mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2020-9-29

. Madam , on September 24, I was in my district to celebrate the unveiling of the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative to be located at the University of South Carolina Aiken, as well as attend the ribbon cutting for the Salt Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site. Both of these programs will have positive impacts on our community and I look forward to their success. prgtoken For these reasons, I was absent for votes. Had I been present, I would have voted: NAY on Roll Call No. 202; NAY on Roll Call No. 203; NAY on Roll Call No. 204; YEA on Roll Call No. 205; and NAY on Roll Call No. 206.
REAFFIRMING THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES' COMMITMENT TO THE ORDERLY AND PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER CALLED FOR IN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
Matt Gaetz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-9-29

while I know the comments of the majority's prgtoken time manager were directed to my colleague from Florida, it will likely not surprise him that I will regularly vote against things that pass unanimously in the United States Senate. I don't hold that as a standard. prgtoken We are here on a resolution regarding the peaceful transition of power. We barely had a peaceful transition of power in 2016. My colleague, the gentleman from California, was on television almost every night telling the American people that President was an agent of the Russian Government. How fake it all turned out to be. prgtoken I rise in opposition to this resolution even though I completely support the peaceful transfer of power. This resolution is a way for to attack the President and disguise the fact that they will refuse to accept the election results unless they win. prgtoken Professional loser Hillary Clinton has told that he should not concede ``under any circumstances.'' prgtoken The Transition Integrity Project has said that the aftermath of the November election will be a ``street fight, not a legal battle.'' The same report suggests that could even try to convince States to secede from the Union before accepting a victory. prgtoken Are these the actions of a party willing to accept defeat? They weren't willing to accept defeat in the 2016 election. They had to go blame the Russians. I guess I am still waiting for the 13 Russians who were indicted to show up. prgtoken No, this resolution is projecting and gaslighting. prgtoken The media has begun gaslighting the public, too, saying that it may look like won on election night, but that as ballots are counted, States will flip. How will this great switch be accomplished? Through the ' usual methods: lawfare, fraud, and violence. prgtoken Look at what we have already seen: Mike Bloomberg is trying to quite literally buy votes from felons in Florida; in Pennsylvania, absentee ballots for President were found in a dumpster; and in Minnesota, operatives were caught on camera discussing forcible illegal ballot harvesting. prgtoken ignore all this. They are not on the floor to condemn any of it. As a matter of fact, they have ignored it the same way they ignored the riots and arson and violence in America's cities, the same way they ignore the antifa goon squads and the gangs of fascists in brown shirts who threaten to harm anyone who does not want America to become their communist woketopia. prgtoken ignore criminality when it helps them and because they not- so-secretly believe that anyone who is punched or maimed or assaulted by antifa might deserve it, especially if they are a member of our brave law enforcement. prgtoken ignore these heinous acts of violence when the victims are or when they are pro-life or when they are supporters. Those lives don't matter to .
CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 20201 AND OTHER EXTENSIONS ACT-- Continued
Thom Tillis (Republican, NC) \u2014 2020-9-29

I thank Senator Cramer and my colleague Senator Rounds from North Dakota. prgtoken North Carolina's businesses are struggling. I heard Senator Cardin and am sympathetic to most of what he said. Yet, as I have traveled across the State--and I have had 65 telephone townhalls since COVID started and have talked with citizens in North Carolina for an hour, spending 55 minutes hearing from them and answering their questions--I know we have a very difficult problem in North Carolina and across the country. I just talked with a hotel and lodging association and a restaurant association a few weeks ago. They said we have 18,000 restaurants in North Carolina, and 9,000 of them are at risk of closing permanently. prgtoken When we passed the CARES Act, we knew we had to do something big, bold, and fast, and I think everyone at the Small Business Administration and in the banking industry mobilized to do something that was unprecedented. They got that money out and into the hands of businesses. prgtoken The program is called the Paycheck Protection Program for a reason. We were doing everything we could to make sure that those businesses that were willing could make payroll--could keep people on their benefits, could keep people on their healthcare--and could weather the storm while closures were going on all across this country. They were closing down businesses or, certainly, dramatically reducing their business. prgtoken Thank goodness for the brave businesses that stepped up and applied for Paycheck Protection Program loans, and thank goodness for the banks that were willing to underwrite them while we were still, really, working the rules out--literally building the cars as they were rolling down the road. They should be commended for what they have done. prgtoken This measure is a simple measure. We know that more than 85 percent of all of the loans that were underwritten under the Paycheck Protection Program were under $150,000, and we know that they were small businesses. Yet we have a lot of paperwork that these businesses are going to have to do, and small businesses interacting with the Federal Government on four or five occasions before the loan is forgiven is a daunting task when you are still trying to figure out how you can make payroll and how you can keep your business going. prgtoken Then you have the banking industry that we rely on for moving all of this capital out there and making sure that payrolls can be met and want to be prepared for the next tranche of CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program loans. Yet we are going to tie them up over paperwork with these small business loans that we can forgive? It is not like we are turning a blind eye to compliance. We will look at that loan portfolio with the same sort of sampling that the IRS does to make sure there is not any fraud or abuse and to make sure people are held accountable. prgtoken If Senator Cardin really wants to get to the work
SCHOOL-BASED ALLERGIES AND ASTHMA MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ACT
David P. Roe (Republican, TN) \u2014 2020-9-29

. Madam , today, I rise in support of H.R. 2468, the School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act, a bill I have been proud to work on with my friend, Leader Hoyer, that will help students with asthma excel in an asthma-friendly learning environment. prgtoken Madam , I will say that I had the privilege of visiting Mr. Walden's district a few years ago when we were working on the VA MISSION Act, and he explained to me that his congressional district had more square miles than the State of Tennessee. I didn't believe that, but it happens to be true. It has more square miles. And that one statement really helped me in composing that bill. prgtoken I also thank Leader Hoyer--when he mentioned that in 2013, we didn't know each other very well then, but we got to know each other. And that bill, the EpiPen bill it is called, passed. And in my own community, just a community about 20 miles north of me, not 2, 3 years ago, a middle school student, who didn't know she had allergies, had anaphylaxis, and because the EpiPen was available, because of Mr. Hoyer's work and others, that child survived. prgtoken I also thank Mr. Pallone and Mr. Walden. Remember the incredible arguments we had about the cost of the EpiPen? I travel with one all the time because I am more concerned about an allergy of some kind when I travel. They always ask on airplanes: ``Is there a doctor here?'' I am always with one. And you all helped push the price of that down-- your work on that did--from $600, which was absurd for an EpiPen. prgtoken And you know, Mr. Hoyer, with your daughter, I don't care how much money you have, that is a lot of money to pay. And you have to have two of them, not one. So that price has dropped dramatically because I think a lot of the work this Congress has done. prgtoken Last week marked the beginning of fall, as we all know. And for many of us, the cooler weather means the return to football and a new school year--different school year, but back. For millions of other Americans living with asthma, seasonal allergies, and other respiratory diseases, these changes of temperature mean difficulty breathing. prgtoken There are roughly 6 million school-aged children in the U.S. currently living with asthma. This is one of the leading causes of absenteeism. In fact, according to the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program, parents have reported that students collectively miss 14 million days of school every year due to asthma alone. While asthma poses serious health risks, it can be effectively managed with proper education, planning, and treatment, and does not have to negatively impact a child's access to education. prgtoken The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services both recommend that schools have comprehensive management programs in place to support children with lower airway disorders like asthma and keep these disorders under control while they are at school. Unfo
CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 20201 AND OTHER EXTENSIONS ACT-- Continued
Mike Rounds (Republican, SD) \u2014 2020-9-29

first of all, let me thank my colleague from North Dakota for making this presentation to begin with and my colleague from North Carolina for supporting him in this action. We appreciate the comments the Senator from Maryland has made, but we, most certainly, disagree with the approach he is suggesting. prgtoken Senator Cramer has suggested that we have a very serious problem here that has to be addressed. This is something that does not affect just businesses. It affects all businesses. You are talking about 4.2 million small businesses across the United States that are being impacted by this that have borrowed money in good faith and that have kept their businesses open. Now, surprisingly, when it comes time for the forgiveness portion of this to occur, we have a very challenging process put in place--a burdensome process--that could only have been done with the common sense found in Washington, DC, not in the rest of the country. To make the application more difficult for one to get forgiveness than the actual application to participate in the program in the first place is simply absurd. prgtoken Let me share with you a message from one of our bank executives in South Dakota. He is a rather prominent CEO in South Dakota. I share with you that I have cleaned this up a little bit and will paraphrase his quote to us after we asked him for information concerning how the banks will try to handle this. prgtoken Remember, the banks didn't have to participate in this, but they did so, in a way, to literally get money out in a very short period of time to the businesses that desperately needed the money in order to survive. prgtoken First of all, they had open lines of communication with the SBA literally 24/7 for more than a week in their trying to get approval for individual applications. They helped small businesses actually fill out the applications in the first place. Second of all, these banks will become responsible for these loans, and unless they are forgiven, they will stay with the banks. prgtoken If we are successful in coming to an agreement on additional loans being made in the future, how in the world can we expect these banks to get back in if we can't even follow up on our agreement that we would make this a simple process to get the loans forgiven in the first tranche that we have completed? prgtoken Let me share with you what this CEO writes. This has to do with his version of what is going on. We have literally received dozens of these types of comments from bank loan officers in the Upper Midwest, particularly in South Dakota. I will paraphrase because, as I say, we had to clean this up a little bit. The forgiveness piece of the PPP is a disaster. I have 750 loans out of 1,381 that are under $20,000 and 50 that are under $2,000. They have, basically, the same forgiveness process as the loans of my largest borrower, which is for over $4 mil
TRIBUTE TO JOHN SHIMKUS
Don Young (Republican, AK) \u2014 2020-9-29

. Madam , I thank the leader for yielding. John Shimkus has been my friend. He has done well for this House. prgtoken He and I played paddleball together. We never lost. We will be challenged on that, but that is true. prgtoken I have a saying that many people may not recognize. Why do the good people leave this Congress and the SOBs stay behind? I have been here 48 years, so I have to reconsider that. prgtoken But, John, we will miss you. You are a great Congressman; you are a great ally; you are a great American; and I know you have served your district very well. God bless you in the future for things you may do.
UIGHUR INTERVENTION AND GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN UNIFIED RESPONSE ACT OF 2019--LAYING DOWN HOUSE MESSAGE
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-9-29

I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the House message to accompany S. 178. prgtoken The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 178) entitled ``An Act to condemn gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, and calling for an end to arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of these communities inside and outside China.'', do pass with an amendment.
ENERGY EMERGENCY LEADERSHIP ACT
Greg Walden (Republican, OR) \u2014 2020-9-29

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I, too, rise in support of H.R. 362, Energy Emergency Leadership Act. prgtoken , this legislation, sponsored by Representatives Rush and Walberg, strengthens the Department of Energy's important energy emergency mission. It does so by requiring the well-established energy emergency and cybersecurity functions at DOE to be organized under the leadership of an assistant secretary confirmed by the United States Senate. prgtoken Just over 2\1/2\ years ago, then-Secretary of the Department of Energy Rick Perry recognized the importance of elevating this mission within the Department, and he established an Assistant Secretary-led office, the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response. This office has proven its worth in various situations over the past 2 years, , including assistance relating to hurricanes and wildfires. prgtoken This bill would amend the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish in law and, therefore, maintain that a Senate-confirmed assistant secretary would lead the Department of Energy's emergency response and cybersecurity functions. prgtoken This legislation will ensure the Department has the focused and accountable leadership to more fully protect the public from fuel and electricity supply disruptions against all the hazards, natural or man- made, including emerging threats from our foreign adversaries to the Nation's electric grid. prgtoken The bill has been drafted to ensure the Department carries out its responsibilities in coordination with other agencies by improving coordination across the Department, ensuring more effective interagency collaborations, and increasing accountability to the Congress. prgtoken A vote for H.R. 362 is a vote for ensuring high-level leadership over energy emergencies at the Department of Energy for the benefit of public safety and welfare, and for stronger cybersecurity protections in the electricity systems. prgtoken , I urge support of the legislation, and .
PROTECTING THE HEALTHCARE OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES AND PREVENTING EFFORTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO ADVOCATE COURTS TO STRIKE DOWN THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND...
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2020-9-29

. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse), and the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis). prgtoken Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio) would have voted ``yea.''
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2020-9-29

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2020-9-29

I thought I would deliver a little good news. It is a little hard to get good news these days, but I ran across some. prgtoken I want to tell you about a man named Dr. John David Arnold, who, many years ago, started out teaching school. He taught school in Arizona. He had a little blue bus from which he had ripped out the seats and put in desks. He used that blue bus to follow the migrant workers from Arizona clear to the northern border as they worked, teaching the migrant kids. prgtoken He came up with an idea. As technology advanced, he said: You know, if I give the kids a computer, I can handle a whole lot more kids. They could use the phone to send their assignments in. He did that. So remote learning has been around for a long time--probably 40 years. prgtoken One of the benefits he found was that the parents benefited from it too. The parents of these migrant workers learned along with their kids. That program grew. prgtoken Then he came up with another problem that he saw a solution for, and that is that, in Phoenix, there were a lot of high school dropouts and some kids being expelled. There weren't good results from that. So he thought maybe he could start a school for these kids, and he would only take a student who had dropped out or been expelled if they would sign a contract. They and their parents had to sign a contract before they could become students. That contract had to say, of course, that they would behave, they would do their work, and what their goal was for a job after they got out of high school. Then he trained them for that. prgtoken That was also a successful educational endeavor that goes on today. There have been a lot of graduates from that, and, today, there are students helping students. prgtoken A lot of people who graduated from that want to work with their hands and do things. He has turned out a lot of mechanics, and he has helped some mechanics get their own garages. Those mechanics have contributed money so that other kids who graduate can go into competition with them, but so that they will have the same kind of a start that they had. prgtoken Now the students in the school and the graduates are working on inventions to fight against COVID. This isn't their first crisis. They were there after Katrina, and they are still there doing prgtoken work. On COVID, they have been providing food, clothing, and medical supplies. They are still doing the job training. They have been working on some mental health problems. They have helped with utilities. They have helped with rent, and they have helped with group homes. prgtoken Where is this happening? It is not just in Arizona, not just in Phoenix where it all started. It is happening in much of Arizona and in a lot of New Mexico. They are working with the Apaches and the Navajos. They are working against COVID in Mexico and in Africa. Yes, his school has expanded to Africa. They are in Ghana. They are in Cameroon. They
BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION GUIDELINES ACT OF 2020
A. Drew Ferguson IV (Republican, GA) \u2014 2020-9-29

I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member for this opportunity, and I rise to support H.R. 3539. prgtoken Every American wants to live in a safe community, and children deserve to be able to go to safe schools. But all too often, that safety has been ruined by violence to self or others. prgtoken The Behavioral Intervention Guidelines, or BIG, Act combats this mental health epidemic head-on by providing local communities and school systems with the tools they need to help identify those most in need. prgtoken All across the country, schools like Columbus State University in my home State of Georgia and Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, have implemented behavioral intervention programs following the 2008 tragedy at Virginia Tech. prgtoken Dr. Chip Reese at Columbus State University and other university leaders, like Dr. Billy Phillips at Texas Tech, report that, as a result of these programs, they have seen universities' culture change and are helping to get at-risk students back on the right track. prgtoken This important legislation would foster this approach by providing Federal guidance in the form of best practices. Once established, these best practices will be disseminated on the HHS website, and HHS would provide technical assistance for elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions that are looking to create their own behavioral health intervention teams. prgtoken Now more than ever, our students should have the proper resources and a supportive community around them to benefit their mental health. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.