mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CORONAVIRUS
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2020-8-5

I am grateful to have the chance to follow my friend from Pennsylvania, who has shown such great leadership with respect to healthcare and particularly with respect to the nursing home population. I am delighted to join him to discuss what COVID is doing to the elder Americans who are in our nursing homes and long-term care facilities, because this illness has swept like a savage scythe through those facilities. prgtoken In my small State of Rhode Island, 750 residents of long-term care facilities have died of COVID. We just crossed 1,000 deaths statewide, and 750 are at these facilities. If that doesn't attract the concern of this Senate, something is very wrong with this Senate. prgtoken Across the country, the death toll in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, just as Senator Casey said, is 62,000 Americans. My dad served for 5 years in the Vietnam conflict. In the decades of the Vietnam conflict, we sustained over 58,000 American military casualties. prgtoken That means the death toll in our nursing homes and long-term care facilities--just in COVID, just in these months--is greater than the death toll of our soldiers in Vietnam. prgtoken And if that is not enough to attract the attention of the Senate, something is wrong with the Senate. prgtoken In Rhode Island, there is a little nursing home--just by way of example--called Hallworth House. Hallworth House is a great little place. It has been operating for half a century. It opened in 1968. It has a five-star rating from CMS. They do a great job. prgtoken It was announced that it will permanently close at the end of August due to COVID. It had 51 residents, and by June, 29 had been infected; 12 had died. prgtoken Of its staff, 20 were infected and had to be quarantined. It couldn't survive that. It is closing. prgtoken And the stories behind the institutions like Hallworth House are the stories of people like Therese in Lincoln. The Senator from Pennsylvania is amicably disposed to women named Therese. prgtoken Therese's mom Germaine is 88 years old. She has Alzheimer's. She is a resident of a nursing home in nearby Manville, RI. That facility has not allowed visitation since March 11. Therese hasn't seen her mom since March 11. This is a woman with Alzheimer's, living in a facility. As a result, her mom's cognition has declined. The presence of her daughter was part of what kept her active, kept her moving. She used to take her for walks every day. prgtoken Now, the best they can do is Skype, and her mom barely recognizes the little image on Skype. prgtoken So behind 750 deaths, behind collapsing institutions that have served elderly people for 50 years are these personal stories of broken relationships. prgtoken Barry in Narragansett has been married to his wife Dorothy for 46 years. Now he can only see her through Plexiglas and only twice. That is a real cost. prgtoken Germaine, 88 years old, not being able to see her daughter; Barry and
25TH ANNIVERSARY OF VIRGINIA ORGANIZING
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2020-8-5

I wish to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Virginia Organizing, a nonpartisan grassroots group committed to challenging injustice by empowering people in local communities across the Commonwealth to work together, democratically and nonviolently, for change. prgtoken For a quarter century, Virginia Organizing has led the debate on the most important issues of our time, including economic security for families, equal opportunity in education, a sustainable environment, access to healthcare, and the guarantee that every person is entitled to have their voice heard. prgtoken Virginia Organizing and I share a common goal, one that I have spoken about many times, that all Virginians and all Americans should have a fair shot at success. We share the belief that all people should be treated fairly and with dignity in all aspects of life, regardless of race, class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, ability, or country of origin. prgtoken Now more than ever, I am proud to serve alongside a group that embraces and celebrates diversity. This year, to celebrate their 25th anniversary, I would like to again recognize and thank the leaders, members, and staff of Virginia Organizing, who continue to work tirelessly to provide children, low-income residents, immigrants, veterans, retirees, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups with the resources that they need to have a fair shot. I am so grateful for their work for the people of the Commonwealth and wish them well as they embark on their next quarter- century.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-8-5

I am speaking tonight on behalf of the millions of Americans living with disabilities, and on behalf of the many more who, whether they know it or not, are just 1 day, one accident, one devastating medical diagnosis away from acquiring a disability as well. prgtoken I come to the floor on their behalf because I came to the floor by rolling through the Capitol's corridors in the wheelchair you see me sitting on now, and I could come to the floor because 30 years ago, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, granting millions of Americans like me better access to the full, independent lives we deserve. prgtoken That landmark legislation only passed because of the dedicated activists who proudly crowded in front of this building in 1990 to demand that their country finally give those with disabilities the basic rights the Constitution provided. prgtoken It only became law because dozens of them got out of their wheelchairs, set down their crutches, and crawled up the 83 steps of the Capitol Building--because Jennifer Keelan, an 8-year-old with cerebral palsy, pulled herself to the top of the steps, saying, ``I'll take all night if I have to,'' and because those around her refused to leave a fellow American behind, offering Jennifer support when she needed it, one step, one shoulder to lean on at a time. prgtoken Thirty years ago, these activists changed Senators' hearts, minds, and, most importantly, votes. Thirty years ago, this legislative body said that people like me mattered. But last week, s in this Chamber proposed a bill that said we don't. prgtoken I speak out of a sense of frustration as I watch my colleagues, including the ones who once championed the ADA, attempt to reconstruct, brick by brick, the shameful wall of exclusion that Congress sought to tear down three decades ago. prgtoken Less than a week after celebrating the 30th anniversary of a President declaring that the ADA would bring us ``closer to that day when no Americans will ever again be deprived of their basic guarantee of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,'' Senate s have put forward legislation that threatens to deprive our community of those same fundamental rights. prgtoken Many interpreted the timing of the HEALS Act as confirmation of an alarming fact: The GOP has declared war on the disability community and the ADA. I truly hope this is not the case and that the timing was a deeply unfortunate coincidence, but at the end of the day, actions speak far louder than words. prgtoken If Senate s want to demonstrate that they value life, that they value the civil rights of all Americans, they must join in supporting two measures that would show the disability community that their party actually gives a darn about them. prgtoken First, we need to save lives by preventing mass institutionalization. Placing individuals with disabilities into congre
RECOGNIZING THE STAFF OF ECHO, THE LEAHY CENTER FOR LAKE CHAMPLAIN
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2020-8-5

as the coronavirus pandemic continues and in some places worsens, every business and public institution faces significant challenges. These entities must make hard choices, adapt quickly, and ultimately find the balance between the safety of their employees and those they serve and their ability to keep their doors open. The leadership and staff of one Vermont nonprofit, ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, has been a model of perseverance, creativity, and commitment to serving prgtoken the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding creative ways to bring their important programing and resources to the public. prgtoken The center, located in Burlington, VT is dedicated to educating people of all ages and abilities about science, the natural environment, and the importance of protecting the Lake Champlain watershed and others like it. Recognizing the importance of equitable access to achieving this mission, the center utilizes several programs that break down financial barriers to its facilities and ensures that these educational opportunities are available to all. Most years see more than 167,000 visitors to this award-winning, LEED-certified facility on the Burlington shores of Lake Champlain. Visitors of all ages come to experience over 100 interactive exhibits and 70 different species of fish, amphibians, and reptiles that inhabit the ecosystem we call home. prgtoken When COVID-19 began to spread throughout the northeast, the center, like so many businesses and facilities, was forced to close its doors to the public. But though they were unable to welcome visitors into the physical location, the center's dedicated staff were undeterred. After closing their doors on March 14, the staff drew on their considerable skills to quickly adapt to the new remote environment, offering a range of online learning tools, including educational videos, instructions for at-home science experiments, and live video feeds of animal exhibits in order to support local schools and families. They even continued remote programming for adults. including legislative updates on water quality work through the Clean Water Network and an LGBTQIA panel discussion during Pride Week. Some staff took it upon themselves, wearing masks of course, to stealthily clean out the shelves of the gift shop and set up remote centers of commerce from their own homes. Animal care staff reported to work without interruption, and the turtles and fish and frogs that call ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain home, thrived, all while missing their human visitors. prgtoken Having helped with our State's great success in curtailing the spread of the virus, ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain reopened to members on June 29 and to all guests on July 4, with extensive health and sanitary guidelines in place. Just as they were reopening, the center even hosted a wedding on just a few minutes notice, after staff spotted a well-dressed co
COMMANDER JOHN SCOTT HANNON VETERANS MENTAL HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2019
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2020-8-5

I thank the chairman of the VA Committee, Senator Moran, for his leadership. prgtoken What we have done here today is a very, very good thing. I think the biggest challenge facing the VA today is that we are losing 20 veterans a day to suicide. It has been that way for some time. prgtoken People have been looking for solutions--looking for solutions--and the fact is that there is no silver bullet. But what we have done today is give the VA more tools in their toolbox to be able to address this problem of mental health and veteran suicide amongst our veterans. prgtoken I thank Chairman Moran for his comments about CDR John Scott Hannon, after whom this bill is named. As Senator Moran has pointed out, prgtoken this Navy SEAL served our Nation for 23 years. And after combat, Scott returned to Helena, MT, but, unfortunately, the invisible wounds of war followed him right back home. prgtoken He was open about his journey to recovery, getting involved in the Montana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and using animal therapy and programs at Montana Wild. But, unfortunately--and I know his family is watching right now--on February 25, 2018, Scott succumbed to the wounds of war that caused his mental illness. prgtoken As Chairman Moran has pointed out, this bill honors his legacy by supporting the kinds of programs that helped improve Commander Hannon's quality of life by expanding our understanding of mental health conditions and the treatments that may have made diagnosing the conditions easier. prgtoken I am not going to go into everything the bill does because Senator Moran did a fine job on that. All I can say is that we have a great VA Committee in this U.S. Senate. It is a committee that works to get things done in a bipartisan way. prgtoken I have had the honor of serving with Johnny Isakson as chairman and now with Chairman Moran, and we haven't missed a step. We continue to work together to support our veterans across this country. prgtoken There is no better way of supporting our veterans than to pass this bill, which is what we just did in the U.S. Senate about 2 minutes ago. prgtoken The bottom line is this: This isn't the final bill we are going to pass out of the U.S. Senate dealing with veterans. We have plenty more. In fact, I think we passed a dozen bills in the VA Committee today, dealing with a myriad of different issues that impact our veterans in this country. The bottom line is that today we can be proud. We can be proud of Senators in the U.S. Senate for doing something that needed to be done that is going to help our veterans and move this country forward. prgtoken I am going to close by going where I started, and that is to say thank you, Senator Moran. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your trust. It is great working with you, and I look forward to doing many more good things before this Congress ends. prgtoken Thank you.
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. RES. 458
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2020-8-6

I take offense at the suggestion that nothing is good enough for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, that nothing gets done. There are 160 ambassadorial employees--and of that prgtoken rank--who have passed through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee overwhelmingly with bipartisan support. prgtoken Every year, we get the State Department's budget. Every year, we have a budget that is decimated, including for the issues that my colleague cares about. It is because those of us on the committee who believe in the power of diplomacy in the State Department work feverishly to restore and enhance the budget of the State Department that it has been able to carry out its mission. But the budget that the Secretary of State comes before the committee to defend and advocate for is a huge, huge consequence. prgtoken Look, we are constantly doing things to protect the lives of American citizens in the committee. I could enumerate a number both of resolutions as well as legislative language that would have far- reaching--I mean, I am in favor of resolutions. They are an expression of sentiment. But legislation that puts into action within our laws the ability of countries that conduct blasphemy and other types of crimes against people who simply want to pursue their religious views--that would be far more consequential. prgtoken So there is a lot that goes on in the committee, and a lot of it has actually been bipartisan. By the same token, if our colleague is chagrined that not enough is moving through the committee, talk to the chairman because you can't move anything through the committee if you don't have committee business markups, and we haven't had one--I think except for one--and we are in August.
Coronavirus (Executive Calendar)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2020-8-6

the most recent count of confirmed Americans who have died as a result of COVID-19 is 157,551 souls. In my State of Maryland, that confirmed number is 3,402. Those are the confirmed deaths. We believe the deaths are even higher. prgtoken Although the United States represents only 4.3 percent of the world's population, we represent over 26 percent of the COVID-19 infections and almost 23 percent of fatalities. These numbers are continuing to grow every day. prgtoken The administration was ill-prepared, inadequate in its response, misleading and inconsistent in its messaging, missing in the international leadership to deal with this global pandemic, and denied the consequences of the pandemic on our own constituents. prgtoken Congress took on its responsibility by passing major legislation. The passage of the CARES Act--which was passed in March--was the right response at that time to do what we needed to deal with the pandemic. But we knew by May that COVID-19 would have a much longer impact on our country, would be more difficult to control, and we had to take additional steps in Congress in order to protect our Nation. prgtoken The House did the right thing in passing the Heroes Act on May 15. It has been almost 3 months, and the leadership in the Senate has failed to respond. We need to take action that is equivalent to the challenge--this incredible challenge. prgtoken This is the worst pandemic we have seen since the 1918 influenza pandemic, over 100 years ago. This is the greatest economic challenge that we have faced since the Great Depression. This requires bold action in order to protect the people of our country. prgtoken The help provided by the CARES Act has ended. Unemployment benefits have terminated. State and local governments are out of resources. The small business tools have already been used by the small businesses. American families need additional help. The unemployed need help. State and local governments need help. Our businesses need help. We need to act now and pass a comprehensive package to deal with this pandemic. prgtoken What should be included in a comprehensive package? Let me start first with the health challenge. I was pleased that the CARES Act provided for a Marshall Plan to deal with the health pandemic. But we have since learned that this health challenge has been different in different communities. There are disturbing facts about the health disparities on the communities that have been particularly hard-hit. Communities of color have had higher infection rates, higher hospitalization rates, higher deaths. We know that this is in part because of systemic discrimination that we have seen in our system of healthcare. We need to take action. prgtoken Let me give you a few things we could do in this next round that could help deal with the disparities in the health impact. The FMAP, the payment for Medicaid by the Federal Government to the States
CORONAVIRUS
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2020-8-6

the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the people doing the truly essential work in our country, and it isn't the Fortune 500 CEO, hedge fund manager, or investment banker. It is the home healthcare worker providing essential care to homebound seniors or the disabled. It is the delivery truckdriver working a 12-hour shift, bringing food and medicine and other critical supplies to people who need it. It is a grocery store clerk, working a checkout line or stocking shelves to keep up with the skyrocketing demand. It is the migrant agricultural worker picking berries or standing on an assembly line at a meatpacking plant. It is the housekeeper or custodian working longer hours to clean our hotels, offices, and other public places. It is the childcare worker coming in every day to care for other children, while being unable to afford care for their own. And it is the busdriver who, despite operating on a tightly enclosed space, transports hundreds of people to work every day. prgtoken These people, and others like them doing essential work, are literally risking their lives every day for the rest of us, and they are earning much deserved recognition during this pandemic. But let me be clear. These workers have always been essential, even if our economic system has not valued the jobs they do or treated them with the respect they deserve. prgtoken Valuing and respecting essential workers is about more than calling them heroes when that is the popular thing to do. It is about recognizing and calling out how these workers have been treated in our economy. And it is about doing something to fix it. prgtoken For too long, people doing the work now deemed essential during the pandemic have been forced to work for low wages that are either at or just above minimum wage, have jobs that offer no paid family or medical leave, have little access to affordable childcare, have jobs that offer no employer-sponsored healthcare coverage, and have been forced to work in dangerous conditions. prgtoken Coping with these inequities in normal times was challenging enough for our essential workers, but the pandemic, exacerbated by 's failure in leadership, is creating new problems, and it is making existing problems worse. The administration's failure to implement emergency safety standards is creating unsafe workplaces for essential workers. prgtoken Meanwhile, it is pushing to provide businesses immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits. If they are successful, employers would have even less incentive to provide safe workplaces for employees or to protect customers and consumers. prgtoken Its failure to fully and effectively use the Defense Production Act means the most vulnerable workers continue to face shortages of personal protective equipment--putting them at greater risk for contacting the coronavirus. And its failure to implement a national testing and contact tracing program means that essential worke