mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CONGRESSIONAL PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS
Janice D. Schakowsky (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-1-15

I thank Congresswoman Tlaib for leading this conversation today. I am seeing some of my colleagues on the floor today who remember the story that I want to tell. prgtoken This was the fall of 2002, and there was a vigorous debate going on whether or not we should be sending our troops to declare war on Iraq and take out Saddam Hussein. The story went that there were weapons of mass destruction. prgtoken Yes, we had briefings. They were in the north. They were in the south, the west, and the east. They were there all right, we were told. prgtoken A vote was going to come up on the Authorization for Use of Military Force, AUMF, in Iraq. There was one voice in particular that stood out and still stands out to me, a woman who was the ranking on the Intelligence Committee. Her name was Nancy Pelosi. She stood up at our meetings and said, no, there is no intelligence to justify that we go to war in Iraq. prgtoken A group of us got together. I see Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the only Member who, because we were already in Afghanistan, voted against that war, who put together a group called the Out of Iraq Caucus. We went door-to-door, literally, and asked our ic friends in the House to say no to this war because it was not necessary. prgtoken At the end of the day, even though the press story had already been written that somehow it was almost a unanimous vote, 60 percent of the in the House of Representatives voted against that war in Iraq. prgtoken That was over 17 years ago. We still have troops in Iraq. We spent trillions, literally trillions of dollars, and the loss of life on all sides, including our precious American soldiers that we sent--most Americans today agree that that war was a disaster and that we shouldn't have done it. We learned a lesson. prgtoken When it came time to talk about the threat that we knew was there, the nuclear weapons program in Iran, we worked with President in a diplomatic way to pass the Iran agreement that actually stopped Iran from developing nuclear weapons that would threaten not only the United States and the region but the rest of the world. And it was working. There were inspectors that would report to us. Every month, we got a report that said it was working. prgtoken Along comes , who had said even in the campaign that this is a really bad idea, that this is a terrible agreement. Lo and behold, just a few weeks ago, he decided--it seems like a long time. Not long ago, he decides, all prgtoken of a sudden, that it is a really important thing for us to go after Iran while Soleimani, the general, who is part of the government, is in Iraq. prgtoken No one is crying over the death of Soleimani. The question is: Is the United States safer now than it was? The answer is a resounding no. prgtoken That is why I am in strong support of the legislation by Barbara Lee that says we will sunset that 2002 Authorization for Use of Military F
CONGRATULATING CONGRESSIONAL AWARD RECIPIENT NICOLAS MABIE
Abigail Davis Spanberger (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2020-1-15

. Madam , Central Virginia is home to some of the most community-centered and service-minded students in the country, and today I am fortunate to recognize one of these students as a recipient of the Congressional Award. prgtoken Nicolas Mabie, a constituent of mine from Moseley, earned this national recognition for his work in community service, personal development, physical fitness, and exploration of the world around him. prgtoken Nicolas's community service centered on volunteering for his community swim team. Through this activity. he helped kids learn a life-long and life-saving skill. He has demonstrated an ability to set goals, make a strategy, and see it through to the end. prgtoken Madam , I congratulate Nicolas on his accomplishments. I look forward to seeing prgtoken how he will continue contributing to our Seventh District communities in the future.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2020-1-15

. I appreciate Mr. Brown's taking us through this. It is faster. It is tougher because it gets at the individual factory level. It is stronger because it stops those repeat offenders who come up with products using exploitive labor. prgtoken I want people to know and have it highlighted in the Record that my take is that this, given what we have seen over the last 25 years, is far better than anything we have seen before. prgtoken Look, the Senator and I have worked on a lot of enforcement efforts over the years. He will recall that at one point I chaired the Trade Subcommittee, and we found people tripping over themselves to cheat because they were merchandise laundering. It was a little bit different from this. We set up a dummy website just to try to keep tabs on all the people who were cheating. We would remember--and we didn't know whether to laugh or cry--that all over the world, people were coming forward to cheat. That was useful. It didn't come close to the breadth of what has been done here. prgtoken Let me just ask a couple more specific questions because I have heard lots of people in all the campaigns and the like talking about whether this was modest or really a bold set of changes. Now we have just walked through how much stronger this is than anything we have seen in the last quarter-century. prgtoken The gentleman mentioned how workers can use this hotline to enforce their rights. If a worker reports violations of their rights at a call center and the government believes the complaint has merit, my understanding is that the government is obligated under the law to send labor inspectors to that facility. Is that correct?
FULL AND FAIR TRIAL REQUIRED IN U.S. SENATE
Ted Lieu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-1-15

. Madam , yesterday the House released additional documents and new text messages from Lev Parnas. He is an associate of 's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. He has also been indicted. These documents and text messages show a chilling picture of surveillance, both physical and electronic, of the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. This is all the more reason why we need to have a full and fair trial in the United States Senate. prgtoken The House today is going to transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. was impeached for abusing his power and for soliciting interference in our elections from a foreign government. He will be branded for the rest of his life. It is permanent, it will not go away, and now we need the Senate to act and have a fair trial. That means witnesses and documents. If they do not do that, it will be the equivalent of a coverup.
IMPEACHMENT
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-1-15

before I make remarks on a different issue, I would like to address comments made this morning by the majority leader, the Senator from Kentucky. The first related, as most of his comments recently, to the pending impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. prgtoken I listened carefully to his arguments that the House and the Senate have moved too quickly on this matter. It is true that they moved with dispatch, and I think it reflects the fact that the charges that have been made were timely, important, and relevant to the election campaign cycle which we now face. prgtoken The charges in the Articles of Impeachment suggest the President, in conversation with the President of Ukraine, asked for help in the campaign that is about to ensue, asking specifically for investigative material on the son of former Vice President Joseph . At the same time, the President was withholding military assistance voted by the Appropriations Committee in Congress to Ukraine as they continue to battle with Russia. These are serious charges, and they were based on a telephone conversation last July. prgtoken It is true that the effort by the House of Representatives has been timely and, by measurement of previous impeachment investigations, much faster, but I believe that the timeliness is one of the important elements here because we are facing this campaign. prgtoken Secondly, there was an argument made by the majority leader that the Articles of Impeachment which we are about to receive in the Senate do not state that a crime was committed. I would refer the majority leader to the Constitution as well as to precedent in the U.S. Senate. The actual allegation of a crime is not required for an impeachment. I think the Senator from Kentucky knows that. prgtoken The last point he makes is one that I think is very important, and that is that there has been some delay by Pelosi in sending the Articles of Impeachment to the U.S. Senate. I would say, during the course of the period since they were first voted on last December in the House and their arrival in the Senate this week, we have seen several things of importance unfold, not the least of which was a recent disclosure of new witnesses and new evidence that has have been collected since the House voted on the Articles of Impeachment. In the eyes of many, it is relevant evidence, and the fact that that information is now available to the Senate means we have a better chance of arriving at the truth after deliberation. prgtoken Secondly, I might add it is encouraging that some Members of the U.S. Senate have made it clear that they oppose the notion of a motion to dismiss the impeachment charges as soon as they arrive. That might have been the dream of some in the White House--and perhaps even some in the U.S. Senate--but cooler heads have prevailed, and I salute my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who believe we have a special responsibility to
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2020-1-15

before the senior , the ranking member of the Finance Committee, leaves the floor and before the Senator, my colleague from Ohio, leaves the floor, I want to thank them both. We would not be here on this day without them and without their leadership--both of them. prgtoken When Sherrod Brown says that he has never met a trade agreement he wanted to even think about supporting--thank you for making this one that virtually all of us can support. My highest regards. United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement prgtoken , I have a speech here that starts off with ``'' over and over again, but I am going to say ``.'' I rise today to discuss the new treaty to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, affectionately known as NAFTA. prgtoken Last week, those of us who serve on the Finance Committee had an opportunity to evaluate the new NAFTA. In fact, about a half dozen or so committees have been given different jurisdictions to do that, with respect to this trade agreement. prgtoken As you know, trade deals are often dense agreements that have hundreds of provisions relating to any number of issues. Ultimately, trade agreements and trade legislation move through the Senate Finance Committee. We just heard from two of our senior members. prgtoken As another senior member of that committee for many years now, I have considered many trade bills and looked at what impact those bills would have on American consumers, producers, manufacturers, farmers, and businesses--citizens. After all, our economy depends on making sure that other countries can sell to us and that we can sell to other countries, especially close allies like Canada to our north and Mexico to our south. prgtoken Following years of uncertainty, thanks to the President's haphazard trade wars, I believe this agreement will provide a measure of certainty for those who help drive our economy. Provisions included in the new NAFTA will help in our State, on the Delmarva Peninsula, our poultry producers gain better access to Canadian markets. It is not just important to Delaware; it is important to Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and other places where they raise chickens. prgtoken Further, the new trade deal increases market access for dairy farmers in Delaware, and those across the country, to sell their milk products--products like powdered milk--to Canada. The International Trade Commission estimates that this will allow for an additional $315 million in exports annually. That is a $315 million increase in exports just under the milk side, the dairy side, in sales to Canada every year. prgtoken When we evaluate the new NAFTA as what it is--a trade deal--I believe that it makes significant improvements on past trade agreements, including the prgtoken original NAFTA. New NAFTA adds stronger language to ensure that the obligations to all three counties under multilateral environ
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE'S FIRST MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY CELEBRATION
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2020-1-15

I rise today in observance of the 20th anniversary of New Hampshire's first Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After legislation was enacted the previous summer, Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the year 2000 was the culmination of a years-long struggle to add Dr. King's name to the State's official Civil Rights Day holiday. I ask my colleagues and all Americans to join me in celebrating this recognition of such an influential figure and saluting the men and women who prompted this important and permanent change. prgtoken This anniversary is personal for me. I fought alongside so many when I served in the New Hampshire State Senate for an appropriate way to honor Dr. King, the preeminent leader of the civil rights movement. Years later, as Governor, I was proud to sign the bill into law that ended New Hampshire's status as the only State not to recognize his birthday as an official holiday. There were setbacks leading up to that triumphant June day, including many failed votes in the State legislature; yet with a sense of resilience typical of the movement that Dr. King inspired, we persevered and kicked off the new millennium in the Granite State by celebrating our first Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 17, 2000. prgtoken It was an exciting time that reflected the positive change that many of us had seen in our lifetimes. As a child growing up in southern Missouri and attending segregated schools, I saw the daily injustices of life under Jim Crow segregation. We have made great strides since then in the march toward full equality, and these advancements are the product of Dr. King's leadership and the peaceful, nonviolent protest movements that he championed. prgtoken Whether writing from inside a jail cell or speaking from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King delivered a stirring message with hope that Americans could come together and fully realize one of our country's founding principles, that all are created equal. He pledged himself and inspired others to work toward a more perfect union and embrace a belief in freedom and opportunity for all. He held a faith that engaged citizens--from the thousands who stood with him on the National Mall in 1963 to the many who worked tirelessly years later to establish a holiday in his name--are the most powerful promoters of positive social and economic change. prgtoken One of those engaged citizens was Rev. Dr. Arthur Hilson of New Hope Baptist Church in Portsmouth, NH. A beacon of wisdom and grace, Reverend Hilson was instrumental in garnering the public support to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He understood that the people we choose to revere can send a powerful message to future generations and that the lifework and message of Dr. King must be a part of the heritage we leave to our children. We lost Reverend Hilson last year, but we still hold on to cherished memories of a man who, when asked how he was doing, would always answer, ``T
PROTECTING OLDER WORKERS AGAINST DISCRIMINATION ACT
Susan Wild (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2020-1-15

. Mr. Chair, H.R. 1230, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, will ensure equal access to justice for those who have suffered age discrimination. It will create uniformity in our laws that a worker need prove only that age discrimination was one of any number of motivating factors for an employer's action. prgtoken Older workers like Mr. Gross, the victim of workplace discrimination and a misguided Supreme Court decision, deserve this bill. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2020-1-15

for mentioning and honoring Chris Allen, and our sympathies to the Grassley family. Thank you so much for talking about the hard work that so many of our staff do around the Capitol that people don't realize. While we have lost some on our side, too, it is important to remember those who give so much of their time and energy to make our country better.
APPOINTING AND AUTHORIZING MANAGERS FOR IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF DONALD JOHN TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Adam B. Schiff (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-1-15

. Madam , I rise in strong support of the resolution. prgtoken The task before us is a grave one, but one demanded by our oath. prgtoken The impeachment inquiry undertaken by the House of Representatives found that President Donald J. abused his power and sought to cover it up with an unprecedented campaign of obstruction. prgtoken He withheld hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in vital military aid to Ukraine, a close ally at war with Russia, and withheld a coveted White House meeting critical to the Ukrainian leader's international legitimacy until Ukraine would commit to help President cheat-- cheat--in the next election. prgtoken President put his own personal interests above the national interests, above our national security, and, if not stopped, he will do it again. prgtoken For that reason, he was impeached. And for that reason, the House managers will take the case to the Senate and to the American people, because the appropriate remedy--indeed, the only remedy--is the conviction and removal from office of President .
HONORING CLIFFORD BELL
Brian Higgins (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-1-15

. Madam , today, on the birthday of Martin Luther King, I rise to recognize a Buffalo, New York, resident born the same year as Dr. King, who continues to serve as a local church, community, and business leader, my good friend, Clifford Bell. prgtoken Brother Bell, as he is known in western New York for the love he brings to all of those around him, has served as a senior business advisor to Buffalo State's Small Business Development Center. prgtoken He was a colleague of mine in the city of Buffalo Common Council and he has led the Martin Luther King, Jr celebration in Buffalo for three decades. As a council member Brother Bell was known for the line: ``For whom the bell tolls. This Bell tolls for you,'' a quote that historically references the interconnectedness of humanity and his commitment to service. prgtoken Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in his ``Where Do We Go From Here?'' address said: ``Hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love.'' prgtoken Brother Bell has lived a life of love, representing the best of our community and our country. We, as a Nation, can learn from his example.
BORDER SECURITY
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-1-15

on the wall, yesterday the Washington Post reported that the administration is planning to divert $7.2 billion in funding from the Defense Department to fund his border wall with Mexico. prgtoken Once again, the administration proposes stealing this funding from military families and counterdrug programs, bringing the total amount that the President has stolen--stolen--from our troops and our families to over $13 billion. prgtoken The last time the President took money away from military construction, serious military projects suffered--schools in Kentucky, medical facilities in North Carolina, and hurricane recovery projects in Florida. Now the President wants to take even more money away from these projects for a border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for. This is another slap in the face to our Armed Forces, their families, and all of the places throughout America that have military bases that need new construction funding. prgtoken Some Senate strongly oppose this action. We will continue to oppose the transfer of counterdrug funding for the wall, and we will force yet another vote to terminate the President's bogus national emergency declaration and return these much needed military construction funds back to the military, to the men and women in our Armed Forces, and to their families. Our friends, hopefully, will join us in that vote. prgtoken President is once again subverting the will of Congress--once again thumbing his nose at the Constitution. The Founders gave Congress the power of the purse, not the President, and this Chamber has refused repeatedly to fund the President's wall. But whether it is to Federal appropriations, foreign policy, or our oversight authority, President seems to have little regard for constraints placed on the Executive. He seems to view the Constitution as merely a nuisance, some inconvenient obstacle in the way of his personal and political interests. It is time for and s to say: Enough. prgtoken I would say one final thing to my conservative friends. The true foundation of conservatism is to minimize the powers of government, particularly the Executive, because they believe it provides more room for the individual. Where are our conservative voices when , in issue after issue--one of the most egregious being this border wall--takes the power away from Congress, away from the American people, and arrogates it onto his own personal wishes? prgtoken . prgtoken .
HONORING HEXAGON
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2020-1-15

. Madam , I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Hexagon, a District of Columbia based original, political, satirical and musical comedy revue, on the occasion of its 65th anniversary. The show often makes fun of Congress here in the belly of the beast. prgtoken Over the past six and a half decades, Hexagon has brought laughter and music to the District. This non-profit, volunteer-based company was founded in 1965 by several members of the Princeton all-male Triangle Club, who changed the group's name to Hexagon, representing the group's growth and inclusion of women. prgtoken Each year, Hexagon puts on a show and donates proceeds, sometimes as large as $30,000, to charities, many located in D.C. Last year, the company donated to Dancing Classrooms of Washington, D.C a local arts education program focused on teaching social-emotional skills to fifth graders through dance. The proceeds of this year's 65th anniversary show, entitled ``One State Two State Red State Blue State,'' will go to SMYL, a non-profit organization serving LGBTQ youth in D.C. prgtoken Although all the performers are volunteers, Hexagon is a show of professional quality that sells out to packed-houses of residents from D.C. and the region. I have had the honor of performing with the company, along with several other Members of Congress, over the years, including Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congresswoman Donna Shalala. prgtoken Madam , I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Hexagon for working to improve the lives of D.C. and regional residents through laughter and charity. As we honor the company's 65 years in District of Columbia, we can only wish for many more.