mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Adam Smith (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-7-14

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I urge support of this bill. I want to begin by thanking the chairman and all of the members of the committee. As has been noted many times, this is the most bipartisan committee in Congress; and I think, once again, even in difficult circumstances, we have proved that this year. That is, in large part, due to the leadership of Chairman Thornberry. I thank him for that. prgtoken I also thank our staff, which does an unbelievable job. There are hundreds, if not thousands of amendments, that come at them. They manage that. You see the very few that actually come through either in committee or on the floor. They work through literally thousands of ideas and do an amazing job, so I really want to thank our staff for their great work. prgtoken In particular, I want to thank Vickie Plunkett. This will be her last markup. She is retiring. She has done a fabulous job for our staff. She basically exemplifies everything I just said about how great our staff is, how they work in a bipartisan manner and do a great job to serve our country. So, I thank Vickie for her incredible service to our committee and to the country. prgtoken , I think this is a good bill that we should support because, make no mistake about it, what the chairman and many others have said is true: we face a complex threat environment. The U.S. national security is at risk. prgtoken I take Mr. Nolan from Minnesota's point that spending a lot of money on wars that we didn't need to engage in does cost us at home, and that point is valid, but so is the point that we face threats we must confront. prgtoken North Korea is testing intercontinental ballistic missiles. It is no doubt that their goal is to develop a nuclear missile, capable of striking the U.S. prgtoken Being from the West Coast--and they always say that it could hit Seattle. I don't know why they don't talk about any other city on the West Coast. It could hit a lot of different places. We need to be worried about that. We need to be prepared to stop that. prgtoken Russia continues to undermine not just our elections, but democracy itself, across Europe, and even down in the Middle East and Africa. We need to be prepared to confront that. prgtoken We face a terrorist threat. 9/11 killed 3,000 people in this country because we weren't ready to prevent it. The groups that supported that attack have not gone away; they have metastasized. prgtoken Now, I will completely agree with some of my friends on the left, who think that the terrorism threat is often overblown. I think it is often also a mistake to demonize the Muslim religion. And even though I know some people don't do that, they simply want to confront groups like al- Qaida and ISIS, Steve Bannon, who works right next to the White House, has said that Islam is a totalitarian ideology of subjugation, it is not a religion. He thinks all Muslims are a threa
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-7-14

I appreciate the majority for including my amendment in this bloc. prgtoken My amendment is straightforward, . It recognizes that any U.S. strategy for Syria must acknowledge and respond to the tremendous suffering of civilians, including the millions who have been forced from their homes, who face starvation, cholera, a lack of access to adequate healthcare and education, not as an afterthought, but as an active imperative. prgtoken The administration has already used the suffering created by the use of chemical weapons as a reason for expanding U.S. involvement in Syria and to launch attacks against the Syrian Government. My amendment would ask the administration for a description of the legal authority relied upon or needed for the use of U.S. military force in Syria, information which is even more critical now, given the recent attacks by U.S. forces against the Syrian Government and reports that we may continue to send more troops into Syria. prgtoken It is foolhardy and unwise for us to think that the suffering being imposed upon innocent civilians in Syria should not be a consideration in any U.S. response or strategy outlining how military forces or aid will be used there. The humanitarian crisis spawned by prgtoken conflict directly impacts our national security efforts. We ignore it at our own peril.
HEALTHCARE TOWNHALLS
Alma S. Adams (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2017-7-14

118,000--the number of people in my district alone who will lose healthcare if Care passes. prgtoken 250--the number of people who joined me for a healthcare townhall on Monday in Charlotte. prgtoken Zero--the number of public hearings the Senate has held on Care. prgtoken Despite the potential for 22 million people who will lose their healthcare if Care passes, Senator McConnell hasn't asked to hear from any of them. prgtoken On Monday, I held a townhall where my constituents shared their stories and asked that I share them with you. prgtoken Katie Mpelkas, a mother of a 3-year-old with autism, relies on Medicaid for her son's healthcare. She is terrified at the thought that without Medicaid coverage her son won't get the care he needs. prgtoken Adrienne Gonzalez's son, diagnosed with autism at age 2, has been receiving care paid for by Medicaid since he was 11 months old. prgtoken Sadly, their stories aren't unique. Thirty-nine percent of children are on Medicaid for the care they need, and Care cuts the program by 35 percent by 2036. prgtoken Our constituents are begging for help. It is our responsibility to fight for them.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Emanuel Cleaver (Democrat, MO) \u2014 2017-7-14

I regrettably missed votes on July 12 through 14, 2017. I regrettably had to attend and preside over the funeral of a good friend and civic leader in Kansas City. prgtoken Had I been present I would have voted as follows on H.R. 23: ``Yes'' on rollcall 351 On Motion to Recommit with Instructions: Gaining Responsibility on Water Act ``No'' on rollcall 352 On Passage: Gaining Responsibility on Water Act ``No'' on rollcall 353 Motion to Adjourn ``No'' on rollcall 354 On ordering the Previous Question ``No'' on rollcall 355 On Agreeing to the Resolution H. Res. 440 prgtoken For H.R. 2810 Had I been present I would have voted as follows: ``No'' on rollcall 356 Conaway Amendment 2 ``No'' on rollcall 357 Polis, Lee Amendment ``Yes'' on rollcall 358 Jayapal/Pocan Amendment 5 ``Yes'' on rollcall 359 Nadler Amendment 6 ``Yes'' on rollcall 360 Blumenauer Amendment 8 ``Yes'' on rollcall 361 Aguilar Amendment 10 ``No'' on rollcall 362 Rogers (AL) Amendment 88 ``Yes'' on rollcall 363 Garamendi Amendment 12 ``Yes'' on rollcall 364 Blumenauer Amendment 13 ``No'' on rollcall 365 McClintock Amendment 14 ``Yes'' on rollcall 366 Garamendi/Hunter amendment 1 ``No'' on rollcall 367 Buck amendment 3 ``No'' on rollcall 368 Buck/Perry amendment 4 ``No'' on rollcall 369 Hartzler amendment 10 ``No'' on rollcall 370 Gosar amendment 5 ``Yes'' on rollcall 371 Rooney, Murphy amendment 6 ``No'' on rollcall 372 Franks Amendment 13 ``No'' on rollcall 373 Lamborn Amendment 15 ``No'' on rollcall 374 Frankel, Byrne Amendment 17 ``No'' on rollcall 375 Hunter, Wilson Amendment 18 ``Yes'' on rollcall 376 McGovern, Emmer Amendment 43 ``Yes'' on rollcall 377 Motion to Recommit H.R. 2810 ``Yes'' on rollcall 378 Final Passage of H.R. 2810 personal explanation
MOURNING THE PASSING OF NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE, LIU XIAOBO
Sander M. Levin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-7-17

I rise today to mourn the passing of the Chinese human rights advocate and Nobel Prize Laureate, Liu Xiaobo, who died last Thursday in China, under guard. prgtoken The world has lost an incomparably courageous advocate who was dedicated to advancing human rights and the rule of law, and paid for them with his own freedom and life. prgtoken Liu's passing last week in Chinese custody marked a tragic end to over a decade of persecution by the Chinese authorities who relentlessly mistreated him as he gradually became a symbol of the pro- democracy movement around the globe. prgtoken In 2010, the Nobel Peace Committee awarded him the Peace Prize for his thoughtful advocacy for reform and for his courageous support of the pro-democracy document Charter 08. prgtoken A year prior to the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Liu, in 2009, Chinese authorities tried him for subversion of state power, for which he received an 11-year sentence. Given his rising stature in the international community, they imprisoned him in secret locations away from family, supporters, or international media. They kept him from receiving the Peace Prize and put pressure on the committee to rescind the award, in addition to doing everything they could to prevent Liu's supporters from attending the ceremony in Norway. prgtoken They routinely censored and continue to censor the internet for references to Liu and other pro-democracy advocates and ideas. prgtoken China was so afraid of the power of his words and the bravery of his actions that while Liu was suffering from severe illness, Chinese authorities adopted the ultimate cruelty of not letting him leave China for medical help that experts said might save his life. For China, the supreme goal was his silence. prgtoken The more we care about human rights and freedom, the more we must now mark his death and remember him not by being silent ourselves. prgtoken I first came to know about Liu's work a few years after the Congressional-Executive Commission on China was created as part of the debate over China's ascension to the World Trade Organization and concerns from Members of Congress over China's human rights record. prgtoken In 2000, I coauthored the legislation that created the China commission to help advance and monitor human rights abuses in China. The commission continues to do important work and continues today by shining a spotlight on many issues such as abuses in labor, environment, and freedom of speech and association. prgtoken While he was the most prominent voice in China against its repression of human rights and democratic values, Liu was not as well known in his life as another brave voice, Andrei Sakharov. His voice and action occurred during the Cold War, where there was a full press against the Soviet Union, including its suppression of freedom. He supported numerous efforts for freedom, including those of another noble warrior for freedom, Natan Sharansky. Like Sakharov, Liu
DRY EYE AWARENESS MONTH
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-7-17

in the spirit of the ``Decade of Vision,'' I am pleased to recognize July as Dry Eye Awareness Month. In 2009, while serving in the House of Representatives, I was proud to sponsor the successfully passed H. Res. 366, which recognized the 40th anniversary of the National Eye Institute and designated 2010-2020 as the ``Decade of Vision.'' This resolution sought to bring awareness to our Nation's challenges in vision health, especially as our population ages and the incidence of chronic diseases that may cause vision impairment grows. prgtoken Dry eye is one of these growing vision health challenges that affects more than 30 million people in the United States. It occurs when the eye does not produce tears properly or they are not of the correct consistency and evaporate too quickly. It can range from discomfort to a painful chronic and progressive condition that leads to blurred vision or even vision loss. Dry eye is one of the most frequent causes of patient visits to eyecare providers. It is a particularly burdensome issue for our brave soldiers who were engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Veterans Administration reports that upwards of 70 percent of traumatic brain injury-exposed veterans have dry eye symptoms. prgtoken Research supported by the National Institutes of Health and its National Eye Institute has improved our understanding of this condition. Dry eye can have many causes, including environmental exposure, side-effects from medications, eye surgery, eyelid disorders, immune system disorders, contact lens wear, cosmetic use, aesthetic procedures, and an increasingly common cause: staring at computer or video screens for too long without blinking, which may have a disproportionate impact on our younger generations. prgtoken I want to recognize an important educational opportunity during Dry Eye Awareness Month this year. The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society's ``Dry Eye Workshop II Report'' will be published in ``The Ocular Surface Journal,'' updating the definition of dry eye and addressing its greater impact on vision health--the first such reexamination since 2007. Report highlights were presented at a July 12, 2017, congressional briefing, accompanied by a ``Test Your Tears'' screening and presentation of research posters. prgtoken The vision community and its coalition partners are uniting to recognize this growing vision health problem, and I stand in support of these awareness and educational efforts.
THE GLOBAL CRISIS OF KILLINGS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-7-17

on July 13, Global Witness, a widely respected international nongovernmental organization that reports on corruption and other criminality involving the exploitation of natural resources, released a report entitled, ``Defenders of the Earth--Global Killings of Land and Environmental Defenders in 2016.'' prgtoken According to the report, 2016 was the worst year yet for environmental and land rights defenders. At least 200 were killed in what has become a global crisis, pitting local communities, particularly impoverished indigenous groups, against multinational mining, logging, agribusiness, hydroelectric, and hydrocarbon companies that are often supported with foreign financing. prgtoken The report says the number of such killings is increasing, up from 185 in 2015 and spreading to new countries--24 in 2016 compared to 16 in 2015. However, because many of these attacks occur in remote areas, the actual number is likely much higher. The number of killings is also only part of the appalling story. Death threats, arbitrary arrests, sexual assaults and other forms of abuse, and misuse of the legal process are among the tactics used to try to intimidate environmental activists. prgtoken Often, when faced with peaceful resistance to the construction of dams that displace people from their homes and to logging and mining operations that destroy the forest and pollute the water, the response of the companies, backed up by local security forces, is to accuse the protestors of being ``against development,'' try to divide them with bribes and promises that are later broken, and eventually to silence them with force. The companies get rich and move on, local officials collect payoffs, the electricity or minerals are exported to cities or other countries, and the people whose land was destroyed or water contaminated are immeasurably worse off. prgtoken As one activist, who has for years spoken out against Latin America's largest open pit mine, told Global Witness, ``[t]hey threaten you so you will shut up. I can't shut up. I can't stay silent faced with all that is happening to my people. We are fighting for our lands, for our water, for our lives.'' prgtoken The reports states, ``[t]he battle to protect the planet is rapidly intensifying and the cost can be counted in human lives. More people in more countries are being left with no option but to take a stand against the theft of their land or the trashing of their environment. Too often they are brutally silenced by political and business elites, while the investors that bankroll them do nothing. . . Almost 40 percent of those murdered were indigenous, as land they've inhabited for generations is stolen by companies, landowners or government officials. Projects are typically imposed on communities without their free, prior and informed consent, backed up by force: police and soldiers are suspected perpetrators in at least 43 murders. Protest is often th
PUTTING AMERICA'S HARDWORKING FAMILIES FIRST
Raja Krishnamoorthi (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-7-17

over the Fourth of July district work period, I met with my constituents across Chicago's west and northwest suburbs. Despite the range of our groups and communities I spoke with, there was one theme that was on everybody's mind: the urgent need for Congress to take action that puts hardworking families first. prgtoken Across the country, working families are counting on us to invest in infrastructure, modernize our Tax Code, and help their children get the skills necessary for rewarding careers. prgtoken Earlier this summer, the House unanimously passed the Thompson- Krishnamoorthi Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. This bipartisan legislation will modernize and expand career and technical education programs across the country by increasing funding and local control while expanding the cooperation that exists between educators and employers. prgtoken The House has done its part to advance this legislation and support working families. Now the Senate must act and send it to the President for his signature.
RECOGNIZING NASA'S LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-7-17

on behalf of myself and the senior Senator from Virginia, Mark Warner, we want to commemorate an important, early step in our Nation's emergence as a world leader in flight, space exploration, and atmospheric science. prgtoken One hundred years ago today on July 17, 1917, NASA's Langley Research Center was founded in Hampton, VA. What was once a quiet expanse of farmland and marsh on a riverbank near the Chesapeake Bay has helped transform our Nation's transportation system and the world's understanding of our universe. prgtoken That date in 1917 represents the beginning of a journey that would eventually take Americans to the moon and American technology to Mars and beyond. prgtoken Born in the days of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the precursor to NASA, Langley was the agency's first field center and our Nation's first civilian aeronautics laboratory. prgtoken The groundbreaking and sky conquering research conducted during Langley's early days led to major advances in aeronautics and, in the years after World War I, helped our Nation cement its status as a pacesetter in flight research. Langley's important work also served as a foundation for America's burgeoning aviation industry. prgtoken Langley won the first of its seven Collier trophies, awarded for the highest achievements in aeronautics or astronautics in our Nation, in 1929. That trophy, won for development of cowling for radial air-cooled engines, honored a high level of technical excellence that Langley has maintained ever since. prgtoken Over the decades, Langley has evolved into a research center supporting all of NASA's areas of emphasis, from human space exploration to Earth science and from aeronautics to technology development. prgtoken NASA Langley's legacy of discovery and innovation is truly remarkable. Researchers at the center helped refine technologies and designs across all flight regimes--subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic--revolutionizing the shape and performance of today's aircraft and spacecraft. prgtoken This year, we all witnessed some of NASA Langley's contributions to the space race through the lens of the Oscar-nominated film, ``Hidden Figures.'' The film told the story of the many contributions of NASA Langley employees, especially African-American women, to the Mercury 7 mission involving America's first astronauts. prgtoken Beyond that, Neil Armstrong and other Apollo astronauts learned how to land on the moon by training at prgtoken Langley's Lunar Landing Research Facility, now known as the Landing and Impact Research Facility. prgtoken Langley led the first successful robotic landing on Mars with the Viking 1 mission, which gave humanity its first glimpse of the landscape of another world. The center's technical expertise in a field called Entry, Descent and Landing--the study of how a spacecraft can safely move through a planet's atmosphere and reach the surface--has been a key
SERGEANT JOSEPH GEORGE KUSICK VA COMMUNITY LIVING CENTER
Mark Takano (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-7-17

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I rise today in support of H.R. 2210, a bill to designate the Community Living Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Butler Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the Sergeant Joseph George Kusick VA Community Living Center. prgtoken Sergeant Joseph George Kusick was awarded the Silver Star for sacrificing his life in an effort to ensure that as many of his comrades as possible made it home from Vietnam. The resulting recovery effort was to be recorded by the squadron as one of the largest and most hazardous on record. prgtoken As a radio operator, Sergeant Kusick served as the connection between the 5th Special Forces Group, who found themselves under enemy ambush, and the forward air controller charged with coordinating their evacuation. prgtoken Although Sergeant Kusick was seriously injured during the ambush, he refused multiple offers to evacuate, ultimately refusing two helicopters, only to board a helicopter that was then shot down by intense Viet Cong fire. prgtoken His bravery and sacrifice earned him a posthumously awarded Silver Star with the following citation: ``Kusick's gallantry in action, at the cost of his life, was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.'' prgtoken , I salute Sergeant Kusick for his selfless bravery, and I support the passage of this bill. prgtoken , .
TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN RANDY DOPP
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-7-17

I wish to honor an outstanding American, Captain Randy Dopp, on his retirement from American Airlines. prgtoken Captain Dopp distinguished himself with over 31 years of safe commercial airline flying for Piedmont, USAirways, and American Airlines. He has been well-known for his commitment to airline pilots and to the flying community. prgtoken Over the years, I have relied on Captain Dopp's knowledge and insights on issues relating to airlines, pensions, and aviation safety. I know that his wisdom and service will be greatly missed. prgtoken I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Captain Dopp on his accomplishments and congratulating him on his retirement.