mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CLOTURE MOTION
Mitt Romney (Republican, UT) \u2014 2019-6-27

I will reassert the same thing I just heard from the minority leader. I appreciate his words. prgtoken This amendment would reaffirm a basic principle. The United States has the right to defend itself and our citizens when attacked. It asserts what has always been a bedrock constitutional principle. This is not an AUMF. It is not an authorization for the use of military force. prgtoken Passing my amendment today would send a strong signal to our adversaries that we will defend ourselves if our interests, our people, our military, our allies are threatened and attacked. prgtoken My amendment is something that I believe everyone in this body can and should support.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 3401, EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND SECURITY AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER ACT, 2019
Paul Mitchell (Republican, MI) \u2014 2019-6-27

. Madam , it is nice to know that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle now recognize it as a crisis. prgtoken The President asked 58 days ago for a supplemental appropriation to deal with this issue. It was ignored. We have tried 18 times to bring up a bill on the floor to deal with supplemental appropriations for humanitarian aid at the border, and it was ignored. prgtoken My friends on the other side of the aisle said they want to improve the bill. They want to ignore the fact that the Senate took up the House bill and overwhelmingly rejected it on a bipartisan basis. prgtoken Then they passed a bipartisan bill 84-8, which doesn't happen over there very often. We have gone through a list of those who voted in favor, including Senator Schumer and Senator Durbin, yet somehow the House wants to ignore it. At least the majority in the House want to ignore it. prgtoken How they want to improve the bill, you may ask? Well, let's start by simply reducing or eliminating border security, that appears to be optional to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. They want to take a hatchet to ICE. These are law enforcement personnel. prgtoken My son is a police officer. He puts on a vest every day. If you told me we were going to withhold payroll or overtime when they are doing the job, I would be offended, I would be disgusted, and I am, at this moment in time. prgtoken Let me ask how many over there would put on a vest, go out and do the job, and then hear, we may or may not pay you? Do I see any hands raised? I doubt it. prgtoken Law enforcement is struggling to do a job, an extraordinarily tough job, and we want to make it harder. So let me suggest, as the UC request was made, that we take up the bill that was passed by the Senate and we pass it. prgtoken And I ask for your attention over there, sir, unless, of course, you decided that policy is being made by a fragment of your conference, unless you decided that you are going to turn over the gavel to a fragment of your conference to make decisions for you, which may well appear to be the case. But let's be honest to the American people and tell them that a fragment, a small portion, of your conference is now functioning as a of the House.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 3401, EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND SECURITY AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER ACT, 2019
Rob Woodall (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-6-27

. Madam , I think folks are going to have a tough time containing their emotions today. We met in the House Rules Committee at 8 a.m. this morning, and folks already had fuses that were running short. prgtoken I agree with my friend from Massachusetts, enough is enough. prgtoken We had an amendment offered in the Rules Committee this morning. I don't think most folks in this body know because folks weren't at the Rules Committee this morning. We had an amendment offered in the Rules Committee this morning that said, if the gentleman wants to do this new bill that has been crafted by the ic majority, bring that new bill to the floor, but let's at least consider the bipartisan bill that passed the Senate, resoundingly, 84-8 yesterday. prgtoken I agree with my friend from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), enough is enough, Madam . We could send a bill to the White House today to start the money going today. prgtoken My friend from Massachusetts said: Let the s talk if they want to. We want to talk about the children. prgtoken I am tired of talking about the children. Let's serve the children. Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's stop talking about it. prgtoken It has been almost 60 days that we have been talking about it, with one tragic picture after another rolling across the national headlines. Let's stop talking about it. prgtoken If folks have an alternative view, they can share alternative view as they have, but allow us to vote on what the Senate agreed, 84-8, after roundly rejecting the previously passed House language, was an opportunity to serve the children today. prgtoken Madam , I don't believe the Members of this institution know what happened in the Rules Committee this morning. I don't believe the Members of this institution know we rejected that bipartisan opportunity this morning. With this, under a point of order, we will bring the Members of this institution down here to the House floor where they will hear it themselves. prgtoken We have an opportunity to act now, as my friend from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) has offered. The question is: Are we going to take ``yes'' for an answer or are we just going to continue to talk about the children? prgtoken Madam , .
FISCAL CHALLENGES
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-6-27

I sit here every Thursday from 3 o'clock to 6 o'clock and hear several speeches that are made. I happen to sit on the Budget Committee with Chairman Enzi. I hope everyone listened carefully to what he just said. The Comptroller General was in yesterday. prgtoken One of the reasons I ran for Senate is that being a Main Street entrepreneur from Indiana, you never could have gotten by with the way this place runs its business. The Federal Government is somewhere around six to seven times the size of Walmart and runs its business by the seat of its pants, in the sense that we have not done a budget that we have appropriated in nearly 20 years. prgtoken If you listened closely, you know we have some hard deadlines. The chairman referred to it as cliffs. Well, sometimes that is so figurative that you don't believe it is going to happen or that it is going to be real. These are things we are going to have to contend with. prgtoken When the Medicare fund is depleted fully in 2026, benefits get cut immediately. Social Security is farther down the trail, and there are going to be all kinds of issues. We are lucky, currently, that other countries and our own citizens will lend us money when we run trillion- dollar deficits routinely. prgtoken He mentioned the ``Penny Plan.'' In any business, if you were charged with fixing your company's problems by cutting back by either freezing expenses by a 1-percent cut or a 2-percent cut, that would be done easily because you have hard accountability. If you would perform in a business or a State government like we do here, I can guarantee you there wouldn't be a lender that would let you perpetuate and keep doing it. The fact that we have a credit card that we can put it on year after year eliminates the accountability that you have anywhere else. prgtoken I was on a school board for 10 years. I was in State government in Indiana, where we always have a cash balance and operate in the black and have a balanced budget. Even though we do that so routinely there, we passed a balanced budget amendment to our State constitution simply because government, even in a place like Indiana, oftentimes views how they spend the people's money different, and this place does it worse than any other place in the country. prgtoken So do we want to get to the point where we deplete the Medicare trust fund and where we run out of funds to pay pensioners or do we want to make the hard decisions? prgtoken It is funny. When I got here, I looked at the budget process. Budgets, even though they are not adhered to, might be a resolution, and it is not the law. Always, even if they do incorporate savings, you never see it until year 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Well, again, in the real world, if you are running at a 20-percent loss on your P&L, you do not have the luxury to wait 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 years to fix it. prgtoken I ask the American public to hold their Senators accountable and their congressmen,
SECURING AMERICA'S FEDERAL ELECTIONS ACT
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-6-27

. Madam , as much time as I might consume. prgtoken Madam , I agree with my good friend from Maryland. We as s and need to do the patriotic thing and make sure that our elections are protected. prgtoken And I do agree that the Russians tried to interfere in our election process with misinformation campaigns. But I also want to ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, if their concentration on election security happened the day after the 2016 election, why in the world didn't the administration who was in the White House at the time when the intelligence analysts were talking about how other foreign entities, including Russia, were wanting to interfere in our elections, why didn't they do something about it? prgtoken Why are we here today? prgtoken Why didn't it happen before the 2016 election, when our intelligence analysts said nefarious activity was moving against the United States of America? prgtoken They did nothing. The administration did nothing. They let it go. prgtoken Now we are here watching the new majority that was elected in 2018, after explosive turnout in our midterm elections, their first bill, H.R. 1, that every member of the ic majority cosponsored and supported, that is the solution? prgtoken The solution is to add millions of taxpayer dollars and then the first ever corporate dollars into their own congressional campaign accounts? prgtoken No one has ever said that is the solution to too much money in politics or prgtoken to election security. Not one time have I had a constituent say that to me. prgtoken Now, we have got to come together and do what is right. prgtoken We have yet to address any of the issues that were laid out in the Mueller report. This bill we are debating today does not address any of them. This is a discussion about what happened in 2016 without a discussion of what is needed in our States and local election authorities. prgtoken That is what is wrong with this bill, too. It is hypocrisy at its greatest. prgtoken Madam , .
IRAN
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-6-27

I am going to try to do this in about 12 minutes, since I am not sure how many people are left to speak tonight and I know the staff worked hard and we will be up early tomorrow voting on the pending Udall amendment. That is what I want to talk about. prgtoken I have watched all week the debate on some of these topics. I think it is a really good debate, actually. In some ways, I am very pleased the amendment has been offered because it has given us an opportunity to talk about a topic I don't think we have talked enough about; that is, foreign policy, the security threats before our country, and, in particular, what the role of Congress is in all of this. prgtoken There are a couple of things I want to say at the outset. Here is the first. A lot of people who cover this stuff in the news like very simplistic terms. It makes it easier to write the articles and makes it easier to describe the circumstances. The terms people like to use are ``hawk,'' or ``dove,'' or ``warlike.'' I am not in favor of war. I have actually never advocated for a military attack on Iran, in these circumstances especially. There are a lot of reasons for it, but it will take me more than 15 minutes to explain it all. Suffice it to say, it is certainly not the first or the second. prgtoken The policy of the United States in Iran today is the one I support; that is, crippling economic sanctions that deny them the money to do the bad things they do but also a forced posture that we are prepared with enough people there in the military, so if they do attack us, we can defend ourselves. prgtoken I want to say at the outset that I am not here today to speak in favor of war or to call for war but to speak about reality and the situation as we face it today. prgtoken The second thing I want to point to is there is this notion out there that there is some clear-cut constitutional limitation on the President when it comes to the use of force in virtually every circumstance and that somehow the current President is being enabled by the Members of his party here to do whatever he wants. That is just not true. I will explain why in a moment. prgtoken I want to begin with why we are even here. It is one of the topics that has been touched on this week, which I think deserves a direct response. I heard a number of Senators who came to the floor. I watched the debate last night, and there will be another one tonight within the ic Party. You almost get a sense that what they are arguing is that Iran was under control and wasn't doing anything wrong until came along and pulled us out of the Iran deal. That is just not true. That is patently false. prgtoken The only thing Iran wasn't doing is enriching uranium beyond a certain threshold. That is not necessarily a bad thing that they weren't doing it, but that is the only thing that deal covered. prgtoken Here is what Iran was still doing. Iran was still sponsors terrorism
SECURING AMERICA'S FEDERAL ELECTIONS ACT
James R. Baird (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-6-27

. Madam , I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding me time. prgtoken Madam , keeping our elections safe from cyberattacks and fraud is not and should not be a partisan priority. prgtoken H.R. 2722 has been rushed to the House floor without giving the Science, Space, and Technology Committee the opportunity to hold even a single hearing on the bill or the subject matter. prgtoken The problem with rushing this bill through Congress is that it will have a significant negative impact on NIST's ability to work with State and local governments to identify standards and best practices for election security. prgtoken Our priority in Congress should be to develop useful tools that empower States and local officials to ensure their elections are secure, accessible, and accurate. prgtoken In fact, our secretary of state in Indiana, Ms. Connie Lawson, has done a remarkable job leading the effort to add safeguards to our elections process, ensuring it is completed with integrity. prgtoken Given the opportunity, I believe that our committee could come to an agreement, in a bipartisan manner, to update NIST's election and security activities. prgtoken Congress should focus on legislation that provides much-needed improvements and reinforcements for local officials without overstepping the States' authority to maintain their elections. prgtoken Madam , because of the lack of following regular order, the committee has never been given the opportunity to ensure those issues are addressed.
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 386
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2019-6-27

I approach with great sadness and disappointment the response just brought about by my distinguished colleague, my friend, the junior Senator from Kentucky. I have a great deal of respect for him. The fact that he and I have worked on so many issues side by side together in order to improve government makes this not easier but makes it more difficult. prgtoken The reforms to which my distinguished colleague, the junior Senator from Kentucky, refers are themselves born of a genuine desire to improve our immigration system. But, alas, the reforms he has proposed are not, in my view, compatible with the scope of this bill, nor are they compatible with something that can reasonably pass through this body. That is one of the reasons I have introduced the legislation as I have. prgtoken I worked on this nearly the entirety of the 8\1/2\ half years I have had the opportunity and great privilege to serve the people of Utah in the Senate. This is by far the closest we have ever come to having a deal, and we achieved that deal by keeping this bill focused on the very things this legislation deals with. prgtoken The suggestions that Senator Paul has made, while born of great concern for our country and a noble degree of commitment to serving the people of his State, are not themselves compatible with the scope of this legislation, nor are they compatible with what would likely be passed by this body. prgtoken We have an opportunity right now to pass this. This could pass this body right now. I find it greatly disappointing that my colleague and my friend has chosen not to allow this to pass this body today. This is something that could and should and otherwise would pass this body today without that objection. prgtoken I would respectfully but with all the urgency I am capable of communicating implore my colleague, the distinguished Senator from Kentucky, to reconsider his objection and allow this to pass. prgtoken . prgtoken .
CLOTURE MOTION
John Hoeven (Republican, ND) \u2014 2019-6-27

I rise to speak on the importance of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 legislation that authorizes $750 billion for defense, consistent with the administration's budget request and the National Defense Strategy Commission report. prgtoken The NDAA is a critical piece of legislation. It supports our Armed Forces, our men and women in uniform, and provides for the defense of our Nation. Among its notable provisions, the bill supports a 3.1- percent pay increase for the members of our armed services, the largest in nearly a decade and very much deserved by the men and women in uniform who protect us. prgtoken It establishes a Space Force and ensures that America retains its leadership in this critical domain. It opens the way for significant investments in new weapons systems, such as hypersonic missiles and directed energy weapons along with missile defense and cyber security capabilities. It also responds to concerns about family housing across the Department of Defense. prgtoken Importantly, the bill continues to provide for the modernization of our nuclear forces. This legislation fully authorizes fiscal year 2020 spending on our nuclear deterrent, including support for all three legs of the Nation's nuclear triad. It also fully authorizes the warhead life extension programs at the Department of Energy. prgtoken I want to highlight a couple of amendments I worked on and are included in the legislation relative to modernizing our nuclear triad. One of the amendments that has been included requires that the Air Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration report to Congress on the development of the next intercontinental ballistic missile and the W87-1, which is a modified warhead that will be placed on the new ICBM for decades to come. prgtoken It is vital that the Air Force's missile development program, known as the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, GBSD, be synchronized with the W87-1 warhead so that a decade from now, we have a complete new weapons system that is ready for deployment. My amendment will help ensure that the deployment will happen on schedule and avoid unnecessary delays in that development. prgtoken The other amendment highlights the importance of our Nation's ICBM force and demonstrates how ICBMs enhance deterrence as a part of the triad. ICBMs provide the most prompt and most dispersed segment of our nuclear forces, and they magnify the deterrent power of our nuclear triad. prgtoken I commend my colleagues for their support of these amendments, which is a strong statement of the continuing importance of the ICBM and the need to ensure that it is modernized along with the rest of our nuclear forces in order to keep us safe. prgtoken The bill is also critically important for military activities in my home State of North Dakota. Specifically, we worked to secure a number of provisions to support the missions at the Minot Air Force Base, which
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 3401, EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND SECURITY AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER ACT, 2019
Steve Womack (Republican, AR) \u2014 2019-6-27

. Madam , I thank my friend from Oklahoma for leading in this discussion. prgtoken Madam , I rise in support of the question on consideration. We should be taking up the Senate-passed bill. It has already been mentioned that it passed 84-8. prgtoken We don't have a CBO score for the changes made by the House amendments to the bill, and without a CBO score, we don't know the cost this bill would have on State and local governments. prgtoken Yesterday, in a budget hearing on matters of immigration, we heard testimony from the mayor of Yuma, Arizona, which clearly demonstrates the economic impacts and costs that States and local governments are incurring due to the crisis at the border. prgtoken My friends just said changes made by the House on this Senate-passed bill take tens of millions of dollars away from the Department of Defense for reimbursement and limit the ability of Customs and Border Patrol to adequately pay for the services incurred as a result of this ongoing crisis. prgtoken Madam , have had many opportunities to advance bipartisan solutions that would provide the kind of relief to these communities and begin to address the crisis at the border, and for nearly 2 months, they have refused to act. prgtoken This week has been an unfortunate loss of precious time. This is a situation where Congress clearly needs to come together and act swiftly. I am sorry to say, we are falling short in this basic obligation of the duties of the Congress of the United States of America. prgtoken Madam , again, I rise in support of the question that we have under consideration.