mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING CAPTAIN GREG HANSEN
Jimmy Panetta (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-7-10

. Madam , I rise today on behalf of Captain Greg Hansen, who has given over four decades of altruistic and indispensable service to the central coast of California. Working as a firefighter in Aptos, California from 1980, and acting as Fire Captain for Aptos since 1990, Mr. Hansen has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public safety over the course of his prolific career, now ending with his retirement from Fire Captain position. prgtoken Since he began his career as a firefighter in 1977, Mr. Hansen has worked tirelessly to ensure public safety. Not only has Mr. Hansen continued to respond to the public's fire safety issues with bravery and urgency, he has also worked to better the community he serves through education and outreach, such as his provision of CPR training for middle school students. Through this ability to combine efficient public protection with significant public engagement, he has fostered an admirable commitment to public safety in his community and effectively utilized his position as Fire Captain to ensure the wellbeing of his neighbors. Throughout his career, Mr. Hansen's outstanding contributions have earned him many accolades, including the VFW's Firefighter of the Year on three occasions, Man of the Year from the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, California State Assembly, and California State Senate on four occasions, and the Congressional Award from the United States Congress. He was also honored with the National Gold Medal Award as EMT of the Year for directly saving the life of an injured young man. Now, Madam , it is my pleasure to recognize the dedication and incredible service of Greg Hansen. I ask my distinguished colleagues to join in me in thanking him and all that he has done for our community.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-7-10

. Mr. Chair, this is a good amendment, and I would like to mention two measures. prgtoken First, key provisions of my BURMA Act are included, as they were in the last Congress. The Burmese security forces perpetrated genocide against the Rohingya people, and those same forces are continuing to terrify Burma's other ethnic minorities with horrific violence. prgtoken The victims deserve justice, and they deserve our unwavering support. This measure will hold these military officials accountable for their crimes and help support democracy in Burma. prgtoken Next, is my provision to prevent another phony emergency declaration to push through arms sales, as the administration did in late May. prgtoken The administration misused the law and went around Congress to sell more than $8 billion in arms to the Saudis and Emiratis. prgtoken This fix would make sure that an emergency declaration cannot be used if the weapons won't be delivered for more than 3 months, because then there was no emergency in the first place. prgtoken It is a commonsense reform that will protect Congress' role in the arms sale process. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the en bloc. prgtoken I am also honored to join Chairman Smith as a cosponsor of amendment No. 1. The American public deserves to know the impact of our military operations abroad. prgtoken There must be more openness and transparency when tragedy occurs, and civilian casualties are caused by U.S. military action. prgtoken Being open is our moral obligation and the right thing to do, and it also strengthens our security. We are better equipped to tackle our counterterrorism challenges when we have the full confidence of our citizens and our international partners. prgtoken U.S. military operations depend on close relationships with host nations, and we must do everything we can to ensure our partners that we take civilian casualties seriously. prgtoken In the past, the Director of National Intelligence prepared reports on civilian casualties and strikes outside areas of active hostilities. This administration brought that sensible practice to a halt. prgtoken This amendment would restore the DNI's role. Restoring this responsibility is a commonsense step to bring transparency back to our counterterrorism operations, and I urge all of our colleagues to support the amendment as well.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-7-11

. Madam Chair, I think it is important that we clarify prgtoken that in order to have a humane immigration system, we do not require militarization or cruelty to children. prgtoken Asking that children not be caged and asking that human beings' rights--human rights--be respected does not mean ``open borders.'' It means that we be a humane nation that respects our mission as one that guarantees liberty, prosperity, and the pursuit of happiness for all people who live on American soil. prgtoken Madam Chair, .
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
James A. Himes (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-7-11

. Madam Chair, I would like to thank Mr. Smith and Mr. Khanna for their leadership on this amendment and just express my disappointment at the statements made by my friend, Mr. McCaul. prgtoken I never imagined that an amendment that essentially restated congressional authority as detailed in the Constitution would ever get characterized as a propaganda win for Iran, as a pro-Iran thing; and I would remind my friend, Mr. McCaul, that, yes, the President stepped away from a military conflict that might have been justified as an act of self-defense. prgtoken I am not in the practice of praising the President on this floor, but he took a prudent course a few weeks ago. There is absolutely no guarantee he will do so again. prgtoken This amendment does one simple thing. It is not unprecedented. Its precedent is the United States Constitution, which vests war-making authority when it is not in self-defense, as Mr. Smith points out, exclusively in the Congress. Now, we may or may not like that idea, but it is the principle that we swore to uphold. prgtoken And I would just remind the Chamber that, every time we allow a ic or a President to go to war without an authorization in this Chamber, we shirk our constitutional duty. We fail to back our warfighters with the full and robust voice of the United States Government.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2019-7-11

I rise today to honor a great Ohioan and transformational civil rights leader, Marian Spencer. Born in Gallipolis, OH, as the granddaughter of a slave, Spencer honored her grandfather by dedicating her life to fighting for a more equal and inclusive country. Spencer became a member of the NAACP at the young age of 13 and is best known for leading the fight to integrate Coney Island and its swimming pools in the 1950s. prgtoken After graduating from high school, Spencer attended the University of Cincinnati, where she made Cincinnati her adopted home and campaigned to integrate the university's Whites-only college prom. From there, she chaired the education committee of her local NAACP branch and helped raise $30,000 to desegregate Cincinnati Public Schools, before becoming the chapter's first female president in 1981. prgtoken Spencer believed in the power of activism as a means of social change, and her efforts led her to becoming the first African-American woman elected to Cincinnati City Council. Spencer gave a voice to the disenfranchised and underrepresented, and she will be remembered as trailblazer for civil rights, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and the environment. prgtoken We lost Marian Spencer this July, but her legacy will live on for generations. Her leadership and progressive ideas had a profound effect on our city, our State, and our Nation, and her work will remain a source of great pride for Ohioans. I am proud to honor Marian Spencer for her contributions to making our country a little freer and a little more just.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Ted Lieu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-7-11

. Mr. Chair, the gentleman across the aisle has mischaracterized this amendment. prgtoken All of his staff can still travel with him. The President just has to reimburse the cost if it is at his own property, or he can choose to stay at a Ritz Carlton or a Holiday Inn or any other commercial property that he does not own. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-7-11

this isn't an easy subject to deal with, but it cannot be swept under the rug. It is good that the Pentagon has taken steps in recent years to adopt stronger and more responsible policies when it comes to civilian casualties. prgtoken We need to keep pressing forward on this work to make sure we have the best information, to make sure this is a problem taken seriously and being dealt with, and to make sure the United States is behaving responsibly when these tragedies do occur. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I ask for Members to support this measure, and .
Human Rights (Executive Session)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-7-11

America's strength is in our values. In that vein, I rise to talk about human rights and America's historic role as a defender of universal human rights for all peoples. prgtoken I have been a member of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe for many years. It is also known as the Helsinki Commission. The Helsinki Commission is an independent entity that brings together lawmakers and members of the executive branch to represent the United States at the OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which was created to explicitly promote human rights, democracy, and economic, environmental, and military cooperation among its 57 member nations, including the United States and Canada, all the countries of Europe, and the former Soviet Union countries. prgtoken When the Helsinki Final Act was signed in Finland in 1975, it enshrined among its 10 Principles Guiding Relations between Participating States a commitment to ``respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.'' prgtoken Few people have predicted the sweeping, largely unforeseen consequences of the adoption of this document. From this one provision, among the 10 that focus on human rights and fundamental freedoms, there were movements sprung that embraced the Helsinki process as a sword and as a shield. Independent civil societies coalesced around this basic principle and used the followup processes that were set in motion by the Helsinki Final Act to hold their governments' feet to the fire. prgtoken In 1976, Congress established the Helsinki Commission with the mandate to monitor and report on compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and, most importantly, to press successive administrations to make human rights and democracy priorities in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. prgtoken In the subsequent years, Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia, Solidarity in Poland, and Watch Groups in Moscow, in Kyiv, and in Vilnius sprang up to push for the release of political prisoners and to defend the rights of those who wanted nothing more than to worship and to have the freedom to advocate for refuseniks and others who sought to reunite with their families across borders. prgtoken Through what became known as the Helsinki process, Congress and previous administrations supported the rights of Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel, Natan Sharansky, and countless others who emerged as leaders in their supporting of the historic transitions to freedom 30 years ago with the fall of the Iron Curtain, the end of communism, the unification of Germany, and as President proclaimed, a ``Europe whole and free.'' The Helsinki process of monitoring, reporting, advocating, urging, meeting, and witnessing was a catalyst for these historic changes. prgtoken Most importantly, at a time of historic transition, the count
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Seth Moulton (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-7-11

. Madam Chair, colleagues, this vote is about several things. prgtoken It is about war with Iran. The President and John Bolton have manufactured a crisis by withdrawing America from the Iran nuclear deal with no alternative, and Iran has a strategic advantage over us now that they did not have before under the deal. prgtoken This vote is about the Authorization for Use of Military Force passed almost 20 years ago that does not authorize war with Iran. We do not underestimate the Iranian threat. It is real, it is significant, but that does not make going to war now legal or necessary. prgtoken But most of all, this vote is about the Constitution and our duty to uphold it. It is the Commander in Chief's job to strengthen our national security, not weaken it, as he has done, and it is Congress' job to decide when we send young Americans to war. prgtoken The oath that we all took to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States is the same oath, word-for-word, that I took as a Marine officer. prgtoken Our troops are upholding that oath. They are doing their jobs. It is time for us in Congress to do ours.
Nomination of Peter C. Wright (Executive Calendar)
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-7-11

I rise to oppose the nomination of Peter Wright as Assistant Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Land and Emergency Management. prgtoken This position is of enormous consequence to the people of New Jersey, and I refuse to stay silent as the administration stacks Federal agencies charged with protecting our health and our environmental safety with industry insiders and corporate hacks. prgtoken Mr. Wright is a former chemical industry lawyer. If confirmed, he will be charged with overseeing the cleanup of the most toxic waste sites in America through what is known as the Superfund Program. prgtoken New Jersey is home to more Superfund sites than any other State in the Nation. prgtoken For many years, a lack of strong environmental protections and oversight left our communities vulnerable to unsafe, unchecked, unregulated pollution. I am talking about the days before we had an Environmental Protection Agency, before we passed landmark environmental laws, and before we had regulations to protect public health. Back then, big polluters had a blank check to contaminate our air, soil, and water with toxic chemicals. People across America were exposed to pesticides, lead, asbestos, and other toxins through the air they breathed, the rivers they fished, the soil they farmed, and the land they built. It was unhealthy, it was unsustainable, and in many cases, it was downright dangerous. prgtoken Indeed, it was 1980--the same year a chemical waste facility in Elizabeth, NJ, burst into flames and forced an entire community to stay indoors--that Congress passed a law creating the Superfund Program. Today, Superfund is our primary tool for cleaning up the hazardous waste across America. It requires polluters to pay to clean up the sites they have contaminated, and it also funds the cleanup of orphan sites for which the polluters responsible no longer exist. prgtoken The Superfund Program is a promise to our communities--a promise to hold polluters accountable for the damage they have done; a promise to rid our soil and water of toxic chemicals; a promise to transform toxic brownfields into safe, livable, usable land; and a promise to protect the health of today's families and of future generations. prgtoken That promise cannot be kept on its own. We the people must keep that promise. The one way we can do so is by ensuring that leaders who oversee the Superfund Program are willing to stand up to polluters, listen to the best science, and hold big corporations accountable. Nothing in Peter Wright's records suggest he will be that kind of leader. He spent nearly two decades as a lawyer for Dow Chemical--one of the primary polluters for many Superfund sites across the Nation. prgtoken For all the President's talk of draining the swamp, it is just that-- talk. prgtoken Mr. Wright could have been a force for good at Dow. He could have stood up for science and raised standards. He c
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Jason Crow (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2019-7-11

. Madam Chair, I rise today to support this amendment to reassert Congress' constitutional role in authorizing the use of military force. prgtoken As a former Army Ranger, I learned firsthand that when politicians talk tough in this town, real people get hurt. prgtoken It was an honor to serve our country in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I also witnessed the consequences of sending Americans into harm's way without defined goals and a clear exit strategy. prgtoken The most solemn responsibility of Congress is the decision to authorize the use of military force. It is a responsibility that our Founders reserved for Congress because we are directly and daily accountable to those who have to fight our wars: our sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to join me in reasserting Congress' role in deciding when to use military force by voting ``yes'' on this amendment. It is time to fulfill our constitutional duty.
Nomination of Peter C. Wright (Executive Calendar)
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-7-11

I rise in opposition today to the nomination of Peter Wright to serve as the Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Land and Emergency Management. prgtoken I take little joy in opposing the nomination but do so for three reasons. Before I say those three reasons--I stood on this floor right up until the end of the last Congress, trying to get Peter Wright confirmed with a unanimous consent approach, and we failed at the very end. prgtoken The irony of it is, having stood here and tried to get him confirmed at the end of the last Congress and today being in a position in which I am asking for us to postpone, at least for today, his nomination-- there is an irony there, and I don't have the time to go into all of the reasons, but I will mention a few of them. prgtoken In the last Congress, I worked with the EPA to negotiate a set of significant policy concessions that I believe would have allowed the Senate minority to agree to a more expeditious confirmation process for Mr. Wright. prgtoken I worked diligently until the closing of the last Congress--right until the bitter end, if you will--to achieve that objective, as I have done in good faith for other EPA nominees. prgtoken In fact, the very last nominee confirmed in the last Congress was an EPA nominee to head the Agency's Tribal Office, Chad McIntosh. My staff and I and others were very much involved in getting him confirmed. prgtoken In this Congress, EPA has refused to reengage with my office, with our committee staff, or with me on this nomination. The Agency no longer agrees to the policy concessions that I previously secured and to which they had previously committed in the last Congress. While this has been a real disappointment for me, unfortunately, it is hardly a surprise, given the increasingly extreme policy and tone of this EPA. prgtoken Second, EPA, under Mr. Wright's leadership for the past year, has failed to advance an area of policy that is critical to me and to many other Senators, and that is the regulation of PFAS chemicals known as permanent chemicals. Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, known as PFAS, are a class of manmade chemicals that includes something called PFOA, PFOS, prgtoken GenX, and many other chemicals. Developed in the 1940s, PFAS can be found across industries in many products, including food packaging, nonstick pans, clothing, furniture, and firefighting foam used by the military. prgtoken Just this week, said: ``We have the cleanest water we have ever had.'' The President has often made this statement while asserting his commitment to ensure that our drinking water is safe. prgtoken In his confirmation hearing, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said: It is these Americans that President and his Administration are focused on, Americans without access to safe drinking water or Americans living on or near hazardous sites, often unaware of the health risks that t
Affordable Care Act (Executive Calendar)
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2019-7-11

on Tuesday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the Texas v. United States case to overturn the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, although the Affordable Care Act is currently the law of the land, the Department of Justice--our Nation's highest law enforcement authority--was not there to defend the law of the land, the Affordable Care Act. The DOJ was not there because it had been instructed by this President and this administration to join the effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Sadly, the stakes of the Texas v. United States litigation are profound. This year in New Hampshire alone, approximately 90,000 Granite Staters obtained health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion or through the ACA's health insurance marketplaces. Across the country, more than 17 million Medicaid expansion enrollees and 11 million people in the marketplaces' health plans depend on the Affordable Care Act for their coverage. Yet the Department of Justice refuses to defend them. It refuses to defend the law of the land in court. prgtoken In this case, if the courts side with the administration and the attorneys general, millions of these people will return to the days when they were one cancer diagnosis, one medical complication, or one car accident away from medical bankruptcy. prgtoken The Affordable Care Act's coverage expansion is also our most powerful tool in combating the opioid epidemic. This is critically important in New Hampshire as we have the third highest overdose death rate from opioids of any State in the country. In New Hampshire, more than 11,000 people receive substance use disorder treatment thanks to the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, and many more Granite Staters are able to get substance use disorder treatment thanks to coverage obtained through the ACA's health insurance marketplaces. prgtoken Just think. Without the expansion of Medicaid, which is a bipartisan effort in New Hampshire, and without the ACA's health insurance marketplaces, we would have thousands of people affected by substance use disorders who would not be able to get treatment. There is no plan B if the Affordable Care Act is overturned. prgtoken In 2017, a mother named Nansie, from Concord, wrote to my office. I will not use her last name. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record Nansie's 2017 letter.