mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING THE 18TH PRESIDENT OF SAINT VINCENT COLLEGE, FATHER PAUL TAYLOR
Guy Reschenthaler (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-10-31

. Madam , it is a great honor to congratulate Father Paul Taylor upon his inauguration as the 18th President of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. prgtoken Father Taylor graduated from St. Vincent College in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from Saint Vincent Seminary in 1993 and a Master of Arts degree in Mathematics from Duke University in 1993. Father Taylor attended Boston College for his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration, graduating in 1998 after presenting his dissertation ``Boniface Wimmer and the Beginning of American Benedictine Education.'' prgtoken Father Taylor returned to St. Vincent College in 1987 in order to dedicate his life to Benedictine education. He made his simple profession of monastic vows in 1988 and his solemn profession of vows in 1991. Father Taylor was ordained as a priest on June 6, 1992 in Saint Vincent's Archabbey Basilica. prgtoken In 1996, Father Paul entered the Office of Admission and Financial Aid, eventually rising to the position of dean. It was in this role that he developed a strong commitment to helping students obtain financial aid. Under Father Taylor's leadership as Executive Vice President, St. Vincent College launched the Forward, Always Forward campaign. This $100 million-dollar campaign seeks to strengthen the endowment, as well as expand financial aid opportunities and enrich academic programs. On July 1, 2019, Father Taylor became President of St. Vincent, and I know that under his leadership, the college will continue to excel in providing American students with an education that sets them up for future success. prgtoken Madam , throughout his career, Father Taylor has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to education, his Catholic faith, and St. Vincent College. Please join me in recognizing and congratulating the 18th President of Saint Vincent College, Father Paul Taylor.
REMEMBERING KAY HAGAN
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2019-10-31

I first met Kay Hagan at a People magazine photoshoot for the Senate's ``Leading Ladies'' after I was elected in 2012. I appreciated how warm and welcoming she was towards me. I have fond memories of working with Kay on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and we forged a partnership through our leadership roles on the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. prgtoken My deepest sympathies are with her family during this difficult time.
VOTERS ARE ANGRY AT MEDIA
Alexander X. Mooney (Republican, WV) \u2014 2019-10-31

. Madam , a Rasmussen poll conducted on October 2 of 2019 found that a sky-high 69 percent of independent voters were ``angry'' at the media, and over 60 percent of all voters share that anger. prgtoken These voters are not upset at the media because they are balanced and fair, they are upset because the media is biased and telling them what to think--or not telling them at all. prgtoken The results of this astounding poll didn't appear in the Nation's largest newspapers or the most watched TV news programs and was hardly mentioned on social media. prgtoken The media's credibility is already at a record low. The road back to credibility for the media is to give the American people the truth and let them make up their own minds.
IMPEACHMENT: THEN AND NOW
Louie Gohmert (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-10-31

. Madam , we had a vote today. Some would say it was very important, but actually, it didn't do so much. In fact, it revoked some of our history, some of our precedent, some of our rules to take an unusual step toward supposed impeachment. prgtoken I still continue to be of the opinion that we will not end up having a vote in this Chamber on whether or not to actually impeach President because if that happens, it goes to the Senate. It gets slam- dunked down in the Senate, both on the basis of a massive failure of due process as well as no direct evidence of any wrongdoing, unless we are talking about someone who is a and has held the second- highest office before. But this is not due process. prgtoken By the way, of course, once it gets to the Senate, they vote it down, and then it ensures a repeat of 1996, where the current President is reelected. I am sure my friends across the aisle don't want to do that. prgtoken I am still of the opinion that I don't think we will end up with a vote to actually impeach or not impeach President . We will see how that plays out. But it is worth looking at precedent, as an old history major who has never quit studying history. prgtoken If we look at the impeachment committee authorizations in 1974 and 1998, back then, when there was bipartisan concern about due process, not just one-sided concern, the authorization by the House directed the Committee on the Judiciary to investigate if there were sufficient grounds for impeachment. prgtoken Currently, though, the directed six different committees, with the House Intelligence Committee at the forefront, to continue their ongoing investigations as part of what was called an impeachment inquiry. prgtoken Regarding the subpoena power in 1974 and 1998, what was authorized in the resolution back in the days when there was concern about due process and fairness and ensuring justice would be done, the resolution authorized both the chairman and the ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary to issue subpoenas acting jointly or unilaterally. prgtoken If either the chairman or the ranking member declined to act, then the other had the right to refer the decision to the full committee. prgtoken Currently, under what we voted on today, it authorized the chair of the Intelligence Committee, Chairman Schiff, and Judiciary Committee to issue subpoenas, but the authorization to the ranking member only is with the consent or approval of the chairman. It is incredible. prgtoken I mean, basically, our friends have said, well, it is like a grand jury. Well, I have been a prosecutor in front of grand juries. I have been a judge who impaneled grand juries, answered their questions, and dealt with issues that arose over grand juries. I am quite familiar with them. prgtoken With a grand jury, every single person on the grand jury who is going to get a vote gets to hear every witness, gets to ask any question they wish, and they
HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF U.S. ARMY SERGEANT THOMAS COLE WALKER OF CONNEAUT, OHIO
David P. Joyce (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-10-31

. Madam , it is with a heavy heart that I rise to honor the life and service of U.S. Army Sergeant Thomas Cole Walker of Conneaut, Ohio. prgtoken Sergeant Walker, who enlisted after graduating from Conneaut High School in 2016, was tragically killed on October 20 during a training exercise at Fort Stewart. prgtoken Just 22 years old, he had been awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. prgtoken His dedication to protecting this Nation was nothing short of heroic and serves as an inspiration to us all. But Sergeant Walker was more than a patriot. He was also a son, a brother, and a husband. His loss is felt by many. prgtoken Madam , please join me in extending condolences to the friends, fellow soldiers, and family of Sergeant Walker, especially his wife, Taylor; his brother, Jared; his sisters Payton, Whitney, and Wendy; and his father, Thomas. prgtoken I pray that the outpouring of support from the Conneaut community will help ease their sorrow during this difficult time. I know this entire Chamber joins me in thanking Sergeant Walker for his service, honoring his life, and praying for his family.
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, DEFENSE, STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020-- Motion to Proceed
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2019-10-31

I would like to speak briefly about an issue important to me, about an issue important to many Americans, and I would like to speak briefly about Senator Durbin's recent request for a hearing concerning the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act. prgtoken The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act is a bill that many Senators have worked for, for nearly a decade, and it has long been a top priority of mine. I have introduced this bill in every single Congress, ever since I was first elected to the Senate back in 2010. prgtoken During that time, it has been a subject of widespread debate and discussion. There has been a period of time in which a lot of people have learned a lot about this area. The debate and the discussion has occurred both on the Hill and off the Hill throughout the United States. prgtoken Other Members, including Senator Schumer, have sought to pass the bill, as I am doing. Whether that passage occurs by unanimous consent or through some other form matters less to me than that we get it passed, but we do need to get it passed. This year, we have come closer to making this important and bipartisan reform a reality, closer than we have ever come before at any point over the nearly decade that this has gotten a lot of attention. prgtoken In early July, the House of Representatives passed the bill on the Suspension Calendar by a wide bipartisan supermajority vote of 365 to 65. Around that time, I negotiated an agreement with Senator Grassley to help advance the bill by adding provisions drawn from the Durbin- Grassley H-1B reform bill. prgtoken Senator Grassley has for many years, openly and publicly, made it known that he had concerns with the bill. I was therefore very pleased that we were able to sit down and work out an agreement to address those concerns, while keeping the bill narrow and focused on the immediate problem that it is trying to solve. That is eliminating the country of origin discrimination in our employment green card system. I thank Senator Grassley for working with me on that. prgtoken The process by which I have tried to advance this bill through Congress has been open, transparent, and straightforward. I have sought and continue to seek unanimous consent to pass the bill on the floor. If any Member has raised concern about the bill, I have been willing to work with them quickly and in good faith to address their concerns. prgtoken That is why, after reaching an agreement with Senator Grassley, I also worked with other Members to resolve their concerns. For much of the past few months, I simply didn't know who, if anyone else on the ic side of the aisle, might have had concerns with the bill. We were told that there might be holds on the ic hotline, but we were not told who exactly might be holding the bill, and no one approached me with objections. prgtoken I certainly had no reason to think that Senator Durbin would have concerns with the
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Martha McSally (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-10-31

I rise in strong support of my amendment with Senator Jones from Alabama. As he said, this is a very important amendment to block $1.2 billion in cuts to these transit agencies that are impacting every single one of our States. Across Arizona, this is millions prgtoken of dollars, a 12-percent cut in every State, and we are going to stop that from happening here today. prgtoken As Senator Jones mentioned, this is impacting people of low income, of disabilities, and in rural communities across the board. A broad coalition of over 30 associations--including the American Public Transportation Association, Associated General Contractors of America, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--support our efforts today to block these cuts. prgtoken I urge our colleagues to please join us and vote for our amendment. prgtoken .
REMEMBERING KAY HAGAN
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-10-31

I know that several of my colleagues have had an opportunity to take to the floor this week and today to speak to the memory of a woman, a Senator, and a friend--certainly a friend of mine--former Senator Kay Hagan from the State of North Carolina. prgtoken Kay was one of those women whom you naturally gravitated to. She was kind. She was generous in her southern manner and in her charm. prgtoken I rarely use the word ``delightful'' to describe people, but Kay was a delightful woman. She was a friend to so many of us, and she was a good colleague in the Senate. prgtoken We had an opportunity to work together on different legislative matters, whether it was initiatives I was leading on mineral security or initiatives she was working on with regard to small business and HUBZones, but the one area we really did connect on for a couple years was what we were trying to do with our sportsmen's bill. prgtoken We were successful in passing that through the Senate a couple years ago, but we worked on this back in 2014, and it gave us an opportunity, as two women from States where hunting and fishing and being engaged with the outdoors is something that Alaskans and North Carolinians do and enjoy. We shared stories. We shared just discussion about how we were able to reach common ground. We figured if these two women from these two parts of the country could figure this out and make it happen, that would really be a good day, a positive day. prgtoken Well, it didn't happen at that particular time, but I am pleased to say we were successful some years later, and I think much of that was due, in part, to the good work of Kay Hagan. prgtoken I know there have been references to her legislative work, to her quality as a woman and a leader. My heart is really with the Hagan family, with her husband, Chip, and her extended family who truly loved her and were very protective of her in so many ways. I know their loss is a significant one. prgtoken I want them all to know that this Senator from Alaska shares that love, shares that loss for a woman who served us all well. I wanted to make sure that my comments were included among the many who have spoken on Kay's life.
NORTH DAKOTA
Kevin Cramer (Republican, ND) \u2014 2019-10-31

I rise today to mark the 130th birthday of the State of North Dakota. On November 2, 1889, President Benjamin on signed the documents turning Dakota Territory into two States, North Dakota and South Dakota. In the 13 decades since then, the people of North Dakota hive embraced the many opportunities and challenges of living in the geographic center of North America. prgtoken God has blessed us with abundant natural resources, and with hard work and innovation, North Dakotans have fed the world and fueled our Nation. We are top producers of wheat, sunflowers, dry edible beans, navy and pinto beans, canola, flaxseed, and honey. Our ranchers raise 1.7 million beef cattle--or almost three head of cattle for every North Dakotan. prgtoken As the Nation's second largest producer of oil in the country, we are one of the reasons the United States becomes closer every year to being energy independent. As one of the country's top 10 coal-producing States, our lignite reserves have an 800-year supply. Before there were Federal reclamation laws, North Dakota was enforcing its own, and our air quality has been ranked at among the best in the Nation. We proudly embrace an ``all of the above'' energy policy that, in addition to oil and coal, supports production of wind and biofuels. prgtoken Every year, visitors and new residents discover the beauty of our State, with its distinct geographic regions. A young Theodore Roosevelt's years of ranching in the North Dakota Badlands greatly influenced his conservation policies as our Nation's 26th President. North Dakota has been regarded the birthplace of conservation as Roosevelt, who was known as the Conservation President, established vast protections for wildlife and public lands through new national forests, bird reserves, game preserves, national parks, and national monuments. He said, ``I would not have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.'' prgtoken My State can often be found at the top of quality of life rankings in America, largely due to the strong sense of community engagement and social support present from border to border. prgtoken I speak for all North Dakotans in the pride we have for what our State has given to the Nation and world in our first 130 years, but, in true North Dakota spirit, I believe most would agree with me that we are just getting started and the best is yet to come. Happy Birthday, North Dakota.
LEGISLATION
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-10-31

the end of the fiscal year for the U.S. Government came and went without a new funding bill in place. It was a big disappointment because this summer I thought we had reached an agreement on a 2-year budget package designed to make the appropriations process much simpler and eliminate the uncertainty that comes from continuing resolutions and stop-start funding for government agencies. prgtoken We agreed to topline funding for defense and nondefense spending. It was a big deal. There was also a promise not to derail the process with poison pill policy riders, and we got it done with plenty of time to spare. prgtoken I remember at the time thinking, hey, maybe we can help restore some regular order and put the function back in Congress rather than the dysfunction. But, unfortunately, politics got in the way. When the time came last month to make good on the promises that were made during that 2-year budget cap deal, Senate blocked a bill to fund our national defense. You heard me right. Senate blocked the appropriations for our national defense. prgtoken If there is one thing we should make a priority here in Washington, DC, it is protecting our country, keeping our men and women in uniform adequately trained with the equipment and the resources they need in order to fight and win the Nation's wars, and, even better, to prevent a war from being fought in the first place. prgtoken But our ic colleagues simply blocked it. It wasn't a disagreement over the amount. No, it was something they had already agreed to last summer. They blocked the bill because, frankly, they don't want President to have any sort of wins here, even when it undermines our national security. prgtoken It was a remarkable show of priorities. Their animosity toward the President exceeded their desire to see funding flow to the men and women in uniform and to defend the Nation. We could have provided our troops with the largest pay raise in a decade. We could have sent vital funding to our military as they battle looming threats around the world. We could have put the appropriations process back on track and restored the basic functioning of Congress. But, no, our ic colleagues chose to put politics ahead of any of that. prgtoken With our only options being a government shutdown or a short-term funding bill, we chose the lesser of two evils. But it is still evil in the sense that it is much less than we should be doing to serve the Nation and serve our constituents. We pushed the deadline, and we kicked the can down the road to November 21. We hoped our colleagues on the other side of the aisle would have a change of heart, but now they have proved us wrong. prgtoken have blocked money for the military again and again. This is beginning to feel like ``Groundhog Day.'' They continue choosing to put their ongoing feud with the President before our most important responsibility as
DIRECTING CERTAIN COMMITTEES TO CONTINUE ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS INTO WHETHER SUFFICIENT GROUNDS EXIST FOR THE IMPEACHMENT OF DONALD JOHN TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Kevin McCarthy (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-10-31

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , elections have consequences. Our fellow Americans used their vote to choose who will work for them. So I ask you all a simple question--especially to my colleagues: Is that what is happening here today? prgtoken Are we gathered in these final moments, before we depart for a week, to fund our government or to pay our troops? prgtoken Are we gathered today to approve a new trade deal? Or are we gathered to debate the critical national security issues regarding China or Iran? prgtoken That answer would be unanimously ``no.'' We are not working for the American people. prgtoken Those items would resemble the achievements of a productive Congress, a Congress that truly works for the people. prgtoken But do you know what this Congress counts? prgtoken This Congress' record is more subpoenas than laws. That is the legacy. It is not just devoid of solutions for the American people; it is now abusing its power to discredit democracy. prgtoken By using secret interviews and selective leaks to portray the President's legitimate actions as an impeachable offense, are continuing their permanent campaign to undermine his legitimacy. prgtoken For the last 3 years, they have predetermined the President's guilt, and they have never accepted the voters' choice to make him President. So for 37 days and counting, they have run an unprecedented, undemocratic, and unfair investigation. This resolution today only makes it worse. prgtoken I have heard Members on the other side say they promise rights to the President, but only if he does what they want. That is the equivalent of saying in the First Amendment that you have the right to the freedom of speech, but you can only say the words I agree with. That is what you call due process, Madam . prgtoken The amendment offered by my colleague, Mr. Cole, would help correct some of the transparency concerns we have witnessed over the last few weeks. But today is about more than the fairness of the impeachment process. It is about the integrity of our electoral process. are trying to impeach the President because they are scared they cannot defeat him at the ballot box. Those are not my words. Those are the words from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who have offered impeachment three different times. prgtoken This impeachment is not only an attempt to undo the last election, it is an attempt to influence the next one as well. prgtoken This is not what promised when they entered the majority 11 months ago. In this Chamber, we heard from our . While we all sat here, we heard what the said when she talked about words of optimism and cooperation. prgtoken It was said that we would work together to make America stronger, more secure, and more prosperous. We were told our mission was to return power to the people. In fact, our new colleagues on the other side of the aisle were sent to Washington w