mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
AMENDMENTS INCLUDED IN THE NDAA
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-5-24

as we come upon this weekend, I want to certainly offer my respect for the men and women in the United States military and those who have fallen in battle. prgtoken In this last authorization bill for the defense, I want to emphasize important amendments that I had approved dealing with active shooter, dealing with the violence against our children and having that explained or researched; and, as well, the maternal mortality rate will be included, along with 10 other of my amendments. prgtoken At the same time, I wish to speak about something that saddens me on the breach of the rule of law and the breach of the Constitution that our President is engaged in: the maligning of the special counsel and, of course, the attempt to expose a confidential source. prgtoken So let me hold up this picture of Rudy Giuliani who, in 1998, said in another investigation of a President: ``He's got to do it. He's got to do it.'' prgtoken So I would offer to say that the President of the United States needs to sit down with the special counsel and tell the truth. That is what our men and women fight for overseas and around the world: democracy and the rule of law. That is what the President should do.
WORKERS' MEMORIAL DAY
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-5-24

last month, during Workers' Memorial Day, we honored and remembered those killed or injured on the job. It is a day we reaffirm our commitment to workers and their families to do all we can to prevent these tragedies. prgtoken Forty-seven years ago, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was established, an estimated 14,000 workers were killed on the job. By 2016, the number was reduced to nearly 5,200. We have come a long way in worker safety, but when more than 14 people die on the job every day--and only 2.9 million work-related injuries are reported annually even though the real number could be as much as 7.4 to 11.1 million--more work needs to be done. Clearly, the workplace remains too dangerous. We owe it to America's working men and women to ensure their safety, but too often, we are reminded of our failure to do so. prgtoken I want to talk about Pamela Knight, from Dixon, in my home State of Illinois. An employee of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pamela was asked last September to check on the welfare of a child. When Pamela arrived, sensing a dangerous environment, she decided to remove the 2-year-old boy from the home and place him in protective custody. That is when the child's father knocked her to the floor, kicked her in the head, and continued beating Pamela's fractured skull. After this horrific incident, she was airlifted to a hospital in nearby Rockford, IL, where she underwent two surgeries, but it was too late. Pamela suffered permanent brain damage and passed away about four months after the attack. Pamela Knight was 59 years old. prgtoken The job of our investigators and first responders, like Pamela, at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is not easy. They are on the frontlines to those in crisis, but we can all agree, it should never be fatal. My heart goes out to Pamela's family, friends, colleagues, and all our public service workers protecting and serving the most vulnerable in our communities. prgtoken The theme of this year's Workers' Memorial Day was ``Safe Jobs. Every Worker's Right.'' While the administration attempts to walk back many vital protections and existing safeguards for our workers, let's recommit ourselves in Congress to live up to those words and provide the right every worker deserves: a safe job. In doing so, we can honor the legacy of courageous Americans, like Pamela Knight, who simply did her job. prgtoken I urge all my colleagues to join me in fighting for secure workplaces everywhere and once and for all, live up to the promise of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's mission to assure the dignity of a safe and healthy working condition for all Americans. With the right commitment, we can protect, strengthen, and advance the gains we have made over the last half century and make the safety of all workers a reality.
TRUMP'S MOBILE SECURITY
Ted Lieu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-5-24

I thank Congressman Gallego for his comments. prgtoken Both of us served Active Duty in the United States military-- Congressman Gallego served in combat--and we both know that one of the most important things to our military is operational security and protecting our communications and making sure that they are secure. prgtoken is the Commander in Chief of our military. If there is anyone that needs to have their communications secure, it has got to be our Commander in Chief. prgtoken Unfortunately, the President and the s here that enable him are allowing him to have unsecured communications. That is really going to be harmful to our national security. prgtoken This is not some sort of theoretical flaw that exists. The Federal Communications Commission has issued a report saying that this flaw where foreign powers can listen in on our cell phone communications is real, it exists. prgtoken People have used it not just to listen in, but also to do nefarious things. A bank earlier this year lost millions of dollars because of this flaw. prgtoken So, again, we urge the President and the s here to change the President's behavior, to do oversight on this issue. prgtoken , I am going to conclude this segment. I thank you for listening. prgtoken .
CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995 REFORM ACT
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-5-24

. I want to thank my colleagues from Minnesota and Missouri for all of their hard work on this issue. I would like to ask my colleagues through the chair about section 111 of the bill amending section 415 of the Congressional Accountability Act. A new subparagraph, which will become 415(d)(1)(D), describes certain violations for which reimbursement is required by a Member of the House of Representatives or a Senator. I am interested in my colleagues' understanding regarding how that language should be interpreted?
Confirmation of Brian Montgomery (Executive Session)
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-5-24

promised during his inaugural address to fight for ``the forgotten men and women of our country,'' but in 's Washington, the Senate sits on its hands as the revolving door spins faster and faster. Brian Montgomery is just the latest in a line of bankers, lawyers, investors, and consultants who cashed in on their big-time public service and now want back in. prgtoken Mr. Montgomery has just been confirmed to be the Commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, the FHA, which provides taxpayer-backed insurance that helps millions of Americans buy homes they might not otherwise be able to afford. Lenders make loans to these families because the FHA gives them some protection in case the families default. Like any insurance, there are strict rules about who qualifies. Unless it is managed well, the FHA could expose taxpayers to a risk of billions of dollars in losses. prgtoken Mr. Montgomery knows something about the FHA. He was the Commissioner from 2006 to 2009 while the housing market was flying high and when it all came crashing down. Since almost the day he left, he has been making buckets of money selling his knowledge to banks who broke the rules and are trying to escape the consequences. prgtoken Here is what I mean. One month after leaving the FHA, Mr. Montgomery founded and became vice chairman of a new company called Collingwood Group which, according to reports, was known in the housing finance industry as a specialist in helping firms navigate FHA-related penalties and lawsuits. Who better to navigate the rules of the FHA than the guy who used to be in charge of the FHA? prgtoken One of Collingwood's clients was Wells Fargo. They were in trouble for defrauding FHA, and in 2016 paid HUD a $1.2 billion fine. That is billion with a ``b.'' Wells Fargo admitted that from 2001 to 2008, it had lied to the FHA about whether certain loans were eligible for FHA insurance. Mr. Montgomery was in charge of the FHA from 2006 to 2008 and let that fraud happen. After he left, he went to the other team, giving Wells Fargo the inside scoop on how to beat the rap. prgtoken Collingwood also represented U.S. Bank. In 2014, U.S. Bank paid $200 million for defrauding FHA. In its settlement, U.S. Bank admitted that ``from 2006 through 2011, it repeatedly certified for FHA insurance mortgage loans that did not meet HUD underwriting requirements.'' The taxpayers paid Mr. Montgomery to manage the FHA for 3 of those years, and he didn't stop the fraud. When he left, U.S. Bank paid him to help them get away with it. I guess it pays to be an inside guy. prgtoken I have seen some amazing cases of people spinning through the revolving door, but this one might take the cake. First, Montgomery runs an agency that puts taxpayer money on the line. While there, he looks the other way as the banks submit piles of fraudulent mortgages. The government then loses millions and millions of taxpayer
DEMOCRACY REFORM
David N. Cicilline (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2018-5-24

President promised to drain the swamp. In reality, he has made corruption much worse here in Washington. prgtoken Yesterday, we learned that a foreign government paid the President's personal attorney $400,000 for a meeting with President ; the Secretary of the Treasury requested a government plane for his honeymoon; the VA Secretary took a $125,000 taxpayer-funded trip to Europe with his spouse; and the s who control Congress have done nothing about it. They are putting politics ahead of our country by turning a blind eye to this administration's corruption, and they are focusing on getting things done for their wealthy donors instead of their constituents. prgtoken The culture of corruption must end. That is why, early this week, introduced A Better Deal for our democracy: a bold, comprehensive proposal to bolster our Nation's ethics laws, overhaul our campaign finance system, and create more transparency and accountability so government works for all of the American people. prgtoken That is the Better Deal the American people deserve; that is the Better Deal will deliver; and that is why are fighting for it.
HONORING CLIFFORD JOHNSON, SR.
Nanette Diaz Barragán (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-5-24

I rise today in honor of Mr. Clifford Johnson, Sr who will be 100 years old on June 7. prgtoken Mr. Johnson, a Cherokee Indian Freedman, was born in Lenapah, Oklahoma, on June 7, 1918. He fought bravely during World War II, serving as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. He began a lifelong career with the United States Postal Service in 1946. prgtoken Mr. Johnson is a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Mr. Johnson is a patron of Macedonia Baptist Church in Watts, California, and attributes his longevity to being close to God and treating other people the way he would want to be treated. prgtoken I want to wish Mr. Clifford Johnson, Sr a very happy birthday and thank him for his service to our country.
VA MISSION Bill and Memorial Day (Executive Session)
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2018-5-24

I rise today to call attention to the important efforts made each day by our public servants. prgtoken At the beginning of this month, this very body honored our public servants by adopting a resolution marking the first week of May as Public Service Recognition Week. We need to do more to continue that sentiment year round. But on the same day the Senate adopted a resolution honoring our public servants, Congress received a letter from the administration looking to use Federal employees to solve our budget problems, with cuts to retirement and freezes in pay. Is this really in the best interest of our public servants? Is this really the best method to attract and retain the best and the brightest to work across vital agencies to keep our government running? prgtoken That is why today I wish to continue the longstanding tradition of honoring exemplary Federal employees--a tradition that was begun by my friend Senator Ted Kaufman from Delaware. It is my hope that the story of these five Virginians will remind my colleagues and the administration that public servants go to work every day with the sole mission to make this country a better and safer place to live. prgtoken First, I would like to acknowledge Stephen Curren. In Stephen's capacity as Director of the Division of Resilience at the Department of Health and Human Services, he coordinated the national response to help protect public and private healthcare computer systems from the worst effects of WannaCry, a global cyber attack that threatened patients' health and safety. prgtoken Stephen's team applied existing processes for dealing with physical disasters like hurricanes and tornados and adapted them to prepare for a cyber attack response. They continue the critical work necessary to improve the collaboration on cyber security with private healthcare agencies and the public. prgtoken Next, I would like to share a bit about Guy Demeter, the FBI's first- prgtoken ever data scientist. In his work, Guy develops technological solutions to organize the Bureau's data and has helped the FBI to track down child predators, identify banks evading sanctions, assist counterterrorism investigations, and guard against internal threats. His innovative strategies are efficient, cost-effective, and have been a crucial part of increasing our national security. prgtoken Third, I would like to recognize the work of Matt Nims, the Acting Director of the Office of Food for Peace at USAID. Under Matt's leadership, last year his office distributed emergency food and nutrition assistance to 20 million people facing severe hunger and starvation in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and northeast Nigeria as a result of drought, extreme poverty, and violent armed conflicts. prgtoken Matt's team used data from USAID's Famine Early Warning Systems Network to anticipate food shortages before they became full-fledged crises and then developed innovative ways to deliver food, pla
CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995 REFORM BILL
Claire McCaskill (Democrat, MO) \u2014 2018-5-24

I rise just for a few minutes to do what we don't do often enough around here, and that is to recognize the extraordinary work of the people who actually labor in the trenches of the Senate. prgtoken Back in September of 2008, a young man came to work in my office as an intern. Now, almost 10 years later, he is an essential part of my life. prgtoken I am not sure that people understand what the beating heart of a Senate office is, but everything revolves around the schedule. This young man, Lorenzo d'Aubert, who came to work for me in 2008, worked his way up from intern to staff assistant, which means you answer the phones when everybody is upset. Then he became a legislative correspondent, and then he worked as a systems analyst and on all of the computer stuff in my office. Eventually, his talent was so obvious, that I said: Please come sit outside my office and make everything work right, and that is what he has done. prgtoken It is a really hard job because when you are the executive assistant and the scheduler, you have to say no to a lot of people, and you have to say it nicely. You have to make everyone happy, even when you are telling them that the schedule will not allow that to happen. You have to manage phone calls from all seven of my children and my husband, who is upset, and manage the birth of grandchildren, the birthdays, the schedule of when I can get there and when I can't. Is the plane delayed, or is it not? Can you get on Southwest? No, maybe you can make the American flight. On top of it all, he gets me to a million meetings and a million places all at the same time, with a smile on his face, with kindness in his heart, with a whip-sharp intellect, and with a work ethic that is astounding. prgtoken I am really upset because he has the nerve to leave and go to law school. I am proud of him for his determination to seek a degree in law. I know he will be an amazing lawyer because he has that touch, where even when he is giving you bad news, you know that he is delivering it with kindness. We need much more of that in the legal profession. prgtoken Lorenzo is really important to me, and I will miss him terribly. I think it is important that all of us around here--who crave the lime light, who want all the attention, and who want everybody to think that we are moving mountains--know that it is the people around us who are moving the mountains. We are just lucky to be on the ride. prgtoken We will all miss you, Lorenzo. Congratulations to you and to your parents, Linda and Sergio. I know they are here today. I know how proud they are of you. We will miss you terribly, and we will be really mad at you if you don't stay in touch. prgtoken Thank you. prgtoken .
STOP HIDING THE TRUTH
Hakeem S. Jeffries (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-5-24

while continue to focus on better jobs, better wages, and a better future for hardworking Americans, indifference to the chaos, crisis, and corruption in this town, for example, at the EPA, is at an all-time high. prgtoken Why in the world, in the context of the fact that we have 17 different intelligence agencies who concluded that Russia interfered with the election and an ongoing investigation into whether the campaign was involved in selling out our democracy, do some folks continue to try to undermine this investigation? prgtoken The ongoing criminal inquiry is a legitimate undertaking. It is not a witch hunt. In fact, everyone leading that investigation is a : Bob Mueller, ; Rod Rosenstein, ; James Comey, ; Christopher Wray, . prgtoken What exactly are you all complaining about? It is time for the cover- up caucus in this institution to stop hiding the truth from the American people.
REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF SISTER M. MAURICE WODARSKI, OSF
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-5-24

on this Memorial Day weekend, I rise to remember the life of Sister M. Maurice Wodarski, a dedicated servant of the Franciscan Order of Sylvania, Ohio. Of proud Polish/American heritage, she left us for God's grace this past January. Throughout her blessed life, she tended souls so faithfully, generously, and jovially. The sparkle in her eyes revealed a loving heart. And her crisply ironed beige habit with veil alerted you: this was a woman of serious purpose. Sr. Maurice was on a mission and she had no time to waste. prgtoken Having entered the convent from Nativity Parish in Toledo, OH in 1951, Sister Maurice lived her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as a dedicated woman of faith and service who ministered for over six decades indefatigably to the young, young at heart, the home bound, those in nursing homes, and veterans. For 35 years she taught the young minds of students in Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Maryland. She took great pride in teaching math, even helping other teachers decorate their bulletin boards, and instructing altar boys on Mass. prgtoken Sister Maurice had a gift for helping the elderly. After teaching, she began working on the ministry of care for Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Medical Center in Cleveland, OH for the elder Sisters, and then later at the new Franciscan Nursing Care Center in Sylvania, Ohio. She had trained as a home health aide, and went on to care for the elderly individually in their homes for over two decades. She brought joy and compassion. And she worked very hard. prgtoken A fierce and devoted advocate for veterans, Sister Maurice sought to honor her Korean War Veteran brothers who served in the Marines through her own service. She volunteered at the Toledo Community Veterans Outpatient Clinic, served as Chaplain for the Przybylski Post 642, and was a State Officer of the Ohio Chaplains. She received accolades for her veterans' work and was awarded the Volunteer of the Month in the VA's 2014 newsletter and the St. Agnes Medal from the National Catholic War Veterans Auxiliary. The St. Agnes Medal is the highest national honor a CWVA member can attain. prgtoken On June 1, 2018, I will attend a tree planting in honor of our late Sister at the Veterans Clinic in Toledo. I could not think of a more appropriate setting, as her memory will live on inspiring and comforting the veterans she cared for and appreciated. Please allow me to share a favorite memory recalling the sunny day when ground was first broken to build the new clinic. Photos were being arranged for those present and we soon realized Sister prgtoken Maurice was not to be found. Hurriedly, I rushed behind the stage and scaffolding to see if we could locate her and sure enough, I spotted Sister Maurice on her knees planting holy medals in the soil around the perimeter of what was to be the future new Veterans Clinic. That describes Sister Maurice. In her own words, ``I've always had a big heart for t
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
Gerald E. Connolly (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2018-5-24

. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2019, which would require the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to define and track Procurement Administrative Lead Time (PALT). prgtoken PALT is the amount of time between when a solicitation or task order is issued and when a contract or task order is awarded. prgtoken A similar requirement for the Department of Defense was enacted as part of the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act. prgtoken I commend the Department for acting quickly to establish a definition of PALT and a way to track it in the Federal Procurement Data System with minimal additional effort from contract officers. prgtoken This requirement should be expanded government-wide with relative ease. prgtoken Such tracking will help federal agencies ensure they are soliciting and acquiring goods and services in an efficient manner and help Congressional overseers identify agencies that are underperforming in this area. prgtoken I thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith for working with me on this amendment.
AMERICA'S FAITH IN CONGRESS
Stephanie N. Murphy (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2018-5-24

the American people have little faith in Congress. They don't trust Members to work together in a bipartisan way, to put public interest above self-interest, and to do their most basic job, which is to set a budget and be fiscally responsible. prgtoken Our Nation is strongest when our democratic institutions generate confidence, not cynicism, and when our leaders inspire pride, not pessimism. That is why Congressman Fitzpatrick and I introduced the FAITH in Congress Act. prgtoken It requires House leaders to prioritize bipartisan bills over partisan ones, because we must put country over party. prgtoken It abolishes automatic pay increases for Members of Congress, and it prohibits first-class travel at taxpayer expense, because it is time we end these perks. prgtoken It enacts a simple principle called no budget, no pay, which says that if Congress doesn't pass a budget and appropriations bills on time, Members don't get paid, because the best way to stop incompetence is to stop rewarding it. prgtoken Finally, it imposes a lifetime ban on former Members becoming lobbyists, because there should be no doubt that Members come to Congress to serve the public, not to line their own pockets. prgtoken It is up to Congress to take the tough but necessary steps to earn the public's trust. The American people's faith in Congress has been damaged, and it is our job to repair it.