mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SENATE RESOLUTION 233--RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING FREEDOM OF SPEECH, THOUGHT, AND EXPRESSION AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-6-5

it is so interesting to always come to the floor and speak on topics that are important to Tennesseans and I think also to Americans. As I begin my remarks, I want to kind of build the context for this and take us back to a time I know the Presiding Officer recalls, and so do I. It was the sixties. I was a child who was growing up. I remember it as a decade where bold statements and brash behavior and activists from each side of the aisle set the standard for what we today look at and say is a modern-day political protest. What we saw in this decade was once-sleepy college campuses became the scenes of widespread unrest. Tensions were high and conditions were perfect for what else but a Supreme Court battle. prgtoken In September 1969, a group of students attending Central Connecticut State University decided they wanted to organize a local chapter of the organization Students for ic Society. The university president rejected the application, claiming that the SDS philosophy was ``antithetical to the school's policies'' and could be a disruptive influence on campus. prgtoken Now, I am sure he thought he had a good point. The national SDS organization was known for its fiery protests, prgtoken and its now-notorious acts of civil disobedience. They made it their business to make authority figures nervous. Nervousness, however, is not an exception to the First Amendment. The students knew that, so the lawsuits started flying. The students' case finally made it to the Supreme Court, which held that ``the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States applies in full force on the campuses of public colleges and universities.'' That case, Healy v. James, was a win for free speech. Although precedent continues to trend in the right direction, the First Amendment is in danger on the American college campus. From so-called free speech zones to severely restricted speech codes, campus officials are doing their best to ensure that students are protected from anything that may challenge their preexisting notions of right and wrong. prgtoken Instead of creating a safe environment, these policies have backfired, creating an atmosphere of fear and violence toward opposing viewpoints. prgtoken Just this past April, protesters at the University of Texas at Austin used smoke bombs to shut down a pro-life speaker at a Young Conservatives of Texas event. prgtoken In 2017, the editorial staff at Wellesley College's student newspaper threatened hostility toward anyone whose beliefs--their beliefs; not just their words but their beliefs--did not fit into the acceptable liberal mold. prgtoken That same year, Middlebury College campus--their left behaved so disgracefully that one progressive columnist begged the students at his alma mater to find a way to protest views they disagree with without shutting down speech entirely. prgtoken In the face of such hostility toward free and open debate, I ask this
RECOGNIZING JUNIOR LEAGUE OF BUFFALO CENTENNIAL
Chris Collins (Republican, NY) \u2014 2019-6-5

. Madam , 100 years ago today, Mary Crate Taylor brought together a group of 67 women to form the Junior League of Buffalo. prgtoken Ms. Taylor organized this group of all women volunteers to provide needed relief to families during the Depression era. During this era, the league generated tens of thousands of dollars in donations for various causes in western New York, including Children's Hospital. prgtoken Since 1919, the Junior League has created programs to curb substance abuse, assist mothers at risk of poverty, combat illiteracy, and empower women through many volunteer programs and projects. prgtoken Today, with more than 500 women, the Junior League has generated millions of dollars in donations that benefit cultural and community- based programs throughout western New York. prgtoken Happy centennial to the Junior League of Buffalo. Keep up the great work, and here is to 100 more.
Cuba Sanctions (Executive Session)
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-6-5

I thank my friend and colleague and one- time President pro tempore of this body, Senator Leahy. 75th Anniversary of D-Day prgtoken , I am here on the floor today to talk about D-Day, to talk about how we would remember the 75th anniversary tomorrow of a turning point in World War II: June 6, 1944, the invasion of Normandy. prgtoken Historian Douglas Brinkley has written that D-Day was both the single most important in the 20th century and one of the bloodiest and most tragic, too, in terms of loss of life. prgtoken On D-Day, our fleets set forth from the rocky shores of Britain to reach the fog-shrouded beaches of Normandy. On board the thousands of ships and planes were our fathers and grandfathers and great- grandfathers--some no older than 18 years old--who would bravely venture ashore in a show of determination and duty. There were prgtoken 160,000 soldiers who crossed the English Channel that day. On their backs were rucksacks, some weighing over 80 pounds. But really on their backs was the fate of our allies in Europe and, really, the fate of the free world. Were our men to fail that day, Europe might well have fallen to Hitler once and for all. prgtoken Many of our best and brightest young Americans did fall. We lost more than 10,000 men that day. prgtoken The Nazis had spent 2 years fortifying the coast to prepare for this moment. It was Hitler's so-called Atlantic Wall. The beautiful coastline of northern France was covered in barbed wire, landmines, and bunkers. Hell had come to Earth to greet our men as they landed, and still they fought on gallantly. prgtoken At the end of the largest amphibious invasion in history, we stood victorious, battered but unbroken. On we marched, through France, through Belgium, and finally into Germany. The world would never be the same. prgtoken Even today among the beautiful flowers and fields of Normandy, you can feel the lingering presence of those who died that day in service of liberating Europe, and you can see it, as I have, at the stark, orderly U.S. military cemeteries, where row after row of white crosses and Stars of David stand defiant, representing lives lost in a noble cause. Though much has happened in the following 75 years, we can never lose sight of the valor and sacrifice displayed by our Armed Forces on that day. prgtoken On Memorial Day, I spoke at the National Veterans Memorial Museum in Columbus, OH, and also at a cemetery in Grove City, OH. In both ceremonies, there were World War II veterans present and up front. To see the generations of veterans and family members there to honor the fallen was to see the living embodiment of the stories we ought to remember from a war that recedes further into the past with each passing year. prgtoken Stories of valor like that displayed by Jim ``Pee Wee'' Martin, from Dayton, OH. On that day, he and the rest of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment parachuted th
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS ALASKA
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-6-5

this week we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics Alaska, an organization that has done so much for so many Alaskans living with intellectual disabilities in my State and across the globe. prgtoken The rise of the Special Olympics is one of the world's great stories. It demonstrates both on the political and personal fronts what can happen when a group of people get together to ensure that everyone has the ability to participate in sports and, furthermore, develop skills and friendships that will last them a lifetime. prgtoken The story of Special Olympics dates back to the 1960s, when one woman, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, decided to make a difference. Mrs. Shriver had a sister, Rosemary, who had an intellectual disability and with whom she was very close. She knew that Rosemary's disability shouldn't hold her or anybody else back from competing in sports and fulfilling her dreams. prgtoken In the summer of 1968 in Chicago, Eunice Shriver opened the first national games for Special Olympics. One thousand athletes from 26 States and Canada competed in track & field and swimming. Jump forward to today. Because of Mrs. Shriver's vision and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities, there are now nearly 5 million Special Olympics' athletes around the world, and as many as 80,000 competitions are held every year, including in the great State of Alaska. prgtoken In 2001, Alaska hosted the Special Olympics World Winter Games. Mrs. Shriver said it was the best World Winter Games in Special Olympics history. That success was only possible because of the hard working staff, board, volunteers, and athletes from the Special Olympics Alaska organization and the complete support of a caring, engaged community. prgtoken Special Olympics Alaska will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend in conjunction with the Special Olympics Alaska Summer Games. Hundreds of athletes and unified partners from across the State will gather in Anchorage for 3 days of competition. They have been dedicated to their training in aquatics, basketball, gymnastics, powerlifting, and track & field, and this weekend will strive for their personal best and, no doubt, have a lot of fun. There is no better place to see the joy of competition and pure sportsmanship than at a Special Olympics event. prgtoken My family is proud to be part of a community that supports our Special Olympics athletes and, to brag a little, part of a State with a world-class training center and program that is the envy of many other States and nations. Special Olympics Alaska's success would not be possible without the dedicated support of so many Alaska families and the passion our athletes have for sports and this organization. Our athletes inspire all of us. They show us the true meaning of grit, determination, and perseverance. Our athletes know, more than any of us, what Vince Lombardi meant when he said, ``It's not whether y
RECOGNIZING 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-6-5

. Madam , I rise today in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Allied D-Day invasion of France, to honor the bravery of our Armed Forces who served in that operation. prgtoken On June 6, 1944, 73,000 Americans took part in Operation Overlord to storm the beaches of Normandy. Sadly, the United States suffered more than 6,000 casualties in this operation. Ultimately, thousands more U.S. servicemembers would fall in the coming weeks and months liberating the rest of Western Europe from German control. prgtoken Madam , last year I attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France. Looking out among the white crosses, one could see fathers buried next to sons and brothers next to brothers. The average age of those who perished was just 19 years old. prgtoken This memorial serves as a constant reminder that the United States will fight and die to protect the freedoms of not just American citizens, but for those around the globe. We are eternally grateful for this devotion to duty and devotion to country.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Steve Scalise (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-6-5

. Madam , as we start the appropriations process to, ultimately, get to the point where we are able to pass our appropriations bills prior to September 30, I think the gentleman recognizes that the only way we will have an opportunity to get to a point where we don't have a shutdown is if we are in agreement, both between the House and Senate as well as with the White House, on the actual number, the amount of money that the Federal Government would be able to spend in that year. prgtoken We have had agreements in prior years, budget agreements, on how we are going to do that. I think the gentleman understands that even within the ic-controlled House, there is not an agreement. The Budget Committee, the majority's Budget Committee, was not able to pass a budget. It was not even able to pass out of committee an amount of money to determine what we could spend in the House or the Senate. There is not an agreement at all. prgtoken In fact, if you look, it is the first time in 9 years that the House Budget Committee did not produce a budget. That budget, that is usually the document that says this is the amount of money that the appropriations bills can ultimately equal up to, whether it is defense or all the other bills. prgtoken Next week, more than half of the discretionary spending of the country is going to be on the House floor. The Department of Defense bill alone represents more than half of the discretionary spending, and there is not an agreement between the House and Senate or with the White House on how much we are going to fund defense. prgtoken I would like to see us get that agreement, but, clearly, the gentleman prgtoken knows we don't have one. Unfortunately, those bills are typically bipartisan, and the Appropriations Committee has produced a very partisan defense bill. That doesn't happen often. prgtoken I wish the on the committee would have worked with the s on the Appropriations Committee to produce a bipartisan bill so that we would have a better chance of getting something that can get signed into law. prgtoken If we want to avoid a shutdown, the best way to do it is to work with both parties, not just produce a -only bill. That doesn't happen too often. Unfortunately, I think that is the direction we are headed. prgtoken I would like to ask the gentleman, number one, if he has any kind of idea on how we are going to get to a budget agreement, an agreement on some kind of spending forecast, so that we can have a picture of how we can get bills that can get signed into law and an amendment process that would be fair to both sides. prgtoken I think we have talked about this before, how so far this Congress, it has been very tilted, where the lion's share of amendments that are coming out of the Rules Committee are only ic amendments. There has been a history this Congress of shutting out amendments on the floor, and I would hope there would
IN HONOR OF ALVIN HUSTON PERRY
Andy Barr (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-6-5

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life of a special man, Mr. Alvin Huston Perry of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Mr. Perry is part of a special group of heroes that served our nation during World War II. prgtoken Mr. Perry was born in August of 1923 and grew up on a farm in rural Anderson County. He was drafted into the United States Army in November of 1943. He was assigned to the 331st Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. Mr. Perry's unit was part of the second wave of men to land on Omaha Beach after the D-Day invasion. German forces surprised Perry's company as fighting ensued in the hedgerows in Normandy. Mr. Perry was injured in the shoulder and his company was captured. He was taken to a German field hospital in Ruins, France where he was treated, From there, he was taken to Stalag XII-A in Limburg, Germany and later to Stalag VII-A in Musburg, Germany. He and his fellow prisoners lived in boxcars and were taken to Munich every day to work. He was a prisoner of war from July 1944 to April 1945. prgtoken Following liberation by American forces, Mr. Perry returned to serve stateside. At the war's end, he farmed and created a milk route delivering milk containers from dairy farms to distribution plants. He married his sweetheart Oneida, who he met in grade school. prgtoken Mr. Perry earned a Purple Heart, a Prisoner of War Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, and a WWII Victory Medal. He will be honored on June 7, 2019 with the French Legion of Honor, the highest decoration bestowed in France. prgtoken Mr. Perry and his fellow veterans are true heroes. As members of the ``Greatest Generation'', they willingly served to protect and defend the freedoms that we enjoy today. I am humbled to honor the service of Mr. Alvin Huston Perry before the United States Congress.
Ukraine (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-6-5

reserving the right to object, let me just say that the plans to which the Senator from Wisconsin is referring are plans that tens of thousands of people are buying, and one of the reasons they are buying them is because it allows them to buy the insurance they want at a price they can afford. prgtoken I can tell you, as I am sure the Presiding Officer can and probably everybody here can, when they travel across the country and talk with the farmers and ranchers and people who are buying their insurance on the individual market, the individual market has blown up. It has exploded. People are paying $3,000 a month in premiums--$36,000 a year--and have huge deductibles. So what they are doing is they are dropping coverage because they can't afford it. One of the reasons they can't afford it is because, under Care, there were so many mandates and requirements, it drove up the price. So they have these skyrocketing premiums, higher deductibles, and higher copays. prgtoken I think that is precisely why the administration decided that, let's take these plans and give people an opportunity to buy the insurance they want at a price they can afford. prgtoken Literally tens of thousands of Americans are now in these plans. What the Senator from Wisconsin is saying is, we are going to throw all these people off these plans. What does that do? That puts them back out, probably uninsured, which is what a lot of farmers and ranchers in places in South Dakota are doing--they are just dropping coverage because they can't afford it. Who can afford to pay $3,000 a month? That is what Care has left us. That is why we need new solutions. This solution is one that allows people to buy a plan they want at a price they can afford, coupled with association health plans--which , I think, here in the Senate are also objecting to and opposing--which are also giving individuals opportunities to join larger groups and spread their risk and drive down their premiums. We need plans that people in this country can afford, or more and more people are going to be in the ranks of the uninsured. prgtoken So, , I object.
HONORING MONTANANS WHO FOUGHT AT NORMANDY ON D-DAY
Greg Gianforte (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-6-5

. Madam , 75 years ago, courageous Americans stormed the beaches of Normandy and parachuted behind enemy lines. Facing what Supreme Allied Commander Eisenhower described as the German war machine, they fought for the cause of freedom. prgtoken Many Montanans were there: prgtoken Ed Seifert of Polson parachuted into Normandy. He would go on to jump into Holland during the Battle of the Bulge; prgtoken Bud Olson of Choteau came under fire in a glider. He was the only survivor of 28 aboard, and he would go on to liberate a concentration camp; prgtoken Corky Apple of Lewistown came off a landing craft on Utah Beach. He would go on to earn five Bronze Stars during the war; prgtoken John Nelson of Lolo also landed on Utah Beach. He was with Patton's army when it liberated a concentration camp near the Czech border. prgtoken As we mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, remember the brave Americans who destroyed the German war machine, liberated a continent, and saved the world from tyranny.
HONORING LAUREN BROWN
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-6-5

. Madam , a biology teacher in the Second Congressional District has been selected as the 2019 Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year of South Carolina by the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT). prgtoken According to the New Irmo News, ``the award is given annually to a teacher who shows a passion for teaching biology. Each state, province, and territory recognizes an Outstanding Biology Teacher.'' prgtoken Ms. Lauren Brown has been teaching biology for 9 years, the last five years have been at Spring Hill High School. She was also honored as the American Legion Teacher of the Year from Chapin Post 193. She has also served for three years as a coaching teacher with the University of South Carolina's Education program. prgtoken Our communities in the Second Congressional District are grateful for leadership like Ms. Lauren Brown's. Congratulations to Lauren for earning this distinct honor. prgtoken In conclusion, God Bless our Troops and we will never forget September 11th in the Global War on Terrorism.
NOMINATIONS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-6-5

yesterday the Senate voted to confirm Andrew Saul of New York to serve as Commissioner of Social Security and voted to advance several more highly qualified nominees. prgtoken Today we will vote to confirm three other executive branch nominees to important posts at the Departments of State and Interior and at the CFTC, and we will advance three more judicial nominees to fill seats on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Court of Federal Claims. prgtoken So the Senate continues to clear the backlog left by more than 2 years of systematic delays and obstruction that extended even to nominees with major bipartisan support--impressive, unobjectionable individuals who had spent months and, in some cases, well over a year on the Executive Calendar were finally granted straightforward votes. The modest rules change the Senate adopted this spring is already making a change. prgtoken In 48 session days, from January through April, we were able to confirm just 23 nominees. But in the 20 days immediately following the modest reform, we confirmed 45, about twice as many in less than half the time, and, of course, the number of confirmations has continued to climb in the weeks since then. We need to get these folks on the job for the sake of the country. The President--any President--should be able to stand up a government. The American people deserve to be governed by the government they voted for. prgtoken Many of the jobs that have been needlessly held open are not typically the highest profile positions, but they are still hugely important. As I said yesterday, until we confirm David Schenker later today, his confirmation to hold the top Middle East job at the State Department will have been held up for more than a year. This is the Middle East position at the State Department. Yet, as the cloture vote indicated, this qualified nominee carries overwhelming support. The nomination has been held by for political purposes. It had nothing to do with the nominee or his qualifications for the position. Given the crisis ranging from Libya to Yemen and almost everywhere in between, it is past time to have an Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs confirmed and on the job. prgtoken Later today we will also confirm Susan Combs to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Her noncontroversial nomination has been pending in the Senate since July. Listen to this: since July of 2017--2 years, 700 days, just shy of 2 years. But starting tomorrow, she will finally be on the job. prgtoken These are the kinds of nominees who once would have moved swiftly through the Senate and certainly by voice vote. I wish we could rediscover that tradition, but one way or another, we will continue to make progress.