mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SPORTS MEDICINE LICENSURE CLARITY ACT OF 2017
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-10-3

2 weeks ago, I stood here to commend this body for developing and passing much needed legislation to help families and communities respond to the opioid overdose crisis. This crisis is a tragedy, a scourge, an epidemic that claimed an estimated 49,000 lives just last year. It is one that knows no political, territorial or demographical boundaries. prgtoken Soon, the Senate will consider a bipartisan, bicameral, consensus opioid package, which overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives last week. prgtoken Contained within the conference bill are several of my provisions from the Senate-passed legislation, including Opioid Milestones, a bipartisan bill I introduced with Senators Murkowski and Hassan to create a scorecard to measure our Nation's response to the opioid crisis. In other words, as we spend more money, how do we now give a grade to each one of the programs that we are funding so that in 2, 3, 4 years, it is best practices across the whole country, so that we are ensuring that we learn the lessons of what is, in fact, occurring? So that is a milestone, a scorecard so that we know what is happening with the money, with the programs we are funding. prgtoken The final package also retains important legislation I introduced with Senators Young and Baldwin to help address increasing rates of infectious diseases associated with injection drug use, such as HIV and viral hepatitis. prgtoken Two weeks ago, while highlighting these provisions, I also called on my House and Senate colleagues to include in the conference legislation a critical policy that was noticeably absent from the Senate-passed bill: expansion of medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, for opioid use disorders. prgtoken In 2016, I worked with Senator Rand Paul to expand access to MAT by enabling nurse practitioners and physician assistants to temporarily prescribe SUBOXONE. This year, I introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Paul, Senator Collins, and Senator Hassan to provide permanent MAT prescriber authority for nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Our legislation would also extend this authority to other nursing professions already stepping up to address the opioid crisis-- certified nurses, midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists. prgtoken As this consensus legislation was being negotiated, Senator Paul and I led a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging leadership to include the House-passed version of our legislation in the final bill. prgtoken Today, I am pleased to report that we succeeded in this endeavor. Section 3201 of the conference legislation would permanently allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe MAT. It would also provide that authority to the other nursing professions for 5 years. This policy will immediately save lives and improve our overall response to the opioid overdose crisis. prgtoken I thank my partners in both the H
147TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT PESHTIGO FIRE
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2018-10-4

today I wish to recognize a solemn occasion, the 147th anniversary of the Great Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin. On October 8, 1871, Wisconsin's 10th largest city at the time was completely destroyed in what is still the largest fire in U.S. history. prgtoken The city of Peshtigo, WI, was first settled in 1838. The community is surrounded by dense Wisconsin forest and has long been sustained economically by lumber, shipping, and railroad interests. Located off the western shore of Green Bay in Marinette County, the area was home to Menominee and Ho-Chunk Native-Americans. prgtoken Historians and survivors of the fire theorize that the blaze was started by railroad workers who were cutting trees and burning debris outside of Peshtigo. A combination of a prolonged drought, a heavy reliance on wooden buildings, and 100-mph winds aligned to create a firestorm that reached 3 miles across and 1,000 feet high. Over the course of the night, the fire scorched over 1.2 million acres and caused an estimated $169 million in damages. Between 1,200 and 2,500 people lost their lives. The fire's complete destruction of local records prevented an accurate death toll. An estimated 350 victims lie in a mass grave in Peshtigo, victims who could not be identified because they were either burned beyond recognition or because those who could identify them perished too. prgtoken Although the Great Peshtigo Fire has been well documented, little has been written about the crucial role Native Americans played in preventing further loss of life among European settlers. One of the most compelling stories involves Abraham Place, who traveled on foot to Wisconsin from Vermont in 1837 to build a homestead in the Sugar neighborhood just outside of Peshtigo. He married a Menominee woman, and together with their children, they tended one of the largest farms in the area. While marrying a Native-American woman was socially acceptable when Place first settled there, attitudes had changed by 1871, and he was scorned by his fellow settlers. prgtoken The Native Americans he regularly welcomed to his home warned him of the impending danger of fire after months of little to no rain and helped him create a 3-foot-deep firebreak around his farm. His European neighbors dismissed his precaution as the actions of a crazy man who had married a Native American. Mrs. Place's in-laws then spent hours placing dozens of wet blankets on the roof of their house to prevent its destruction. Their home was one of the few buildings still standing on the morning of October 9. prgtoken Many of the same neighbors who had ridiculed them ran to their house or died trying. Survivors found the bodies of 35 residents who never made it to the farm. The hundred or so refugees who arrived safely at the Place home found a makeshift hospital where they could nurse their wounds and recuperate. Some stayed for weeks, their earlier disdain cured by necessity. prgtoken
TRIBUTE TO FRANK T. LIBBY
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-10-4

today I want to honor my friend Frank Libby for his extraordinary service to my home State of Illinois. Last month, after 42 years of service to the brothers and sisters of the Union Brotherhood of Carpenters, Frank Libby retired. prgtoken A decade after the Great Chicago Fire, in 1881, a group of 35 carpenter leaders met in a Chicago warehouse and hammered out an agreement to form a single, unified union. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters was born. Ever since, the Carpenters union has been a leader, building and growing communities by bringing countless skilled women and men to the construction industry. prgtoken Frank Libby is an outstanding part of that rich history. Throughout his career, Frank held a variety of positions. As a member of Local 10, he has served as warden, recording secretary, business representative, financial secretary-treasurer, and president for the past 24 years. In 2008, Frank became the 24th president/executive secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, representing working families across 72 counties throughout Illinois and eastern Iowa. prgtoken Under Frank's leadership, the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters flourished, becoming the largest building trades union in the State of Illinois with a membership in the tens of thousands. He fearlessly confronted the unprecedented challenges facing the union and had the courage to make the necessary decisions enabling the union to not only survive the great recession, but actually thrive. prgtoken If that wasn't enough, Frank Libby also served as a member of the executive board of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters and the Chicago Federation of Labor and as a trustee on the Carpenters' Welfare and Pension Fund and the Carpenters' Apprenticeship Training Fund. Frank also served on the Illinois State Council of Carpenters' executive board and as a past board member to the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, but his legacy will be realized by the generations of carpenters who, because of his leadership and vision, will receive fair wages and healthcare for their family. Frank Libby has given the gift of peace of mind to countless future carpenters and their families, who can retire with dignity because of the benefits Frank fought to secure. They will know that Frank's hard work earned and ensured a safe work environment where carpenters return to their families at the end of each workday. prgtoken I want to congratulate Frank Libby on his distinguished career and thank him for his outstanding service to the people of Chicago. I especially want to thank Frank's wife Gail and their daughter Cynthia for sharing so much of their husband and father with our community. I wish him and his family all the best in their next chapter.
Recognition of the Minority Leader (Executive Session)
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2018-10-4

first let me begin by saying this: I believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. prgtoken Her raw courage in coming forward will change the national culture and discussion. She has given voice to millions of women and men who are survivors of sexual assault, who are afraid to tell their stories, who felt powerless. Some of these women have contacted my office with their own stories. I have read them and they are heart-wrenching. prgtoken At its core, sexual assault is a crime of power. Dr. Ford has confronted some of the most powerful in our Nation and told the truth. I thank her for her courage in coming forward and for empowering other survivors to do the same. prgtoken At this point, with so much unknown, there are serious consequences to elevating Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. prgtoken We the Senate need to continue our search for the truth about this nominee, his background, and his record, and, hopefully, we can do that in a bipartisan way. prgtoken Yet everything about the nomination process for this nominee has been deeply flawed, from the President's outsourcing the nomination to the Federalist Society, to the majority leader's violating his own new rule to delay consideration of a Supreme Court nominee until after an upcoming election, to a highly partisan lawyer's screening Judge Kavanaugh's documents for public disclosure instead of the nonpartisan National Archives staff, to the Judiciary chair's rush to hearings, even though only 7 percent of Judge Kavanaugh's record is in the public domain. prgtoken What are they trying to hide? I think we have a pretty good idea. prgtoken Finally, and most disturbing, are the President's and the majority's inexcusable treatment of the brave women who have come forward with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against the nominee. The leaders claim to want to hear the allegations of sexual assault has been nothing but a cynical show for public consumption. prgtoken The #MeToo movement forced them to open the floor to Dr. Ford, but her testimony was never really going to matter to President and the leadership. The majority leader made that clear when he bragged to an audience of the religious right before her hearing: ``In the very near future, Judge Kavanaugh will be on the U.S. Supreme Court.'' prgtoken leaders questioned why the allegations did not come forward sooner. Yet the reasons survivors of sexual assault often don't come forward are well documented and well understood, and they did everything they could to undermine getting to the truth of Dr. Ford's allegations--from refusing to honor her request for an FBI investigation prior to her hearing to severely limiting the ' time for questions of Judge Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee, to refusing to call other key witnesses, like Mark Judge, Deborah Ramirez, and others, and to put them under oath. It is absolutely stunning that
Recognition of the Minority Leader (Executive Session)
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-10-4

last week, millions of people were glued to their screens as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Dr. Ford's account of the most traumatic event of her life was harrowing. The pain of retelling this story was evident, and she did it for no personal gain whatsoever. In fact, her life has been turned upside down as a result of her decision to come forward. The courage she showed is remarkable. Dr. Ford's testimony was credible and compelling. I believe Dr. Ford. prgtoken Judge Kavanaugh's testimony was very different. He spent more than 40 minutes ranting, raving, and pedaling fact-free partisan conspiracy theories, and then he proceeded to insult Senators, to scream at the people who had the nerve to question him. He evaded some questions and gave obviously false answers to others. It was a performance that would have been right at home on talk radio or in a primary campaign or at a rally, but it was delivered by a judge who is asking the Senate to confirm him to a lifetime appointment to a completely nonpolitical position as the swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken It is the job of the Senate to decide whether or not to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. Senators must vote yes or vote no on elevating him to a lifetime appointment on the Federal bench. It is not a criminal trial. Nobody is entitled to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. If he is not confirmed, Brett Kavanaugh would still be serving as a Federal judge on the second highest court in the United States, and the President, I am sure, will nominate another candidate for this job. prgtoken For these reasons, I believe that Dr. Ford's credible allegations and Judge Kavanaugh's partisan, venomous rants are sufficient reasons to vote no on his nomination. prgtoken Now, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle saw the same hearing. They watched Dr. Ford sit through hours of testimony. They heard her when she clearly and unequivocally said she was 100 percent sure that Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, and they watched Judge Kavanaugh demonstrate to the world that he lacks the temperament and the truthfulness to sit on the Nation's highest Court. prgtoken For those Senators who don't care that Judge Kavanaugh thinks the multiple sexual assault allegations he prgtoken faces must be ``revenge on behalf of the Clintons,'' who simply aren't sure whether those credible allegations are a sufficient reason to vote no, and who would like to see more evidence, the sensible course of action has always been obvious--a serious, nonpartisan FBI investigation to uncover the truth as best we can to make sure we are as informed as we can be before we have to vote. But that is not what has happened. prgtoken First, instead of taking Dr. Ford seriously, Mitch McConnell scheduled a committee vote on Judge Kavanaugh's nomination the next day. He suspended the Senate vote only when i
Recognition of the Minority Leader (Executive Session)
Martin Heinrich (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2018-10-4

I am deeply saddened that the words I am about to deliver even need to be said in the first place, but I have to ask: How can we possibly continue to move forward or, as in the majority leader's own words, ``plow right through'' to confirm a lifetime appointment on our Nation's Supreme Court in the wake of both credible allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against the nominee Brett Kavanaugh and serious questions concerning his judicial temperament? prgtoken s are ignoring very real questions about his credibility and are intent on hiding his record. Even worse, they are in such a rush that most of them did not even want the FBI to reopen Judge Kavanaugh's background check to help us get to the bottom of this, and when the FBI did reopen the investigation, the White House limited its scope so much it did not follow multiple credible leads. prgtoken Now we as Senators have barely 24 hours to review their findings before scrambling to a vote. prgtoken As the whole Nation watches, what message is the U.S. Senate sending to our children, to women, to victims of sexual assault about the values we stand for? Do they not matter? Is this the society that we want our sons and daughters to grow up in? We all know full well the weight of who fills this deciding vote on our Nation's highest Court. prgtoken Whomever we confirm as our next Supreme Court Justice will decide major cases that shape the daily lives of Americans for decades to come, but this is not a time for simply thinking about the judicial philosophies that we believe should shape opinions on the bench. I have made it clear that I oppose Judge Kavanaugh's nomination based on the substance of his views and the broken process being used to rush this nomination through the Senate on a partisan basis. prgtoken From the very start, s have pushed this nomination through at a breakneck pace, hiding from the public Judge Kavanaugh's record and the dangerous consequences of his extreme views on many important issues. That willful blindness, the absence of a thorough vetting process, and the mad dash to hastily confirm their nominee at all costs before this fall's election has led us to the crisis that we face today. prgtoken This has now become an even more fundamental test of how seriously we as Senators take our duty of advice and consent on enormously consequential Presidential appointments. prgtoken Multiple women have come forward publicly to accuse Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. While we will never be able to adjudicate these allegations in the same way as a criminal proceeding, we have an obligation to weigh these accusations carefully and seriously as we consider Judge Kavanaugh's fitness to serve on the Supreme Court. prgtoken I, for one, after reviewing all of the information that we have and after listening to the testimony last week before the Judiciary Committee, have to say clearly and forcefully that I believ
Recognition of the Minority Leader (Executive Session)
Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-10-4

by the time Dr. Ford was sharing her story last Thursday afternoon, I was heartbroken. Then, by the time Judge Kavanaugh was done speaking, just a few hours later, I was horrified. prgtoken Dr. Ford spent her time talking about the laughter she still hears ringing in her ears from that night--the night that an older, stronger, drunker boy forced her to learn what it was like to feel helpless. Her voice quivered, but she herself never wavered, steadfast in the truth-- in the memory of those few moments that changed her life forever. prgtoken Judge Kavanaugh, meanwhile, spent his time interrupting and attacking the committee members, shouting over Senators and dressing them down-- appearing belligerent and outraged that anyone would dare keep him from getting what he feels entitled to, as though he--or anyone--is entitled to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken Time after time, he made brazenly political statements that should disqualify any candidate from serving as a Federal judge. Over and over again, he told what appeared to be blatant lies despite his being under oath. He seems to have lied about the meaning of his yearbook page, about when he learned of some of the recent accusations, about what he knew at age 53 and what he did at age 17. prgtoken Sadly, this was hardly even surprising. Kavanaugh has a habit of appearing to lie under oath, as we know from when he was questioned about his role in the administration's torture policy back in 2006. This consistent dishonesty--this disregard, even distaste for the truth--should be unacceptable in any judicial nominee, let alone one nominated to serve on the highest Court of the land for a lifetime appointment. prgtoken Let's be clear: How s went about restricting the FBI investigation this past week was questionable at best, sabotage at worst. Yet the reality is that that suspiciously limited background check was not even necessary to prove that he was unfit; it was his inappropriate public outbursts and his lack of candor that were so deeply troubling, that should be so obviously disqualifying. prgtoken This has nothing to do with his conservative beliefs. This has to do with the fact that the belligerent partisan operative who revealed himself last week is wholly unsuited for a job that demands a level- headed temperament. It is not just I who is saying that. It is a sentiment that some of Kavanaugh's own former law clerks have expressed in the wake of his hostile outbursts. prgtoken No one is entitled to a Supreme Court seat, not even someone who went to Yale College or Law School as he reminded us one, two, three, four times last Thursday. In this #MeToo moment we are living through, we need to recognize the bravery it took for these women--Dr. Ford but also Deborah Ramirez--to speak out and not deride them and shame them as some on the other side of the aisle and even the President are doing. prgtoken The other night, Trum
Recognition of the Minority Leader (Executive Session)
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2018-10-4

this is the first time I have come to the floor to speak on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh since the events of the last several weeks. I want to say this at the outset in the most dispassionate way I can: I have come to the conclusion Brett Kavanaugh is perhaps the most dangerous nominee for the Supreme Court in my lifetime, and I am going to vote no tomorrow when the cloture vote comes before this Senate. prgtoken Let me be clear. I had decided to vote no before his confirmation hearing, before the allegations of sexual assault were levied against him, before his second confirmation hearing, before the FBI refreshed its background check investigation. That doesn't mean I wasn't willing to do my due diligence; it is simply that his judicial record, which I became familiar with as he was becoming known as one of the finalists for this selection, was enough for me to decide he wouldn't rule fairly on the questions before the Court that affect the millions of people I represent in Connecticut. prgtoken Every year, I take a walk across my State. It takes about 5 days. It is about 120 miles, give or take. It is a chance for me to conduct a weeklong running focus group where I get to talk to hundreds of voters who aren't plugged into politics on a daily basis. The people I meet at gas stations and auto body shops and folks who are out walking their dog in the morning are part of the 98 percent of Americans who don't watch Sean Hannity or Anderson Cooper or Rachel Maddow. Yet they have strong opinions about what is happening in this country just like everybody else, and I am glad they share them with me. prgtoken For the last 2 years, since President took office, the No. 1 topic people talk to me about during the walk is healthcare. People in Connecticut are scared about what they see as a coordinated effort that is underway in Washington to take away their insurance coverage and the protections for people prgtoken in my State who have preexisting conditions. prgtoken Folks in Connecticut don't think the Affordable Care Act is perfect. They want us to work on making it better, but they don't want us to end it without a plan for what is going to come next. They were glad when the repeal plan was defeated last year. Now they are worried that President is trying to use the courts to get done what he couldn't get done in the people's branch of government, the legislative branch. prgtoken Brett Kavanaugh was vetted by two conservative political groups whose chief legislative priority is repealing the Affordable Care Act come hell or high water. The head of one of those groups said on television it really didn't matter to him which of the names on the list picked because they all shared their group's priorities. himself told the American public he would never pick a judge like John Roberts, who voted to uphold the major parts of the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Kavanaugh, in his ju