mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-1-24

from Alaska for her leadership today; my colleague from Maine, who just spoke; my colleague from Maryland; and all of my colleagues on the floor. prgtoken By the way, there are several s who came up to me over the last hour and asked: May I speak in this colloquy? We didn't have time for all of them, but that is a good sign. It shows that there are a lot of Members--16 here on the floor and many others--who believe it is time for us to figure this out. prgtoken No one likes a government shutdown. I have put out a bill five times now to the Congress to end government shutdowns. By the way, it is getting a few more cosponsors now, and it should because this situation doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense for the families who are affected, including those who are going to work without pay and are living paycheck to paycheck. This is true hardship. It doesn't make sense for the taxpayers, who never end up winning in these government shutdowns but whom we end up paying after the fact--often, for government services that were never provided--because that is how shutdowns work. Finally, it is bad for the economy. If we go another few weeks, there will be one point off our GDP, which will be a huge deal for wages and jobs and economic growth. So let's get this thing behind us. prgtoken There is a serious issue here, which is, How do we secure the border? Our southern border is a mess. I call it a ``crisis'' while others call it something else, but we have to address this. The President is right about that. prgtoken I am hopeful today, and I am hopeful for three reasons. prgtoken One is that we just went through a process whereby there was failure on both sides. As was expected, we had two proposals out there, but nobody expected they would pass. It was an opportunity, I guess, for voices to be heard, but no one expected them to pass. After this, the pieces are starting to be put back together by this group and others. prgtoken I just listened to my colleagues on the other side. I listened to what Senator King said. They want border security. They want to enhance what is going on at the border now. Senator King just talked about the need for more barriers. I mean, look, if you are serious about this, you have to acknowledge that twice as many people crossed in the last 2 months, which we have records for, than a year ago. There has been about a 50-percent increase in families crossing and about a 25-percent increase in kids crossing. There has been a 3,000-percent increase in the last 5 years in people coming forward and claiming asylum. This is a problem we have to address. prgtoken There is a huge problem with regard to drugs. I come from Ohio, where we are getting hit hard by the heroin and crystal meth that are coming across the border from Mexico. We are not stopping it--we are stopping very little of it--which is why and s alike have said there
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-1-24

later today--on day 34 of this partial government shutdown--the Senate will be voting on a proposal to finally end it. We will be voting on the one plan--the only one on the table-- that would reopen the shuttered portions of the Federal Government. It is a pragmatic compromise that could end this impasse right away. prgtoken The choice is absolutely clear, and the Nation is watching. Members can vote to immediately reopen the entire government with a compromise package that the President will actually sign, or they can hold out for the ic leader's dead-end proposal that stands no chance of earning the President's signature and ending the partial shutdown. prgtoken The President's compromise would accomplish three things. First, it ends the shutdown and resumes pay for Federal workers right away. Second, it strikes a bipartisan compromise on the issue of immigration and border security with ideas from both sides. Third, it provides stable, full-year funding for the Federal Government, not another short-term bandaid. prgtoken First, ending the shutdown. We have heard from Federal workers whose lives are in disarray. We have heard about the family hardships caused by the ' unwillingness to sit down and negotiate with the President. We have heard from those who have endured over a month without pay. We have heard from the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard, air traffic controllers, TSA agents, and other Federal employees. Every American deserves a fully operational government. Taxpayers aren't getting special tax refunds for these weeks when services and Agencies have been diminished or are unavailable. prgtoken The President has been at the negotiating table, ready to talk and to fix it. have made the opposite political calculation, and our Nation is paying the price. prgtoken The way forward is simple. We all know the ground rules. We need a compromise that can pass both Chambers and earn the Presidential signature. That is the way you make a law in this country. The first proposal we will vote on today is the only legislation that exists with any chance of checking those boxes--getting the President's signature and making a law. prgtoken On immigration and border security, this legislation provides the resources the men and women who risk their own safety to defend our border tell us are necessary. In the past year, we have watched as apprehensions of family units at the borders have risen--more young people brought into danger. prgtoken They have seen more interdiction of illicit substances like heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl and higher rates of attempted crossings by gang members and criminals. prgtoken The need for more security on our border is not a partisan invention. It is a fact. It is a reality most Senate readily admit. prgtoken One Senate said: ``I'm willing to support more border security.'' prgtoken Another said: ``Certainly, you need
IN RECOGNITION OF THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE REVENUE ASSOCIATION OF VIRGINIA
Robert J. Wittman (Republican, VA) \u2014 2019-1-24

. Madam , I rise today in recognition of the 100th Anniversary of the Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia, a well-reputed organization that has spent the past century providing counseling on tax policy and its application. prgtoken The Commissioners of Revenue began providing counsel to the Virginia General Assembly, the Commonwealth, her agencies and departments, and local governments on January 1, 1919. Since their formation, they have played an integral role in the history of Virginia, being involved in both the registration of our Commonwealth's first female voters and their support for the elimination of segregation within real and personal property tax assessment books. prgtoken The Virginia Commissioners of Revenue is made up of 127 individuals who are the chief assessing officers of their localities. They do irreplaceable work assessing property values, issuing business licenses, state income tax filing assistance, as well as further work within their respective areas. They serve as invaluable resources for the citizens of Virginia's First District, and I cannot thank them enough for the hard work they do every day. prgtoken Madam , I ask you to join me in recognizing the 100th Anniversary of the Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia. I proudly thank the men and women who serve as Virginia's Commissioners for their dedication to our Commonwealth and their work. May God bless the operations of the Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia, and I look forward to seeing their continued excellence.
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AND STATUS OF WALL
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2019-1-24

. Madam , I rise today to address the current government shutdown and the status of the government wall. prgtoken It is kind of a frustrating issue to address, because there is so much misinformation out there. The first thing I will address is the unpaid employees. We can pay the unpaid employees, particularly the employees who are working, if we would pass a bill now. We do not have to end this whole thing. prgtoken There is a wonderful bill, H.R. 271, introduced by Congressman Brooks--I am a cosponsor--that will immediately pay all of the current, working Federal employees. prgtoken I do not have the power to put that bill on the floor, because I am just a regular Congressman from Wisconsin. But the majority leader, if you see him, could put that bill on the floor any time. And if the real concern here is for the Federal employees who work in our airports, who work in the Coast Guard, who work in our prisons--many of whom I know and are great people--if these people really cared about them, that bill would be on the floor next Tuesday and winging its way to President 's desk by this time next week. prgtoken It is a mystery to me why, when so many politicians purport to care about the Federal employees, they will not bring forth this bill to pay them without having the whole issue solved. prgtoken The next issue I am going to address is these people who say President cannot compromise. I don't know whether they haven't been paying attention the last 2 years, or whether they just love to make things up. prgtoken For the public to understand, under normal circumstances if we are going to build a wall, the wall is in what we call an appropriation bill, or what people back home would refer to as a budget. President ran on the wall, and the wall is necessary, and we will talk about that in a second. Nevertheless, President would have wanted funding for this wall in some budget. prgtoken For his first 2 years, President was sent budgets by Congress, or spending bills by Congress, that did not contain a wall. That was frustrating to him, but because he did not want to shut down the government, and did not want to penalize the government employees, President , particularly, with a big omnibus bill about a year ago, signed big spending bills without a wall because he compromised. prgtoken You will recall that originally people talked about this wall being $20 billion. President is now asking for $5.7 billion. In the last week, I have taken time to meet with the former head of the Border Patrol. I have been on the Arizona border, and it disappoints the experts in the field, the people on the border themselves, that has compromised so much as to want only funding for a fraction of the wall. prgtoken So I would say, coming down from $20 billion to $5.7 billion is a big compromise. I would say twice signing entire appropriations for his first 2 years in office without the w
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2019-1-24

this shutdown, the longest in our history, must come to an end. It has already caused far too much harm for 800,000 dedicated Federal employees and their families who are struggling to pay bills without paychecks and are on the verge of missing yet another paycheck. It has hurt the American people who need to interact with Federal Agencies, including seniors, low-income families, people with disabilities who worry about their housing assistance. It is damaging our economy, causing a drop in consumer confidence and consumer spending. prgtoken Ironically, shutdowns always end up costing the government more money than if we had operated as we should. prgtoken I see a glimmer of hope here. We at least have had two votes today on two different plans. Like the Senator from Alaska and others, I supported both plans because my priority is to reopen government, but where I am really optimistic is the fact that 16 Senators are on the floor, equally divided between the two parties, and willing to compromise. Compromise is not a dirty word. It is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength. prgtoken Let us compromise to reopen government, address border security, and get on with the business of this country. prgtoken Thank you, .
HONORING CHRIS LARSON
Sam Graves (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-1-24

. Madam , I proudly pause to recognize Chris Larson. Chris is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 374, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. Chris has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Chris has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. Most notably, Chris contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project at the Earnest Shepherd Memorial Youth Center outside Liberty, Missouri. Madam , I proudly ask you to join me in commending Chris Larson for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Johnny Isakson (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-1-24

all and s, pay close attention. prgtoken I have been here for 20 years, and I have seen a lot of shutdowns-- about five of them. I want to talk about what they have produced. prgtoken The first one with Bill Clinton produced Monica Lewinsky. That is how they got into all the trouble--because she was an intern at the White House. Idle hands are never good. prgtoken For us, Newt Gingrich lost his job in the same shutdown. He lost his job because he lost six votes in the House and couldn't get reelected as . I had to replace him. I am kind of glad that happened, but it is still not a good reason to have a shutdown. prgtoken A few years later, great Senators--John McCain being one of them and Ted Kennedy being another--worked their fingers to the bone and came up with a great immigration bill that I was a part of in my first term in the Senate. We got castigated and ruined because, all of a sudden, ``amnesty'' became a four-letter word, and political consultants found it to be kind of an easy way to run against people in the party. prgtoken For 15 years, we have been beating each other over something that ought to be easy to do, which is to change for the better. A lot of people think Congress's job is for us to come to Washington and change things for the better. When it comes to immigration, all we ever change is the subject. We never end the debate, and we never pass a result. Oftentimes, we call each other names for the wrong reason. prgtoken I am here for one reason--to thank my colleagues who are on the floor. To all of the others who are ready to do some business, I am ready to do some business. It is time we put the workers in our government back to work. It is time we did what we promised the people in the United States of America we would do. And it is time we went to work because when everybody is out of work, it is our fault. They are the people who carry the mail, who empty the garbage, who cook in the cafeteria, who clean up the parks, and they do everything without complaining whatsoever. They are out there--many of them--not even being paid right now while we are sitting here, debating a subject that we can't reach a solution on--period. prgtoken We need to take our armor off, leave our weapons at the door, walk in the room, and shake hands. prgtoken We need to grab Ben Cardin's hand and say: Ben, thank you for making an effort as a . prgtoken Lisa, thank you, as a , for supporting it. prgtoken Let's sit down, and let's pass a bill we can all agree on that gets Americans back to work and restores the spirit of Ellis Island and the pride of the United States of America. prgtoken .
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-1-24

just a few months ago, we stood here on the Senate floor celebrating the progress we had made together in the appropriations process, as Senator Leahy has just alluded to. I believe we are all tired of lurching from crisis to crisis amid partisan bickering. Both sides resolved then to put aside partisan differences and work together for the good of the American people, and it worked. prgtoken Together, we funded 75 percent of the government on time. While we would have preferred to have funded 100 percent, it was considerably more progress than we had made in decades. Yet we find ourselves here today more than 1 month into the longest partial shutdown of the government in American history. It is enough to give you whiplash. prgtoken Funding the remaining 25 percent of government is a task before us here today. Homeland security, border security, is the linchpin. We know that. Are our differences really as insurmountable as they seem? They should not be, and I want to discuss why. prgtoken Last May, the Appropriations Committee considered the fiscal year 2019 Homeland Security bill. That bill included money for a physical barrier at the southern border. In fact, it included an increase in funding over the 2018 level for a physical barrier. prgtoken Our ic colleagues made no attempt to strike this funding, just as s made no effort to strike funding for ic priorities in the bill. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the committee--a vote of 26 to 5. There were no fireworks or histrionics in the hearing room that day. There was no demand to delay the Homeland Security bill until the rest of the Federal Government was funded. Rather, the committee simply decided together, on a bipartisan basis, to increase funding for a project that Congress funded the previous year. The fireworks and demands for delayed consideration came later. prgtoken It boggles the mind at times how we return so quickly to a standoff mode--to a zero-sum mentality--after making so much progress together. It is particularly perplexing to me considering bipartisan support is exactly what underpinned the very thing that now divides us so bitterly. prgtoken Just a few months ago, funding for a physical barrier in the southern border was part of a bipartisan deal, and now we cannot even really discuss it. That was then. I understand that. But where do we go from here? Who is offering real solutions, comprehensive solutions to end this impasse? prgtoken The President, for his part, has proposed a serious and, I think, a reasonable compromise--a comprehensive solution. I commend him for that. He is doing what the American people expect, I think, showing a willingness to work together to find common ground. prgtoken I encourage my ic colleagues to reciprocate here. We have in the past. If this proposal today is unacceptable, I ask my colleagues on the other side to put something on the
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-1-24

as my colleagues know, we have about 41,000 Active-Duty servicemembers in the U.S. Coast Guard. They are running vital missions right now in the South China Sea. They are protecting our airspace and ports along about 12,000 miles of coastline. They are performing search and rescue missions that include nearly 1,200 Active-Duty Coast Guard personnel in my home State of Louisiana, the Eighth Coast Guard District. For that reason, I think the members of our Coast Guard need to be paid during this shutdown until we resolve our differences. We need to resolve our differences. prgtoken There are some good Members of Congress, but right now, the American people are wondering what they are good for. It seems to me that we ought to be able to reach an agreement that secures the border--which I happen to believe can't be done without a barrier--and that also opens the government. prgtoken For that reason, , I ask unanimous consent that the Coast Guard be paid; that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 6, H.J. Res. 1; that the Wicker amendment at the desk be agreed to; that the bill as amended be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-1-24

this afternoon Senate will have the opportunity to vote to reopen the government when the Senate takes up the President's compromise proposal. I hope they are as serious about ending the shutdown as they have claimed to be. prgtoken Unfortunately, they haven't looked too serious over the past month. ic leaders have spent a lot of time talking about ending the partial shutdown, but they have absolutely refused to engage in any genuine negotiations to reopen the government. don't seem to understand that when there is a disagreement, both sides have to give a little in order to get things resolved. If we are going to get the government reopened, then both and the President are going to have to compromise. prgtoken The President understands this. He has repeatedly made it clear that he is willing to negotiate. On Saturday, he put forward a genuine compromise--legislation that addresses his border security priorities and some of ' most important immigration priorities. prgtoken Unfortunately, ' reaction was less than promising. The of the House labeled the compromise a ``nonstarter'' before she had even seen it. But, of course, she offered no replacement. prgtoken President offered a proposal that he believed would address some of the ' concerns. If didn't like that proposal, then they could have offered an alternative--one that addressed their concerns and attempted to address some of the President's concerns. But so far, the only ic proposals have involved the President agreeing to all of the ' demands in exchange for vague promises to address the security and humanitarian crisis at the border at some unspecified date in the future. prgtoken The ic leaders of the House and Senate may be persisting in their refusal to negotiate, but there are signs that rank-and-file are prgtoken starting to get restless. More than one ic Member of Congress has noted, in the words of one House freshman, ``[A]m I willing to talk about more fencing and more drones and more technology and radar and border agents? Absolutely.'' prgtoken Even the House majority leader sounded as though he was ready to break with Pelosi's obstruction, stating that are ``for border security'' and that ``physical barriers are part of the solution.'' That is from the House majority leader. prgtoken I hope that spirit of compromise continues to grow. In a couple of hours, Senate will have the chance to vote on the President's proposal. The bill before us would immediately--immediately--reopen the government. It would provide paychecks and backpay to Federal workers. It would provide needed disaster recovery funding. It would deliver all seven of the remaining 2019 appropriations bills, the product of bipartisan work in the House and in the Senate. It would tackle the security and humanitarian crisis