the country cannot afford for in Congress to take a 1-year vacation from any productive legislation just because they would rather obsess over impeachment. prgtoken ISIS and other radical terrorists are not going to hit the pause button because will not fund the U.S. military. Strategic competitors like Russia and China are not going to hit pause because would rather hurt the White House than fund our military commanders. prgtoken Look, Congress needs to do its work. We need to fund our Armed Forces. Tomorrow's vote will tell us which Senators are ac
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY AND THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-10-30

in reserving the right to object, in 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that navigators were not cost-effective in enrolling people in health insurance. prgtoken During the 2017 open enrollment period, navigators received over $62.5 million in Federal grants while enrolling 81,426 individuals. That is less than 1 percent of those enrolled in the Federal exchanges, which comes out to a cost of $767 per enrollee. In other words, the taxpayer is paying $767 per enrollee for each person enrolled. The CMS also found that nearly 80 percent of the navigators failed to reach their enrollment goals. prgtoken I object.
RECOGNIZING EDWARD MORRISSETTE, WWII VET AND LEGION OF HONOR MEDAL RECIPIENT FROM FRANCE
Don Bacon (Republican, NE) \u2014 2019-10-30

. Madam , I rise today to recognize World War II Veteran Edward H. Morrissette of Omaha who will be awarded with France's highest distinction--the Legion of Honor--on October 30, 2019 for his heroism and courage in the liberation of France. prgtoken Mr. Morrissette enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1940, at the age of 17. He served with the 16th Regiment, First Infantry Division, also known as ``The Big Red One,'' as a machine gun squad leader and military policeman. From August 1942 until September 1945, he participated in the campaigns of North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. prgtoken On June 6, 1944 Edward landed at Omaha Beach as part of the second wave. He then went on to fight in the Battle of the Hedgerows and participated in the capture of St. Lo and many other cities in Normandy. During the fall and winter of 1944-45, he fought in the Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge before entering Germany and later Czechoslovakia. prgtoken After the war, Mr. Morrissette obtained a civil engineering degree from Indiana Tech University and spent most of his career with the U.S. Air Force including time at Langley Air Force Base at Norfolk, Virginia and March Air Force Base in Southern California. In 1972, he moved to Nebraska and was employed by Offutt Air Force Base, where he retired in 1981 as the Deputy Director of Operations and Maintenance for Strategic Air Command. prgtoken For his actions during World War II, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, and the Distinguished Unit Badge. prgtoken The Legion of Honor is the highest distinction that France can bestow upon those who have achieved remarkable deeds for France. Founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the National Order of the Legion of Honor recognizes eminent service to the French Republic. Recipients of this honor are named by a decree signed by the President of the Republic. The Consul General will present the medal on behalf President Macron of France on October 29, 2019. prgtoken I personally thank Mr. Morrissette for his many years of sacrificial service to our country, and the liberation of so many in France. Without courageous men like him, World War II might have had a completely different ending. Congratulations to Edward on receiving this prestigious honor. It is well deserved.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2019-10-30

I rise today to speak about the importance of the Senate providing the resources needed by our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. prgtoken We are seeing increasing threats to the homeland from around the world. We need look no further than the recent elimination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by U.S. Special Operations forces to show us that there are evil people out there who continue to devote their lives to killing American citizens and glorifying the fall of our Nation. The rise of ISIS proved that radical terrorist ideologies remain dangerous. Despite the elimination of its leader, groups like ISIS will continue to remain a serious challenge across the globe. prgtoken We have also seen the emergence of a great power competition with China and Russia. They are investing massive amounts of resources to erode the international order that the United States and our allies have worked so hard to create and protect. Leaders of these nations don't want societies based on liberty and free enterprise; instead, they are focused on promoting the iron precepts of authoritarianism and autocracy. Without American engagement and a strong investment in the Nation's military, our children could live in a world transformed by these malign forces. We cannot allow that to happen. prgtoken Clearly, the threats we face abroad are increasing. On that fact, we have bipartisan support. These past few weeks, many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have spoken about the situation in Syria and the danger that an expansionist Russia poses to nations like Ukraine. We agree about the need for the United States to address these challenges, but I am not convinced that my ic colleagues are truly serious about sustaining American leadership and retaining our position in the world. If they are, it is time to show it by advancing the defense funding legislation. prgtoken Funding the military in a timely, predictable fashion is one of the most important things we can do in Congress. A failure to do so awards China and Russia with an advantage at a time when we can least afford it. We need to work together to pass our Defense appropriations bill for the coming fiscal year and to focus on implementing the National Defense Strategy to effectively confront these threats. prgtoken It is also worth highlighting how many provisions contained in this bill are absolutely critical to our military. This legislation provides significant investments in both basic research and future technologies to allow for continued innovation within DOD. It includes prgtoken areas pivotal to implementing the goals of the NDS, including hypersonics, 5G, artificial intelligence, missile defense, and cyber security. prgtoken Importantly, it provides robust funding for all three legs of the triad and appropriates funding to enable the modernization of our Nation's nuclear deterrent. There is no question that this is a top priority of mine as