mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Criminal Justice (Executive Session)
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-7-11

I am here on the floor this afternoon to talk about a landmark moment in human history that occurred 50 years ago next week--the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first person on the Moon. prgtoken Today, 50 years after that incredible feat, we sometimes take for granted that we explored the Moon. But think for a moment about the generations of men and women from the beginning of time until July 20, 1969, who looked up at the Moon's pale light in wonder at what secrets and insights may lay on its surface. Think about the countless paintings and poems depicting the Moon as an unchanging and unknowable presence in the sky. Think about how, after hundreds of thousands of years of such mystery and reverence, we actually went there. prgtoken On July 20, 1969, the world watched in breathless awe as grainy footage came in of the Moon landing. It was beamed in from the lunar surface 289,000 miles away to millions of TV screens all around the globe. As a 13-year-old teenager, I saw two figures clad in bulky spacesuits bounce across the screen against the stark black-and-white landscape. prgtoken As anyone who witnessed it can remember and tell you about, there was a great sense of pride as Americans--Americans who broke the earthly bonds that had tethered our ancestors for eons, to set foot on the surface of a body we only saw in the distant night sky. I also felt pride as our pristine American flag was unfurled and planted on the Moon's surface, forever marking our country's trailblazing spirit. I felt pride in being from Ohio, as my fellow Buckeye, Neil Armstrong, was the very first man to step onto the Moon, continuing our legacy in the State of Ohio as a pioneer in flight and in aerospace. prgtoken In 2003, actually, Congress officially designated Ohio the ``Birthplace of Flight'' due to the Wright brothers. They were born and raised in Dayton, OH, and it was in their bicycle shop that they dreamed up and researched the first fixed-wing aircraft anywhere. But for such a lofty title, Ohio has played an even greater role in the story of mankind's progress in the skies and beyond--even beyond the Wright brothers. In fact, one of my predecessors in this seat here in the Senate was John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. In all, two dozen astronauts to date are natives of Ohio--more than any other State--and I am proud to say that many more call it home today. prgtoken Our legacy of flight in Ohio continues today. In Dayton, OH, we have the National Air Force Museum, which houses more than 300 historic aircraft. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base--one of the largest in the country--trains not only our pilots in our Air Force, but those of our allies all around the world. prgtoken Just last month, I had the honor of announcing, with Neil Armstrong's widow, Carol Armstrong, that the Smithsonian will be bringing a special exhibit on the Apollo 11 mission entitled ``Destination Moon'' to Cincinnati's
Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act (Executive Calendar)
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-7-11

as I begin my remarks, I would like to thank the Senator from Texas for the work he has done on arranging our travel to the border tomorrow. I am one of those committee members who will make that trip. prgtoken How wonderful it is that he is working with Chairman Graham to make certain that we are going to be able to visit with the Border Patrol to see and hear firsthand what is going on, making certain that we all focus on the security of this great Nation and provide the resources that are needed. I thank him for that good work.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Kevin McCarthy (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-7-11

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken , on July 4, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Ridgecrest, California. A day later, our Ridgecrest community experienced a 7.1 magnitude earthquake. prgtoken To put that in perspective, the Northridge quake that, 20 years ago, severely cost 60 lives and others and crippled Los Angeles was less than that. prgtoken People felt this throughout southern California, but the epicenter of these earthquakes was located on the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. prgtoken Hundreds of aftershocks have already occurred and are still occurring. prgtoken The Navy announced that, due to earthquake-related damage, China Lake was not mission capable and that nonessential personnel had to be evacuated. This is significant because China Lake, along with neighboring installations, form a cornerstone of our national defense architecture that integrates all operational domains: air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace. prgtoken The men and women who work here help test and develop the technology needed to equip our warfighters with the very best weapons and tools to ensure our military remains second to none. prgtoken Now, my amendment, which I offered with Congressman Cook, was included in the en bloc package. It would authorize $100 million to help address China Lake's most immediate needs, and it requires the Department of Defense to develop a plan by October 1 to assess, repair, and modernize the infrastructure and facilities at China Lake and other installations in the R-2508 Special Use Airspace Complex that was damaged by the earthquakes. prgtoken The extent of this damage is still being assessed, but we need to ensure that we are not only repairing this important base to address the threats facing our Nation today, but in the years ahead. prgtoken , I want to be clear to my constituents in Ridgecrest, in Kern County, this amendment is just an initial step in helping China Lake and the communities I represent impacted by these earthquakes make sure they recover. prgtoken Over the coming days, weeks, and months, I ask my colleagues in this Chamber and the U.S. Senate to join with me to ensure Ridgecrest, China Lake, and all communities impacted by earthquakes and natural disasters have our full support and are provided the resources they need to quickly rebuild and get back to normal. prgtoken I also ask my colleagues to join me in thanking all the local first responders, the local, State, and Federal emergency response officials who have worked nonstop over the past several days to ensure our constituents affected in Ridgecrest were safe, have food and water and a place to sleep. prgtoken Finally, I also want to thank the thousands of residents across our communities for their help, their actions, and their prayers for their neighbors in need. prgtoken It is said adversity does not build character; it reveals it. Earthquakes can shake our foundations, but
STUDENT LOAN DEBT
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-7-11

the ic Party's motto this year might as well be ``Free Stuff''--free prgtoken healthcare, free college, free debt relief, free childcare, and free income. The problem, of course, is that the old adage ``There is no such thing as a free lunch'' is 100 percent true. prgtoken Healthcare has to be paid for by someone. College has to be paid for by someone of course, think they should all be paid for-- and often controlled--by the government, but what they don't like to talk about as much is that the government has to get its money from somewhere, and that somewhere is the American people. prgtoken If you ask how they are going to pay for all of this free stuff, what they will say is, they will tax the rich. The problem is, there simply aren't enough people to even come close to paying for the ' free programs and expansive policy proposals. prgtoken Every year, Forbes magazine reports the combined net worth of the 400 richest people in the United States, but if you took every penny from every one of those people, it would be a tiny drop in the bucket next to the cost of the ' proposals. prgtoken Free healthcare alone--and these are my conservative estimates--would cost $32 trillion over 10 years. Taking every penny from the richest people in the United States wouldn't even cover 1 year of that proposal. In fact, you could take every penny from every billionaire in the entire world, and it would still only cover roughly 28 percent or less than 3 years of ' Medicare for All proposal. prgtoken That is just free healthcare. That is not the Green New Deal or guaranteed income or free childcare or anything else. What if we move away from billionaires? How about millionaires--even millionaires? What if we taxed every household in the United States making more than $200,000 at a 100-percent rate for 10 years? Well, we would still barely have enough to cover free healthcare, much less ' other proposals. prgtoken Let's look at one of the ', what I would say, relatively smaller proposals, and that is student loan forgiveness and free college. No one can deny that student loan debt is a problem in this country. Many graduates emerge with tens of thousands of dollars' worth of debt that they struggle to repay, and it burdens them for years. It is a growing problem. Ways to alleviate this burden and encourage more affordable education are conversations we need to have, but the free college and debt elimination solutions offered by two leading ic Senators are no solutions at all. prgtoken The U.S. Government is not swimming in money. We are deeply in debt, and we already need to shore up existing programs, like Social Security and Medicare, both of which are on shaky financial footing. prgtoken Paying for a college education for millions of Americans is not something the government can easily afford. The Senator from Vermont's plan for f
NOMINATIONS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-7-11

on another matter, all week the Senate has continued our productivity in overcoming partisan opposition and confirming the President's well-qualified nominees for important offices. prgtoken We have confirmed the newest judge on the Ninth Circuit. Yesterday we confirmed three district judges by overwhelming bipartisan margins--78 to 15, 80 to 14, and 85 to 10. Those are the margins on three district judges. Clearly, we are not exactly talking about radioactive, controversial nominees here, not when 78 votes for confirmation is the low end. prgtoken Nevertheless, as has become typical over the past 2\1/2\ years, our ic colleagues insisted on cloture votes to cut off debate before we could confirm any of them. In fact, we have yet to voice-vote a single judicial nominee this entire Congress. We haven't voice-voted a single judicial nominee this entire Congress. prgtoken It is really a shame. It is not the precedent the Senate ought to be setting for these lower tier nominations. Of course, we have confirmed them nonetheless. prgtoken Before the end of this week, the Senate will have done the same for three other lower level nominees to the executive branch. prgtoken Weeks like this were impossible before my colleagues and I did the right thing for the institution a few months back and moved the Senate back toward our historic norms for nominations of this sort. We argued that Senate were mindlessly obstructing even the least controversial nominees just for obstruction's sake. prgtoken Our colleagues across the aisle insisted, no, the majority would be ramming through these extreme individuals and cutting off intense debate that these extreme nominees deserve. Well, who is right? Well, one more time for good measure: 78 to 15, 80 to 14, and 85 to 10. Enough said. prgtoken It is particularly ironic that some of my friends across the aisle elect to complain that the Senate is spending too much time on nominations--the Presiding Officer has heard that--spending too much time on nominations. I am not making this up. We actually hear protestations from the ic side that confirming these men and women is taking too long, as though it weren't totally obvious to everyone that their own unprecedented delaying tactics are the only reason these nominees have not been quickly confirmed in big batches on a voice vote. prgtoken It is quite the two-step: systemically drag their heels for 2\1/2\ years and counting and then complain we are not moving fast enough. Well, if it weren't clear by now, the tactics are not going to work. The Senate is going to press on. We are going to do our job. prgtoken Today, we will press on despite 492 days of obstruction--492 days of obstruction--and confirm Peter Wright, the President's nominee to serve as--listen to this--an Assistant Administrator at EPA. He has been waiting for 492 days. prgtoken As it happens, we will also vote on two K
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Lee M. Zeldin (Republican, NY) \u2014 2019-7-11

. Mr. Chair, I also think it is important to note that the United States has not engaged in direct hostilities in Yemen. We stopped the refueling of Saudi aircraft, so the activities have actually, in many respects, been walked back from what was historically known as being directly engaged in hostilities on the ground, which is just not the case here as it relates to the United States. prgtoken .
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Robert J. Wittman (Republican, VA) \u2014 2019-7-11

. Mr. Chair, in conclusion, I want to point to the 2016 report that assessed that additional refuelings would increase Navy fleet operating costs by several billion dollars a year. prgtoken Mr. Chair, as we are looking to rebuild the Navy, that means ships that will not get built. That will mean less operating capability. That will mean ships that need to be at dock for longer periods of time for maintenance and for refueling. prgtoken A larger submarine reactor core, which is what DOD says would be needed for LEU, requires a larger submarine, and it makes those submarines less capable and less efficient. prgtoken It also requires massive redesigns, so it interrupts existing submarine construction programs. prgtoken All of those things have significant impacts on the capability of the Navy. prgtoken Take the Virginia-class submarine reactor, which operates on a 33- year ship expectancy. That would cut that by one-third, which means it would have to come back and be refueled again. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
TRIBUTE TO JOHN FALKENBURY
Thom Tillis (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-7-11

today I wish to pay tribute to Mr. John Falkenbury, the president and chief operating officer for the United Service Organizations, USO, of North Carolina, on his decades of service to the great State of North Carolina. prgtoken For over a decade, since his initial appointment as president and COO for the USO of North Carolina in 2009, John has been integral in coordinating, planning, and leading the operations of the USO State headquarters, five USO fixed centers, and mobile centers in locations spanning the entire State. John's leadership skills were prominently displayed in his ability to mobilize thousands of volunteers over the years to support countless Active-Duty servicemembers, veterans, and their families. John's extensive resume is a testament to his lifelong commitment to public service, which includes his past role as president and CEO of Five Oaks Nursing Center in Concord, NC, serving as the managing partner of the Falkenbury Family LLC, and as the president of the Stephen D. Falkenbury Jr. Foundation in Charlotte, NC. Prior to his work for the USO, John served in the U.S. Army for 20 years, which included numerous assignments across the United States and in Germany. prgtoken The USO centers across the State of North Carolina provide critical resources and support to our men and women in uniform and their families. These services include transition assistance, financial literacy, child educational programs, deployment, and homecoming operations, military and civilian outreach programs, Fallen and Wounded Warrior escort services, and a focus on providing the entire community with support and assistance. Through his leadership, dedication, and passion for service, John Falkenbury has been a champion in ensuring these programs are readily available for anyone who needs them. prgtoken The North Carolina USO has a strong track record of dedicated support of servicemembers at military installations, including Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. In 2016, when the devastating Hurricane Matthew flooded large portions of Eastern North Carolina, John assisted in the delivery of 1,000 care packages via Blackhawk helicopter to soldiers and civilians in afflicted areas. A USO mobile center deployed near Lumberton, NC, for 5 days to provide basic necessity items, a BBQ dinner, satellite access, and internet service to over 400 servicemembers. prgtoken As a Senator, a member of the USO Congressional Caucus, and a North Carolinian, I am pleased to congratulate John Falkenbury on his retirement and for his impressive career of public service and steadfast commitment to our country.
TRIBUTE TO MIKE AND TARI CONROY
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-7-11

this week I rise to recognize Mike and Tari Conroy for their impact on Ravalli County and the surrounding areas. Through their work as bluegrass musicians, the Conroys have brought delight to the hearts of their Montanan listeners. prgtoken The Conroys' devotion to bluegrass extends beyond their respective playing of the banjo, guitar, and other traditional bluegrass instruments. The events the Conroys take part in, such as celebrating the birthday of a 90-year-old U.S. Army veteran or the closing of an essential Missoula landmark, represent the very best of Montana. It is no surprise that Mr. Conroy is the president of the Montana Bluegrass Association. prgtoken Additionally, the Conroys have worked tirelessly to share their love of bluegrass music with their fellow Montanans by organizing the annual Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival, which takes place just south of Hamilton, MT. This festival brings numerous bluegrass bands from the Northwestern United States to perform in Montana. Despite the financial and logistical hurdles, the Conroys are committed to sharing their passion with their fellow Montanans. As the festival enters its 11th year, it has truly become a cultural staple of the Bitterroot. prgtoken I applaud Mike and Tari Conroy for their work promoting and spreading the joy of bluegrass music across the State of Montana. As the Conroys prepare for the next festival, I wish them all the best.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Denver Riggleman (Republican, VA) \u2014 2019-7-11

I rise today in support of my amendment, which directs the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan for a pilot program to train skilled technicians for placement in the defense industrial base, including critical shipbuilding skills such as welding, metrology, quality assurance, machining, and additive manufacturing. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I would like to begin by thanking my friends, colleagues, and fellow Virginians, Representatives Luria, Wittman, McEachin, and Beyer, for their partnership on this amendment. prgtoken Our Nation's defense industrial base is a critical aspect of our Nation's national security and economic prosperity. We must continue to adapt this industry to respond to the emerging challenges and global realities that face our country. One such challenge is training a workforce that can maintain the required tools and products our Armed Forces need. prgtoken The Defense Industrial Base report to the President dated October 2018 stated: ``Without concerted action that provides both a ready workforce and continuously-charged pipeline of new employees, the U.S. will not be able to maintain the large, vibrant, and diverse machine tools sector needed.'' prgtoken This amendment helps the Department of Defense close the gap in our Nation's workforce that threatens our global competitiveness and military capabilities. It will help America modernize its workforce and create a pipeline of new employees who support our security apparatus. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
China (Executive Session)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-7-11

first of all, let me say that I couldn't agree more with the Senator from Mississippi, Mr. Wicker, than I do. His points are exactly right. A democracy is finding a way forward. It is not finding your way forward necessarily. It is obviously finding as much of your way forward as you can find. But it is finding a way forward. prgtoken Clearly, a top priority of the Federal Government is to defend the country. It is my top priority. I think I would be safe in suggesting it is Senator Wicker's top priority. And it is an important priority for our friends on the other side, but it may not be quite the same priority on the other side. prgtoken For this to work, the House and the Senate have to work together and the White House has to work together to come up with just that spending number. Once we have the number that we are going to spend, having the debate on the floor is suddenly possible. prgtoken I am fully in agreement with that, but I want to talk for a few minutes today about a program that we need to extend for a short period of time to get it extended to the end of this spending year.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Mike Rogers (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-7-11

. Madam Chair, I really take issue with the characterization of militarization of our border. I just told the gentlewoman a few minutes ago that these people don't work on the border. When the military goes down there, they are in support positions to allow the professional Border Patrol agents to do their jobs so that we can provide better care for these individuals who are trying to legally be processed. prgtoken There is no need for this. This is a wrongheaded amendment. prgtoken Madam Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote, and .
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Michael T. McCaul (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-7-11

. Madam Chair, no one respects the Constitution more than I do. We have Article I authorities. prgtoken There is a reason why the Founding Fathers put Article I first, because that is the American people over the imperial presidency. prgtoken Why are we debating such an important issue, matters of war and peace, which is what my committee argues day in and day out on the Foreign Affairs Committee--well, first of all, it is part of the NDAA. But why are we arguing this at 9:15 at night, in the darkness of night and not the sunlight of day? prgtoken This is a dangerous amendment. It is a preemptive use of the AUMF. prgtoken We have not engaged in hostile forces, combat forces in Iran. We have not engaged in hostilities. That is when the War Powers Resolution kicks in, notification to the Congress, and then Congress debates the Authorization for Use of Military Force. prgtoken I have been in this body for eight terms. That is how the process works. You don't handcuff the President, the Commander in Chief. You don't handcuff him in advance of any preparation for dealing with state-sponsored terror. prgtoken This is just wrong.