mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Prescription Drug Costs (Executive Session)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-6-19

I rise to talk about something I have talked about many times on the floor and to reiterate over and over again that healthcare isn't political; it is personal. It is personal for people in Michigan. It is personal for every person, every child, and every family all across our country. prgtoken It affects each of us, regardless of our political affiliation or the State we live in or what kind of car we drive. Hopefully, you are driving a car made in Michigan. prgtoken At some point, just about all of us will need to take at least one prescription medication in our lifetime. The question is, Will we be able to afford it? prgtoken Brian Hose knows this struggle very well. He owns Sharpsburg Pharmacy, an independent drugstore in Sharpsburg, MD. He joined me and some of prgtoken my ic colleagues at a press conference last week on the rising cost of prescription drugs. prgtoken As a pharmacist, Dr. Hose works hard every day to make sure the customers he has have access to the medications they need to stay healthy and, in many cases, to stay alive. prgtoken However, that task keeps getting harder and harder. Between 2008 and 2016, prices on the most popular brand-name drugs rose 208 percent--208 percent during that timeframe. Dr. Hose's customers didn't see their incomes rise 208 percent during that same time. Certainly people in Michigan didn't see their incomes rise 208 percent during that same timeframe. prgtoken According to AARP, the average price of brand-name drugs that seniors often take rose at four times the rate of inflation in just 1 year-- four times the rate of inflation in 2017 alone. That is unsustainable for people. prgtoken Dr. Hose's most vulnerable customers are seniors, of course, especially those who live on Social Security. As the price of medications keeps going up and up, Dr. Hose's customers find it harder and harder to pay for the medications they need. prgtoken Dr. Hose said this: ``In no way is the current system looking out for the best interests of the patient, who ultimately needs to buy their medications to stay alive.'' Just ask anyone who takes insulin. Insulin is not a new drug. In fact, it has been around since 1922--almost 100 years--when Canadian scientists treated the first diabetic patient. Those scientists sold the patent to the University of Toronto for three Canadian dollars. They said they didn't believe they should make money off of something that was so important to people's lives. Imagine. They knew how important their discovery was and how many lives would be saved. But somewhere between 1922 and 2019, insulin has become less about saving lives and more about making money. In fact, over the past 15 years, insulin prices have tripled, putting people's health and lives at risk. prgtoken Last summer, I met Nicole Smith-Holt, who lives in Richfield, MN. She came to Washington, DC, to testify during a hearing on prescription drug prices. Her son, Alec, wa
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
David E. Price (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Mr. Chair, I thank our committee chair, and I am happy to rise in strong support of the section of this bill with which I have had the most to do--namely, appropriating for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development for the next fiscal year. It will make vital investments on behalf of the American people. prgtoken I thank my partner, Mario Diaz-Balart, who formerly was chairman of this subcommittee, for his continuing cooperation and his collaborative approach. prgtoken Of course, I also want to express appreciation for our full committee chair, Mrs. Lowey, and for our ranking member, Ms. Granger, for their cooperative approach to the kind of collaboration that inevitably must go into these appropriations bills. prgtoken I am pleased to report also that, in serving the interests of Members of this body, we were able to accommodate 90 percent of the Member requests from both sides of the aisle. prgtoken Division E of the measure is what we are talking about, and that is the so-called T-HUD section. It seriously invests in America's infrastructure. It makes transportation and housing safer. It demonstrates our commitment to the most vulnerable among us. It mitigates and responds to the impacts of climate change. prgtoken Our bill includes $75.8 billion in discretionary funding. That is an increase of $4.7 billion over the 2019-enacted level and a $17.3 billion increase above the President's totally inadequate budget request. prgtoken Mr. Chair, our Nation is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. This bill dedicates new resources to address it. Section 8 vouchers, for example, are fully renewed. We increased funding for the HOME Program by $500 million and provide the Community Development Block Grant program with $300 million above last year's level. The HOME funding alone translates into more than 30,000 additional units of affordable housing. prgtoken Our renewed focus on housing and community development does not come at the expense of vital transportation programs. On the contrary, the bill includes $1 billion for BUILD grants, formerly called TIGER grants. prgtoken We provide more than $3 billion in additional discretionary resources above the FAST Act authorization for highways, transit, and aviation projects. This funding will benefit every State and territory in the Nation. We also robustly fund Amtrak, competitive rail grant programs, and port and maritime infrastructure. prgtoken Along with these investments, our bill reflects a renewed commitment to safety. A diverse list of hazards, including rising accident rates on our Nation's highways, the high-profile MAX 8 airline crashes, and lead and carbon monoxide hazards in federally assisted housing, requires us to redouble our efforts. We do that in this bill by providing new resources at several points to meet these problems head- on. prgtoken We also prioritize assistance for vulnerable populations. Nearly $240 million is
RECOGNIZING HONDA MANUFACTURING
Greg Pence (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-6-19

I want to recognize Hoosiers who are answering the call to serve. The Sixth District of Indiana has an outstanding history in our Nation's Armed Forces. prgtoken Today, we take a minute to recognize a few young men and women from the Sixth District who are continuing that tradition of service. prgtoken This year, the Sixth District of Indiana will be sending 10 students to the military academies across the country. prgtoken Noah Algee of Columbus, Christian Hunt of Yorktown, Zachary Kuhn of Shelbyville, and Caroline Swenson of Columbus will be attending West Point Military Academy. prgtoken Finn Anderson of Columbus, Nathan Dickman of Richmond, and Sam Russell of Columbus will be attending the Naval Academy. prgtoken Sam Horak of Columbus, Michael McGaha of Hope, and Emma Smith of Columbus will be attending the Air Force Academy. prgtoken Congratulations to these 10 young Hoosiers who make all of us proud. I thank them for choosing a path of service to our country. Biodiesel Tax Credit Helps Hoosiers
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Tim Walberg (Republican, MI) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam Chair, I appreciate the comments of my good friend and colleague from Alabama. We are not attempting to take away civil asset forfeiture as a tool. We are simply saying that due process ought to be carried out in every part of our judicial process and our law enforcement process. prgtoken We are talking about people here--for instance, Terry Dekho, who was informed by his insurance company that they would not insure any assets at his grocery beyond $10,000. Each day, he took in his $10,000 or less, whatever it was, and it made a pattern. Ultimately, $35,000 of his hard-earned assets were frozen. For a small grocer, $35,000 is life or death for his business. prgtoken All we are asking is for due process to be followed. Attorney General Holder, I think, saw the error of our ways when he reversed and made revisions that, ultimately, Attorney General Sessions reversed as well. prgtoken I think we need to go back. We still have the opportunity to use the process but use it with due process. That is all I ask. prgtoken Madam Chair, .
HONORING THE HONORABLE GERALD ``JERRY'' A. WORTH FOR HIS 41 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE NORTH COUNTRY AS JUSTICE FOR THE TOWN OF WILTON
Elise M. Stefanik (Republican, NY) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam , I rise today in recognition of the Honorable Gerald A. Worth on his retirement as Justice of the Town of Wilton. prgtoken Justice Worth comes from a strong tradition of service to the North Country with both of his parents serving as Justices of the Town of Wilton. His father, the Honorable Wesley Worth, served from 1945 until 1973, and his mother, the Honorable Lillian Worth, served from 1973 until 1976. Justice Worth took up that mantle in 1978 and has dutifully served his community since that day. prgtoken Justice Worth has served his country and community in a variety of capacities over the course of his career. Prior to his tenure as Justice, he served the North Country as President of Saratoga County's Magistrates, spent time in the Department of Transportation, and served in the National Guard. prgtoken After so many decades of service to our community and our country, Justice Worth deserves nothing less than our deepest gratitude. It is the honor of a lifetime and truly humbling to serve such incredible North Country residents here in Congress. After retirement, Justice Worth is looking forward to time with his family; including his three daughters, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. On behalf of New York's 21st Congressional District, I want to thank the Honorable Gerald A. Worth for his service to our community and wish him all the happiness in the world as he begins this next chapter.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3055, COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020; RELATING TO CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2740, DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN...
David Kustoff (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam , I rise today to express my profound frustration with the majority on the Rules Committee. I am disappointed that the majority has chosen to cut members out of the process. prgtoken I worked with colleagues across the aisle to introduce a bipartisan amendment to address the epidemic of Asian carp infestation in the Mississippi River and its tributaries. This invasive species has invaded the Tennessee and Cumberland River basins and continues to threaten our rural economies and native fisheries that thrive off of the recreational and sporting industries. prgtoken Without a doubt, it is a major problem in my home State of Tennessee, as well as Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi. If these States continue to get cut out of the process, the problem will only get worse. prgtoken I want to thank Members from both sides of the aisle who fought hard for this amendment, only to have it thrown out at the last minute. We deserve the opportunity to have the concerns of our constituents heard and addressed, but unfortunately, the process is broken. prgtoken I thank the gentleman for yielding time.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Bill Posey (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam Chair, I ask my colleagues to join Congresswoman Wilson and I in supporting this bipartisan amendment and cosponsoring H. Res. 443. prgtoken I would like to thank Congresswoman Wilson for her working with me on this issue, and many other space-related issues, and I would also like to thank her staffer, Jean Roseme and our own John Schweikert for their help in moving this forward. prgtoken .
RECOGNIZING HARRY PFISTER AND MANNA ON MAIN STREET
Brian K. Fitzpatrick (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam , I rise today to recognize an outstanding citizen from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, who is working tirelessly to make our community a better place. prgtoken Master Harry Pfister, a 7th Degree Black Belt who serves as Vice President of Villari's Pennsylvania and Owner and Chief Instructor at Villari's of Chalfont, has been using his karate expertise as a way to assist a nonprofit organization in Lansdale. Since the 1990s, Master Pfister has hosted a ``Kick-A-Thon,'' which to date has raised over $100,000 for Manna on Main Street. This year, $10,500 was raised. prgtoken I applaud Master Pfister for his work, and appreciate the commitment of Manna on Main Street to ending food insecurity in the North Penn region.
TRIBUTE TO KAYLA PATTON
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-6-19

today I recognize Kayla Patton, the DeSoto County Teacher of the Year from West Elementary School in Arcadia City, FL. prgtoken Kayla says that the most challenging part of teaching is finding creative ways to motivate the uninterested students. However, this can lead to the most rewarding part of her job: watching a student realize they are able to do the work. Kayla implements a unique technique in her fourth grade writing class. She asks her students to translate what they see into words and then compose the visual objects into an essay. prgtoken Maintaining perseverance, self-criticism, innovation, and orderliness in work are Kayla's keys to success. She says that channeling her student's energy is what takes them from average to great. prgtoken I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Kayla for her dedication to her students and look forward to hearing of her continued good work in the coming years.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam Chairwoman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam Chairwoman, this amendment is about preventing harm to communities and supporting local control. The Youth PROMISE program was enacted as a part of the broader and very bipartisan Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act reauthorization. prgtoken These reforms were focused on giving States and local authorities the ability to help prevent delinquency and put these young people on a path to success. Delinquency prevention is the key to helping local communities thrive, and the Youth PROMISE program will be a critical tool in their work. prgtoken I particularly like this program because it is not a one-size-fits- all approach, as Washington so often wants to do. Rather, this program is a complete toolbox of options for State and local officials to determine what is needed to help them address the problems they may be facing, or, even better, help young people before there is real trouble. That is what prevention is all about. prgtoken I also like this program because it is the essence of true bipartisanship, and it was the authorizing committee coming together to evaluate the need, consider the evidence, and develop a better plan to help people in need. prgtoken I should not be surprised, but I was when I saw the Appropriations Committee continued to fund their projects rather than building off of the hard, bipartisan work of the authorizing committee. If we want Washington to work, we need to start by having the appropriators work more closely with the authorizers. prgtoken While this amendment will not address all of these issues, it is a start. These funds will help make this a program that we will be able to assess and, hopefully, see some real success. prgtoken I was pleased Mr. Scott and I were able to come to an agreement on positive reforms that will help young people in all of our communities last Congress, and I appreciate working with him now on this continued priority for our committee. I urge support of the amendment.
VA MISSION Act (Executive Session)
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2019-6-19

I am pleased to join my colleagues today to show our continued support for improvements to the VA Community Care Programs. Last year, under the leadership of Senate VA Committee Chairman Isakson and Ranking Member Tester, we passed the VA MISSION Act so veterans would have access to healthcare and services in their own communities. prgtoken I was proud to support this landmark legislation that improves how VA delivers healthcare. Earlier this month, the VA rolled out the Veterans Community Care Program. The VA MISSION Act offers veterans more options to better support their needs no matter where they live. This allows a veteran and his or her doctor to decide where it is best for the veteran patient to receive care, taking into consideration the veteran's healthcare needs and the availability and location of both VA and community care. prgtoken For veterans who live in a rural State like Arkansas, this is especially good news. Arkansas veterans can be proud of the VA facilities in our State. The VA hospitals in Little Rock and Fayetteville and those in neighboring States provide quality care and service for our veteran population. The challenge is, these are located in more urban areas. prgtoken The community-based outpatient clinics, known as CBOCs, make healthcare more accessible to veterans in rural areas, but if a veteran needs more advanced care than a CBOC can provide, it can mean a full- day trip to the nearest VA Hospital. The reforms to community care will allow more veterans to avoid that extended travel time and enable them to receive quality care within their own community. prgtoken This program expands access to more local doctors and urgent care within the VA's contracted network. Our Nation's veterans were promised access to healthcare for their service and sacrifice. The program continues our work to uphold that pledge. prgtoken The VA MISSION Act improves the VA's ability to hire high-quality healthcare professionals, expands VA caregiver benefits to veterans of all generations, and creates a process to evaluate and reform VA facilities so they can best serve veterans. prgtoken It is evident that under Secretary Wilkie's leadership, his team has been focused on executing a complete plan to implement this program and minimize any negative consequences our veterans might face as we transition to the new and updated Community Care Program. prgtoken The VA has been proactive in educating veterans about the reforms and eligibility requirements with a variety of sources of information about criteria for the new community care. prgtoken The Department has provided training to VA employees across the country on the updated criteria. Its initial outreach included talking to healthcare providers also about the changes. prgtoken There are still parts of the VA MISSION Act that have not yet been enacted, but so far, I am pleased with the rollout. My colleagues and I on the Senate VA Committee
CONSIDERATION OF SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NOS. 27 to 48 EN BLOC
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-6-19

very much. I want to associate myself with the remarks of my distinguished Senator from New Jersey. I thank him also for the cooperation he has shown in getting us a little further down the road on the Saudi Arabia bill. prgtoken The issues regarding this longtime ally of the United States are troubling. I don't think there is anyone on this floor who is adverse to the idea that action needs to be taken. Obviously, the relationship is not the same as it has been for a long time. Having said that, on a transactional basis, there are a number of things we are allied with Saudi Arabia on. prgtoken Also, having said that, some of the things that have happened cannot go unnoticed. There are certainly going to have to be repercussions, and we have been negotiating with all parties, including my staff and the staff of the ranking member, together with the State Department and with the White House. I think we are very close to having a bill that could actually pass the Senate, pass the House, and be signed into law by the President. I think this is a real step forward; I think it is progress on this issue; and I think the structure we have put together is in the best interests of all parties. prgtoken So I agree with my friend from New Jersey. prgtoken .
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Steve King (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to take up amendment No. 9. What it does is, it addresses the circumstances of the underlying bill and strikes lines 14 through 18. prgtoken Lines 14 through 18, the effect of that language is that it prohibits the U.S. Census from asking the question as to whether a respondent to the Census is a citizen of the United States. prgtoken There are people who have political reasons to want to prohibit asking that question, but this great Nation of the United States of America has an obligation to know what percentage of the people within the United States, all of whom will be counted in this Census--the qualifier to be counted in the Census of the United States is be a Homo sapien, and that is all. prgtoken So we have several categories: We have categories of U.S. citizens who need to be counted; we have categories of lawful permanent residents who need to be counted; we have categories of visa holders who will be counted; and we have illegal aliens who also will be counted. prgtoken I wanted our Commerce Secretary to go further and to count each of these categories separately and ask the question: If you are a citizen, say so; if you are a noncitizen, but you are lawfully present in America, tell us by what legal authority you are; and if you are unlawfully present, give us that answer, too, so we can look at the whole cross section of the 30 million Americans that we are and understand the configuration of our people. prgtoken Our Founding Fathers called for a mandatory Census at the end of every 10 years for the purpose of reapportionment and redistricting; and so it has been so very important that, for redistricting purposes, when we count the American people, we know what categories they fit in. prgtoken The Commerce Department has dialed this down from the bill that I introduced, and they simply asked to separate the difference between U.S. citizens and noncitizens, which puts illegal aliens and other visa holders in the same category. prgtoken I think we should go further, but all we are going to get is citizen or noncitizen, and that is what the Commerce Department has called for. prgtoken The legitimacy of that question is important, and it is important that we understand that the voices in this Congress be the voices of American citizens, not the voices of illegal aliens. prgtoken There was a study that was done two Censuses ago that showed that six congressional districts in California, theoretically, could have been represented by all illegal aliens. So that diminishes and dilutes the votes and the representation of American citizens. prgtoken Furthermore, when electoral votes are cast for the votes of President of the United States, those electoral votes are added up. They also total illegal aliens in the United States of America. prgtoken So, for this, I bring this amendment to correct this language, which is in the underlying bill, and assure that we count citizens