mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2017-6-8

last year the Nation was shocked by undercover videos produced by investigative journalists with the Center for Medical Progress exposing Planned Parenthood's sale of fetal body parts and the callousness with which Planned Parenthood officials described their grisly work. prgtoken As we know, as Planned Parenthood and its allies in the mainstream media hoped, outrage fades with time, and attention turns--but not for long, for the abortion industry and its profiteers are never really beset by scandal. They are a scandal. prgtoken Just last month we got another reminder about the reality behind the talking points. Once again, it was the undercover journalists of the Center for Medical Progress doing the investigative journalism the mainstream media refuses to do. Once again, the video has been ignored by the pro-abortion media elite, whose principal interest is the story of the prosecution of the journalists for daring to speak this truth to their power. prgtoken The American people and their representatives in the U.S. Senate deserve to know what the new video shows. It shows the founder of Planned Parenthood's Consortium of Abortion Providers on a conference panel. She recounts a harrowing experience while performing an abortion: ``An eyeball just fell down into my lap, and that is gross.'' Her remarks were greeted with laughter from the audience. prgtoken It shows another Planned Parenthood doctor stating: ``The fetus is a tough little object, so taking it apart in the womb is very difficult.'' prgtoken This comment echoes a previous undercover video in which a Planned Parenthood doctor says that the bones of a 20-week old fetus were so strong that ``I have to hit the gym for this.'' prgtoken The video shows the director of abortion services for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast saying that she sometimes uses forceps to ``pull off a leg or two'' to ensure an unborn child dies before being born--in other words, to avoid the moment when our Nation's laws might protect that child. prgtoken The video shows the medical director of Planned Parenthood in Michigan talking about surprising common ground between abortion doctors and pro-life activists. We might actually both agree that there is violence in here. Let's just give them all the violence, it's a person, it's killing. Let's just give them all that. prgtoken That is not what they say in public. It certainly isn't what they tell their patients, the women who come into their clinics--just in private, at industry conferences, between networking opportunities and drinks at the open bar. Because they know--deep down, everyone knows the Center for Medical Progress videos shock, but they do not surprise. They don't teach us anything we don't already know. All they do is remind us of an inconvenient truth that demands our attention and our action. prgtoken It is certainly stirring the pro-abortion political machine into action. As expected,
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2017-6-8

today I wish to recognize and congratulate a tremendous Marine officer, Col. Daniel Q. Greenwood, for his distinguished service as the commanding officer, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division prgtoken and commanding officer, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force, SPMAGTF--Crisis Response--Africa. Colonel Greenwood's dynamic leadership and operational expertise brought about historic success for his unit and was instrumental to the accomplishment of priority U.S. national security objectives throughout Europe and Africa. prgtoken After taking command in April 2016, Colonel Greenwood aptly led a fine team of marines during their predeployment training, ensuring a cohesive and highly effective regiment that was able to singularly focus on mission requirements. His clear and concise guidance set the tone for the entire command, successfully focused the regimental headquarters, and enabled a positive command climate with open lines of communication and a constructive learning environment. prgtoken Upon deploying in October 2016, Colonel Greenwood's excellent leadership and operational prowess brought about continued organizational and operational achievements, to include his team's successful participation in multiple operations and 15 theater security cooperation engagements across the continent of Africa. Further, his vibrant personality and intuitive understanding of cultural complexities fostered alliances with key partner nations, building valuable partner capability and enduring relationships. One of the most significant accomplishments of the SPMAGTF was the assessment of ``high risk, high threat'' U.S. embassies in West and North Africa. To prepare for crisis response actions, Colonel Greenwood personally interacted with multiple ambassadors and regional security officers to form essential relationships and facilitate necessary information sharing. His tireless efforts allowed current and future SPMAGTF rotations to develop feasible, supportable, and comprehensive contingency plans for these strategic posts. prgtoken I would also like to honor and thank the Greenwood family for their tremendous service and sacrifice during the past year. Colonel Greenwood's operational success was only possible because of the tireless support he received at home from his wife, Kim, and son, Charlie. We often forget the hardship and extra load our military spouses and children take on during work-ups and deployments, and I thank Kim and Charlie for sharing their husband and father with our Nation. Military service is a family commitment, and I thank the Greenwoods for their many years of public service. prgtoken Colonel Greenwood, congratulations on a successful command and deployment. I am so proud of your many accomplishments and wish you and your family the very best in your next assignment.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2017-6-8

over the Memorial Day weekend, Alaska lost two really great men. These men were doers and they were builders in every sense of the word--both literally and figuratively. They were family people, and they were the best of friends to one another and to so many of us. prgtoken Today I wish to pay tribute to Sam R. Brice and Howard A. Otis-- although, nobody called him Howard. We all knew him as ``Buzz'' Otis. I wish to take just a few moments this afternoon and tell Members of the Senate a little bit about these two very wonderful and great men. prgtoken You really couldn't find two more genuine Alaskans than Sam or Buzz. Yet neither was born in the State. They came to Alaska. prgtoken Sam grew up in Florida. He was educated at Columbia University in New York City. So he was a long way from New York City when he came to Fairbanks, AK. He served in the Marine Corps, and then he moved to Alaska to help his parents, Luther and helenka, establish a family construction business there in the Interior. prgtoken The story is pretty legendary about his mother helenka. His mother spelled her name always with a lower case ``h''. She didn't want the capital, and always made sure that you put the emphasis on the ``len'' in helenka. She was really the epitome of an independent, self-reliant, really strong Alaskan woman, and she wouldn't let anyone forget that. She was very outgoing, vivacious, and had a heart of gold. I think it all wore off on her children. We certainly saw that in Sam. prgtoken It was said that Sam Brice never met a stranger. He was known for remembering every good deed that others did for him--no matter how many years in the past it may have been, decades after the event. He always generously returned the favor and always remembered to just say: ``Thank you for that''--``thank you for that.'' prgtoken Sam was one who just did good. He did good throughout the State. Those in rural Alaska have fond memories and affection for a man who helped build their communities and who was a leader. He was a leader of the Associated General Contractors, and in his later years was well known for roasting his fellow contractors at the AGC dinners. He had a great sense of humor, and that humor was really contagious. prgtoken The lines from Sam's obituary really say everything one needs to know about the man. They are: In lieu of flowers, the family would wish all to remember Sam who lived by example, whether a handshake, a smile, or a contribution; he was always willing to lend a helping hand. Please remember all the different ways Sam has touched people's lives and consciously think how you can make the world a better place, as Sam demonstrated throughout his life. We ask you honor Sam's memory by emulating his compassion to others and be a friend to man. prgtoken Sam's memorial services were this past Saturday. I was unable to attend. I know the church was packed to o
FINANCIAL CHOICE ACT OF 2017
Alexander X. Mooney (Republican, WV) \u2014 2017-6-8

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 10, the Financial CHOICE Act. This critical piece of legislation rolls back onerous -era regulations on the financial services industry prgtoken that are strangling small businesses and hurting hardworking American taxpayers. prgtoken As I held roundtables across West Virginia, I heard from small- business owners and job creators that -era regulations make it harder for community banks to make loans to small businesses and first- time home buyers. prgtoken The Financial CHOICE Act will remove stifling Federal regulations from out-of-touch Washington bureaucrats and return financial decisionmaking to you, the individual consumers and to the small community banks. prgtoken I know that President is committed to supporting the reforms in the Financial CHOICE Act, and I look forward to continuing to work with our President to grow our economy and bring much-needed relief to West Virginia consumers and small-business owners. prgtoken I want to thank Chairman Hensarling and my colleagues on the Financial Services Committee for their leadership on this important legislation.
TRIBUTE TO JAKE HEINECKE
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2017-6-8

this week, I have the distinct honor of recognizing Jake Heinecke, a law enforcement officer from Fergus County who retired from full-time service at the end of May. Deputy Heinecke spent two decades protecting and serving the people of Montana. prgtoken Deputy Heinecke was raised with a strong family background in law enforcement. His father was an instructor at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy, and the calling to law enforcement was clearly a natural fit for Jake. During the midnineties, Deputy Heinecke began his career as a reserve deputy in Beaverhead County, nestled in the southwestern corner of Montana. He quickly transitioned to full-time law enforcement after finishing college and served Beaverhead County for 15 more years. During the final chapters of his full-time law enforcement career, Deputy Heinecke served the people of Fergus County, located in the geographic center of the State. Troy Eades, the Fergus County sheriff, described Deputy Heinecke's performance in the department with concise clarity, ``Great job. Great officer.'' prgtoken Despite retiring from full-time law enforcement, Jake plans to continue to play a role in the community by serving in the Central Montana Ambulance Service as a full-time EMT. Montanans appreciate the work of our law enforcement and emergency services professionals. When someone gives over two decades of their professional life to protect and serve others, that accomplishment deserves our sincere gratitude. Thanks, Jake, for helping keep ``The Last Best Place'' safe for all of us to enjoy.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2017-6-8

every week for some months now, I have been coming to the Senate floor and I have been using the opportunity to talk about someone in my State, the great State of Alaska, who has made a difference. We call that person the Alaskan of the Week. These are individuals who are unsung in many ways and who are doing something for their community, for their State, and in many ways are inspiring everybody. prgtoken I am a little biased, but I believe I live in the most beautiful State in the country, probably the most beautiful place in the world, full of wonderful people and beautiful landscapes, and we certainly encourage everybody here in the Senate or those who are watching on TV to come to Alaska and experience it themselves, and they will have the trip of a lifetime, guaranteed. We are also blessed to live in a land that provides so much for our physical and spiritual needs. It is a very spiritual place. prgtoken Alaskans are hardy people; however, like anyplace in the country, people have tough times. Some people are more fortunate than others. But thankfully we have people all across our State--like we have people all across America--who give of themselves so that those in difficult situations can receive the care they need. prgtoken Today I want to take you to Kotzebue, AK, or what we often just refer to as Kotz. Kotz is about 550 miles northwest of Anchorage, 26 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska's Northwest Arctic Borough. About 3,000 people live in Kotzebue. It is one of our bigger villages, and it is a hub for dozens of smaller villages that dot this enormous, beautiful region. Like most of Alaska, it is cold in the winter, and it is beautiful now under a never-setting Sun. The midnight Sun in Kotz is high in the sky. There are wonderful people there. prgtoken Like most places in Alaska, particularly in smaller villages in rural Alaska, community is everything. People take care of each other. People band together to help each other overcome challenges that can exist in the extreme environments we have in Alaska. prgtoken Let me tell my colleagues today about Marty Shoryer, who is one of the very generous residents of Kotzebue and who is our Alaskan of the Week. Born in Kotzebue, Marty is the general manager of Kotzebue Electric Association, where he has worked for more than 24 years. He has been married to his wife Lucy since 1977. They have six children and seven grandchildren. In his free time, he fishes--very common-- plays hoops, and loves to cook for his family. He is also involved in prgtoken the Boys and Girls Club and his Tribal government. prgtoken But here is why I want to talk about Marty and why he has been such an inspiration not only in Kotzebue but throughout the State. On Thanksgiving 2015, Marty got sick, and over the next several weeks, he had to go to the hospital repeatedly. While he was there, he noticed a group of people who would gather around the free coffee th
FINANCIAL CHOICE ACT OF 2017
J. French Hill (Republican, AR) \u2014 2017-6-8

in this debate today, let's hear what a commissioner of banking from Arkansas says: ``I am writing in support of H.R. 10, the `Financial CHOICE Act of 2017.' As a State bank regulator, I have seen the huge burden Dodd- Frank Act of 2010 has placed on community banks. Since the financial crisis, several community banks in Arkansas have curtailed or discontinued lending activities--particularly, residential mortgages-- which has been detrimental to the consumers they serve.'' prgtoken That is a compelling endorsement of this bill from a regulator, , not from a Member of Congress. prgtoken And when you look at working families in Arkansas, recently I was told about an Army National Guard member from north Little Rock, in my district, who was informed that he would not receive a home to purchase a manufactured home that would have been twice as large and less expensive than the 60-year-old house he was renting for his family. prgtoken Or a hairstylist from Nevada County, who I received a letter from. She and her husband, a welder, were denied a loan to purchase a new home, despite having verifiable income. prgtoken That is why we need to repeal, replace, and pass the Financial CHOICE Act.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-6-8

I come to the floor today to highlight the importance of travel and tourism in our economy and also to make the point that we are welcoming of people from other countries--and we are welcoming of people in our country, as well--who want to be part, for a short time or a long time, of America. The travel and tourism business is an incredibly important part of the tourism economy. prgtoken Last month, I, along with my fellow cochairs of the Senate Travel and Tourism Caucus--Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Dean Heller, and Senator Brian Schatz--led the Senate in the passage of a resolution recognizing the week of May 7 as National Travel and Tourism Week. prgtoken There are really good statistics--whether it is Missouri or West Virginia or the country at-large--on this topic. One out of every nine jobs in the United States depends on travel and tourism. It accounts for over 15 million jobs nationwide. International travel to the United States is our single largest export industry. The single largest thing where people bring money into our country is tourism to the United States. It generates a trade surplus of roughly $87 billion. As to that trade surplus with foreign travelers, foreign travelers stay longer, they spend more, and they like us better when they leave--virtually 100 percent of the time--than they did when they got here. Even if they thought they were going to like us a lot, they wind up liking us more. If they questioned whether they were going to like us at all, they almost always wind up on the very positive side of that question. prgtoken So it is not only a huge economic benefit of $87 billion, but it is also a huge foreign policy benefit--a huge diplomatic benefit. It is just like when students come here and go to school. They have a connection to the United States that is almost always positive. It is so positive that many of them would like to stay, with that bachelor's degree or that engineering certificate and degree, because they have liked what they found when they were here. So $87 billion is the surplus from just international travelers to the United States. But all told, travel and tourism generates nearly $2.3 trillion in annual economic input for our country. prgtoken In Missouri, it has been estimated that the tourism industry, which is usually right behind agriculture in the list of our top industries, provides more than $15 billion in annual economic impact and directly supports almost 300,000 Missouri jobs. When international tourists come here and spend their money at hotels, restaurants, and shops, they are not only supporting U.S. businesses, but they are contributing to local, State, and Federal tax revenue. prgtoken We have a great deal to offer when it comes to attracting these international visitors. We also have a lot of things we can do as a Congress to make a difference in how people travel and where they travel. We have a role to play in promoting the
FINANCIAL CHOICE ACT OF 2017
Bill Huizenga (Republican, MI) \u2014 2017-6-8

. Mr. Chair, I support this amendment offered by Congressman Hollingsworth, who is a great member of our committee. prgtoken But folks watching this, you have to understand what is going on. You just heard about how we are trying to roll back things, roll back bipartisan consensus. We have bipartisan consensus on this. prgtoken This very issue was in a bill that was proposed by current OMB Director Mick Mulvaney. In fact, when it came out of committee, there were 4 ``no'' votes against it. The ranking member herself voted for this very issue in a Business Development Corporation bill, a BDC bill, that had been sponsored the last Congress. In addition, the omnibus bill that had passed had this very provision in it as well. prgtoken So what you are seeing is hypocrisy, at best. Gamesmanship and politics really is probably what is going on. prgtoken This amendment builds upon a bipartisan provision in the CHOICE Act that directs the SEC to do something that had been an oversight. It is streamlining these securities-offering provisions. prgtoken I know it is complicated and very esoteric, but these well-known, seasoned issuers, or WKSIs as they are known, really have been a secure and safe way of investing for Joe and Janet retirement investor. That is what I like to the call them. It is my mom and dad and your mom and dad, us, and our brothers and sisters. It is retail investors. What this amendment does is conforms the filing and offering regulations for closed-end funds to those traditional operating companies. prgtoken With that, I offer my support and encourage support. Let's stop the hypocrisy and politics.
CIVILITY
Don Bacon (Republican, NE) \u2014 2017-6-8

I rise today to urge my colleagues and fellow citizens to elevate our political discourse in which we participate for the good of our country. prgtoken Some of what I see in America grieves me. The partisan divide grows more volatile, and decency shrinking in our political dialogue. Many on the left continue to say, Mr. is ``not my President.'' And in the past, some on the right have said, Mr. is ``not my President.'' prgtoken Now we have people who think it is comical to be photographed with the depiction of the President's bloodied head. I can only think of real-life intelligence photos I have viewed of innocent men and women shortly after their decapitation at the hands of a terrorist. Escalating America's political discussion to actions like what Ms. Griffin is guilty of undermines our Nation's discourse and weakens the unity of our citizens, and I don't know where it stops. prgtoken I fear we are pulling apart. The left and right should not hate each other. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr asserted: ``Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.'' We must be able to disagree, debate, and then strive together for America. When we pull apart, our Nation weakens and our citizens become more vulnerable. I fear that if we continue down this path, the political wedge will be so ugly it will not be so easily repaired. prgtoken It is this pulling apart that caused us not to pass a defense spending bill on time for almost a decade. Our military leaders have stated we are back to the hollow force of the 1970s due to this congressional malpractice. Our Navy is unable to fly half of their aircraft; the Army only has 3 of their 58 combat brigades fully ready to deploy; and our Air Force pilots fly less hours today than they did during the hollow force years. prgtoken In other words, the partisan rancor has undermined our Nation's defense, and our servicemen and -women are paying for this price in readiness. If North Korea, Russia, or another threat tries to take advantage of our weaknesses, our great warriors will pay for it with their blood. prgtoken I love our country and our representative democracy. We have had our times of extreme divide. At the beginning of our Nation's history, there were very aggressive debates between the followers of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, for example. We saw strife during Andrew Jackson's Presidency, when many of his opponents feared he was going to be America's Napoleon, and we survived those times. prgtoken But let us not forget the bitter acrimony leading up to the 1860s, when we saw physical assaults on the floor of Congress. That divide was only solved after over 600,000 Americans died in the Civil War. prgtoken Let us debate the issues. I have already held five townhalls myself to engage in the essential debates to improve our country, and I will hold more. But when it comes to the vitriol and verbal assaults, let us all take a knee and reflect. prgtoken Ar