mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING THE RETURN OF SAM JOHNSON AND THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF OPERATION HOMECOMING
Kenny Marchant (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-2-15

I rise today to recognize and honor the 45th anniversary of my friend and hero, Congressman Sam Johnson, returning home from his imprisonment in a North Vietnamese prison camp during the Vietnam War. Operation Homecoming, which occurred from February through April in 1973, returned 591 American prisoners of war held during the Vietnam War. prgtoken During Sam's tenure of nearly three decades in the United States Air Force, he unfortunately spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. During his time in captivity, Sam endured various forms of torture, designed to break his will. His continuous defiance caused his Vietnamese captors to place Congressman Johnson in a notoriously cruel prisoner of war camp, nicknamed the ``Hanoi Hilton.'' Even after being subjected to 42 months of solitary confinement and repeatedly tortured, Sam never let his captors defeat his resistant spirit and will. On February 17, 1973, Sam was able to return home to Texas, where he was greeted by his family. prgtoken Colonel Johnson retired after 29-years in the United States Air Force, serving as a director of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, a commander of the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing at Homestead Air Reserve Base, a commander with an air division out of Holloman Air Force Base, and a pilot in the Air Force Thunderbirds. Flying over 62 combat missions and being a combat veteran of both the Vietnam and Korean Wars, Sam encapsulates patriotism and dedication to his country. For his service, Sam was awarded two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Bronze Star, among other well- earned awards. prgtoken It is a privilege and an honor to serve alongside one of my personal heroes and true friends. We first served together in the Texas State Legislature from 1987 until 1991, when Congressman Johnson was elected to represent Texas' 3rd Congressional District. Since being elected in 2005 for the 24th District of Texas, I have been fortunate to continue to serve alongside Sam not only in the House of Representatives, but on the Ways and Means Committee as well. My esteemed colleague epitomizes service and dedication to our country, with a full and accomplished career of public service after serving valiantly in our military. prgtoken , it is a pleasure to recognize the 45th anniversary of Congressman Sam Johnson's release, and congratulate him on his lifetime of service. I ask all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing the anniversary of Sam's return to the United States; and in remembering this anniversary, we also remember all of those captured and imprisoned defending our liberty and freedom.
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT--Continued
Tom Cotton (Republican, AR) \u2014 2018-2-15

I know there is some dispute about the name of this amendment, so let's just call it the ``olly olly oxen free'' amendment because it says to the entire world: If you can get to our country in the next 4 months, olly olly oxen free--you can stay forever. prgtoken That is right. This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security not to prioritize enforcement action not only against illegal immigrants here today but anyone who gets here over the next 4 months. prgtoken Second, it is an amnesty that is far broader than the DACA Program-- not 700,000, not 1.8 million, but over 3 million people. prgtoken Third, it is even worse than that because it includes their parents as well. The bill purports to prohibit parents from being legalized, but it requires the Federal Government to show that the parents did not knowingly assist the entry of a minor into this country. How can the government show that 15, 20, 25 years later? And to say nothing of the fact that it puts onerous conditions on the spending of any money for security. It does virtually nothing for chain migration and nothing at all to the diversity lottery. That is why President has issued a veto threat, and that is why every one of my colleagues should vote no.
IMMIGRATION REFORM
Ted S. Yoho (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-2-15

. Madam , I would like to thank my good colleague from Virginia (Mr. Garrett) and everybody else who has participated in this important topic. prgtoken For far too long, Washington has allowed our broken immigration system to fester. Since 1986, when safeguards were put in place to protect our Nation from illegal immigration, we have seen the rule of law not followed, and it has led to the situation we have today. This is not an overnight sensation that just has happened. prgtoken If you look at the number one role of government, it is to provide for the common defense of our Nation and the security of our Nation. Madam , you cannot have a secure nation if you don't have secure borders. That is one of the reasons we lock our car doors. That is one of the reasons we lock our house doors is to secure our family. prgtoken Well, the government's role is to secure their Nation and the people within it so that we can have a secure nation, the peace of mind that our families are protected from people that shouldn't be here in the first place. We need to reform our system so that we have legal immigration that is not burdensome to the point where it doesn't work, and that is what Washington has been well known for. We need to seek real reforms that cut down on illegal immigration while protecting and bolstering the legal immigration system. prgtoken Our Nation is a nation of immigrants, and Theodore Roosevelt addressed this, I think, very succinctly in 1907 in a speech when he talked about our land being a land of immigrants, how we have come over from other countries from around the world. But he also went on to say and talk about the values of America, that we, being a land of immigrants, understand this: There is but room for one flag. It is the American flag. You need to honor it. There is room but for one language. It is English. You need to learn it. prgtoken Immigration without assimilation is an invasion, and that is really what we have, an invasion, because we don't know who is here. We don't know where they came from. prgtoken And Dreamers who were brought here to this country, I think we are all sympathetic. They were brought here to this country at no fault of their own and registered with DHS under DACA. There is a program where they could have registered. They are a different class, but they can be handled in a systematic manner, whether it starts off with probationary periods, running background checks, ensuring all fines are paid for outstanding traffic tickets or other, among other things. And I stand with and I am a cosponsor of the Goodlatte-Labrador bill. I think it is a great start. As immigration policies or as policies up here in Washington, we know they change over time, and so I think this is a good start. prgtoken We need to strengthen our border--that needs to be paramount--and tighten our borders through what the Customs and Border Patrol tell us to do. prgtoken You know, there are people who
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT--Continued
Cory Gardner (Republican, CO) \u2014 2018-2-15

yesterday America witnessed another great tragedy in the State of Florida, and of course our souls ache with what must be unimaginable grief. As we turn to comfort those who lost so much in Florida, I come to the floor of the Senate again, for the third time in a little more than a month, to share the grief of Colorado, as well as to honor the life and legacy of a fallen Colorado sheriff's deputy. prgtoken El Paso County Sheriff's Deputy Micah Flick was shot and killed last week while investigating a stolen car when he threw himself in front of his fellow officers to shield them from gunfire. Sheriff's Deputy Scott Stone, Sheriff's Sergeant Jacob Abendschan, and Colorado Springs Police Officer Marcus Yanez, along with a bystander, were also wounded in the attack. prgtoken A total of 10 law enforcement officers in Colorado have been wounded or killed since December 31. On January 24, Adams County Sheriff's Deputy Gumm was fatally wounded. Another assault on law enforcement officers on New Year's Eve in Douglas County resulted in the death of Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Parrish and wounded four other law enforcement officers. prgtoken These three attacks left four children without fathers and countless loved ones with a loss they will never forget. prgtoken Micah Flick was killed on his 11th anniversary with the El Paso County Sheriff's Department and leaves behind a wife and 7-year-old twins. prgtoken Micah was a hero who, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette, was remembered by his brother-in-law as someone who ``never wanted to do anything else but protect this community.'' His fellow sheriff's deputies would always tease him that he was ``the poster boy of the sheriff's office.'' prgtoken Micah's wife Rachel captured her husband's heroism perfectly when she explained how she would always tell him to just do his job and not be a hero but understands that was not in his DNA. ``Micah was a hero, and he couldn't help it,'' she said. Micah's fellow deputy who was wounded in the attack confirmed Micah's heroism. Deputy Stone told Sheriff Bill Elder: ``Micah saved my life, and I will be forever grateful.'' Micah was a hero that day, and no one will ever forget that. prgtoken Unfortunately, I have come to this Chamber far too many times just this year to honor a fallen Colorado law enforcement officer and repeat the words prgtoken for the third time of LTC Dave Grossman, who wrote that American law enforcement is the loyal and brave sheep dog, always standing watch for the wolf that lurks in the dark. prgtoken We owe so much to Micah and his brothers and sisters in blue who protect our communities each and every day. I know that all of our families together sleep better at night knowing these heroes are out protecting every single one of us. prgtoken Thank you, Micah, for answering the call. You protected your community. You saved your fellow officers. You are a hero. And I, along with Coloradan
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT--Continued
Mike Rounds (Republican, SD) \u2014 2018-2-15

I, too, would like to echo the comments by Senator Collins and Senator King on the intent of the provision and our commitment to move this date back to the beginning of the year. This provision is needed to ensure that we are providing a deterrent. Individuals who come to the U.S. after a particular date must know that we are going to focus resources on their deportation just like we will focus on felons and other criminals and those who pose a threat to our Nation's security or public safety.
MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-2-15

I join my colleague, the senior Senator from Florida, with a broken heart, as does most of the Nation due to the events of yesterday. prgtoken There, indeed, was a time in the history of our country where after an event such as this there was a mourning period that followed with a policy debate, but today, that time is interrelated and intermixed. I don't blame it. I am not upset about it. In fact, I think there have been too many of prgtoken these events now. That is why we continue to face it. prgtoken I think it is legitimate to say that even as we mourn, we have an obligation to ask ourselves, Is there something we could have done or should do to ensure that we don't see these things happening? prgtoken It is cliche to say, but I think it is important to say: I am the father of two young ladies who happen to be in high school. I cannot imagine, but I can only envision, what it would be like if one day walking through the Capitol I get a text or one of those news alerts that says there has been a shooting in the high school they attend. I can only imagine how fearful it would be when suddenly those texts are not being answered, and those calls are not being returned. I thought about that last night and what it must feel like to be one of those parents at the hotel waiting for word because you hadn't heard from your children in hours or how painful it must have been for those whose job it was to go to these parents and inform them that their child's life--whom they had sent off to school in the morning, perhaps just weeks away from graduation--had ended senselessly in an event such as this. Because of what happened yesterday and because it is happening so often, people from across the political spectrum are arguing, there has to be something we can do; you have to be able to do something. prgtoken I agree with that sentiment. I understand it. I would add, though, that if we do something, it should be something that works. The struggle up to this point has been that most of the proposals that have been offered would not have prevented not just yesterday's tragedy but any of those in recent history. prgtoken I am going to say now what I am going to really emphasize at the end. Just because these proposals would not have prevented these events does not mean we raise our hands and say, therefore, there is nothing we can do. It is a tough issue. Part of the reason it is so hard to prevent these events is because if someone decides they are going to take it upon themselves to kill people, whether it is a political assassination of one person or the mass killing of many, if one person decides to do it, and they are committed to that task, it is a very difficult thing to stop. Again, that does not mean we should not try to prevent as many of them as we can. prgtoken Perhaps the answer to how to prevent them begins by asking ourselves, What do these things have in common? They have two things in common
Ted Poe (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-2-15

I support the amendment. prgtoken The goal of the bill is to provide more access for Americans more quickly. Absent circumstances beyond a business' control, 120 days is sufficient time to remove a barrier. Under this amendment offered by the gentleman, instead of 180 days total, a business would have up to 120 days, instead, to fix access problems. prgtoken I believe this amendment improves the bill. I urge its support, and I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment.
ADA EDUCATION AND REFORM ACT OF 2017
Ken Calvert (Republican, CA) \u2014 2018-2-15

. Mr. Chair, the goal of the American with Disabilities Act is to provide access for the disabled. That goal must be pursued and protected. prgtoken It is important to distinguish, however, that the ADA is not intended to feed drive-by lawsuits and put good people out of business. prgtoken Unfortunately, my State of California has become ground zero for abusive ADA lawsuits. I have heard from many small businesses in my congressional district that have fallen victim to abusive ADA lawsuits that are not aimed at improving access to the disabled. In fact, California accounts for roughly 40 percent of ADA lawsuits nationwide, despite being home to just 12 percent of the country's disabled population. prgtoken Protecting small businesses from abusive lawsuits and ensuring disabled Americans have adequate access are not mutually exclusive goals. That is why I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 620 and believe its passage is critical to both the disabled and to our small businesses. By giving businessowners adequate time to make appropriate changes to provide access, we are returning to the original spirit and intent of the ADA. prgtoken I thank my friend from Texas, Representative Poe, for his leadership on this issue, as well as the bipartisan group of cosponsors for their support. I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this bill and ensure that serial litigants are no longer rewarded for taking advantage of an important and meaningful law.
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2018-2-15

I join with many others who are praying for the families in Florida today as they grieve--an overwhelming grief that most parents would never contemplate--because they do not have the opportunity to take their kids to school today because their lives were taken yesterday. I continue to pray for, engage in, and help in any way that we can through this process. prgtoken I know so many of the schools in my State have taken active steps over the past many years to provide greater security in the schools, with lockdown access and other things that they have done intentionally to provide greater and greater security. There is no explanation for an individual who is a former student of a school to return to the school with a gun and with who knows what motivation. prgtoken So we will continue to pray, engage, and work with schools on security, as we have done from this body in the past, as well as to provide financial resources to help schools and their security systems, to help provide advice and counsel--to do what can be done. We will pray along with the families who struggle deeply, and we will walk with them through their incredible, inexplicable grief. prgtoken , this is a week that has been set aside for the immigration debate, but today is the first day there has been any real immigration debate on the floor. It is Thursday. All week, this floor has sat mostly empty. For months, there has been the preparation to put immigration bills on the floor, but as of earlier this week, there had only been one bill that had actually been proposed--the President's bill--to be able to say: Here is a middle-ground position. prgtoken After months of negotiation and the White House meeting with everybody--both sides of the aisle from the House and the Senate--the White House laid out a proposal and said: Here is a middle ground. I would say that the White House has moved a tremendous amount in this and has dropped a tremendous number of issues. Over the course of the past several months, the White House has moved away from a lot of things. prgtoken First, it moved from legal status to saying: OK, let's do citizenship. It is not citizenship for just the 690,000 individuals who are currently in DACA, but the White House opened this up--and I agree--to 1.8 million individuals who are not only DACA students but to those who are also DACA-eligible, those who did not sign up for the process but who could have been eligible for it. prgtoken Interestingly enough, the President even moved from President 's position. President 's position for DACA was that you had to be in the country by 2007. President has moved that and said he will be more open. You will have had to have been in the country by the time President announced the program in 2012. That was a significant concession which has opened up the program for almost 1 million more individuals. prgtoken The trade-off was pretty stra
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT--Continued
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-2-15

today we mourn the loss of life of at least 17 people at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School near Fort Lauderdale, FL. We are reminded that when we are asked to do something, there are things we can do to help lessen the likelihood of such terrible tragedies, recognizing that each of these circumstances is unique, and we don't yet know everything that there is to know or that we should know about this particular shooter. Suffice it to say, he telegraphed on social media, according to reports, his intention to do what he ultimately did. prgtoken We in Congress, the policymakers, need to come up with tools to be available to law enforcement and the social media platforms to be able to monitor these sort of terroristic threats much in the same way we monitor social media for al-Qaida and ISIS and other terrorists abroad who try to recruit people in the United States in order to kill our fellow citizens in place. We need to not only think about and pray for the families and teachers and support staff who have been affected by this terrible act but conduct hearings and talk to the experts and find out what kind of tools might be available to us. prgtoken I will mention another example of something we could do that would, I am confident, save lives. prgtoken In my home State of Texas only a few months ago, we saw a mass shooting in a small town called Sutherland Springs, which is near San Antonio. The gunman there killed 26 people and wounded 20 more. He was a convicted felon. Under existing law, he could not legally purchase or possess firearms, but that didn't stop him from getting the weapons he used to murder those 26 people and shoot 20 more. Part of the reason was, his criminal history had not been uploaded to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is maintained by the FBI. So the gun retailer, when he had gone in and lied on the background check document, hadn't known he had been legally disqualified from purchasing a firearm. prgtoken I have introduced legislation to try to fix that specific problem. It is called the Fix NICS Act. The House has already passed it, but it is awaiting action in the Senate. prgtoken Our churches and schools should be refuges--places where parents and children, especially, feel safe and secure. Many of these shootings can be prevented, perhaps not all, but we need to do everything we can. Part of the way we can ensure that our children are protected is to enforce current law--and not just our children but adults as well, as we saw in Sutherland Springs. We can fix our broken background check system and prohibit dangerous individuals who have been convicted of serious crimes from acquiring firearms legally. prgtoken As I said, we don't know all of the facts of the Florida shooting, and the circumstances, as is almost always the case, appear to be a little cloudy right now. It may be we will find out there are some clues that this shooter