mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
The Green New Deal (Executive Session)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-3-26

I will speak very briefly. prgtoken Rhode Island is a coastal State, and we are now looking at maps that our coastal agency, the local university, and the scientists at NOAA tell us will create a new face of Rhode Island in the decades ahead if we don't address climate change. We turn into an archipelago. We lose enormous amounts of waterfront, and as a small State, frankly, we don't have a lot to give back to the ocean. This is deadly serious for us. prgtoken I join in my colleague's sense of offense that the other side thinks this is something funny. This is not funny for Rhode Islanders; this is deadly real. You may disagree with us, but the one thing that, I think, we are owed on this subject is sincerity, but there is nothing sincere about the vote that is going to be held on the Green New Deal. prgtoken This is a vote that will be based on a cartoon version of the Green New Deal that was cooked up by the Koch brothers, who have their oily hands all over this mess, and it was instructed by the fossil fuel mouthpiece of the Wall Street Journal's editorial page. It took only days for the majority leader to hop up and do the bidding of these farces. prgtoken We are owed better than this. If you disagree with our measures, fine. Have one of your own. We have five or six different bills and strategies that we are willing to work on. This is the time to be serious, to be sincere, and to quit mocking a concern that across the board is recognized as real. In fact, there is not a here who can't go to his home State university and be told about the truth of climate change. prgtoken .
The Green New Deal (Executive Session)
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-3-26

this afternoon, the leader is bringing the Green New Deal resolution up for a vote on the floor of the Senate. What the leader, however, is not doing is allowing us to have any hearings, any witnesses, any science, any evidence of the massive destruction in our country. prgtoken Just from fires and flooding over the last 2 years, there has been $400 billion worth of damage. None of that will ever be heard out here. None of it was heard in a committee because the leader is making a sham of this process. This is not the serious process this incredible issue deserves. The United Nations has made it clear that climate change is now an existential threat to our country and to the planet. prgtoken Notwithstanding the incredible damage that is being done to our planet, the s' concern is that the Green New Deal is an existential threat to the Koch brothers, to ExxonMobil, and to all of those polluting companies that do not want to end business as usual. The leader does not want a hearing at which we will learn that we now have 350,000 people who are in the wind and solar industries and that we have 350,000 blue-collar jobs--electricians, roofers, steelworkers--in our country. The Green New Deal would supercharge that even more to our having millions of clean energy jobs in our country. prgtoken We can save all of creation by engaging in massive job creation, which is the core of the Green New Deal, and we can do it in a way that ensures we protect people in our country. We have gone now from 80,000 solar jobs to 240,000 solar jobs in just the last 10 years. We have gone from 2,500 all-electric vehicles to 1 million all-electric vehicles in just 10 years. There have been 500,000 new electric vehicles sold this year in the United States--1 year--after only having 2,000 of them sold 10 years ago. We went from 1,000 megawatts of solar capacity to 65,000 megawatts in 2018. That is a revolution in 10 years. We have gone from 25,000 prgtoken megawatts of wind to 98,000 megawatts of wind in 10 years. prgtoken That is the revolution the Koch brothers are afraid of, and that is the revolution the polluters want to stop because it is the existential threat to their business model. That is what the fight is all about out here--the Koch brothers v. the Green New Deal. It is one business model against another, and our business model is the job creation engine of this generation for blue-collar jobs. prgtoken Now, who paid for the study that they all came out on the floor to use? It was paid for by the Koch brothers. They put together what they believe are the costs of the Green New Deal. This was not some private, independent group. The Koch brothers themselves paid for the study that the s have used out here on the floor. prgtoken The hearings, if the majority leader had ever ordered them to have been conducted, would have just picked out some
CONGRATULATING THE TELACU EDUCATION FOUNDATION ON THEIR 36TH ANNUAL BUILDING THE DREAM GALA
Pete Aguilar (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-3-26

. Madam , I rise today to congratulate the TELACU Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that has empowered talented Latino students and professionals in my district and throughout the country to achieve success for more than 36 years. TELACU is one of the largest and oldest Community Development Corporation in the U.S celebrating 50 years of service just last year. As part of its commitment to service, advancement, empowerment and self-sufficiency among its constituency, and in response to crisis- level dropout rates for Latino students, in 1983 TELACU created the TELACU Education Foundation. This year marks the Foundation's 36th anniversary of shattering barriers to academic and professional success for thousands of first- generation Latinos from underserved communities. In addition to providing critical educational services and resources for veterans, TELACU's Continuum of Education--comprised of the College Readiness and College Success Programs--annually propels approximately 2,000 TELACU Scholars from high school through graduate studies, equipping them with the academic credentials and professional tools needed to successfully enter the increasingly technical 21st Century workforce. Historically, approximately 98 percent of high school TELACU Scholars graduate and nearly all pursue higher education; more than 99 percent of college Scholars earn a Bachelor's degree, with an increasing number going on to seek advanced degrees. Since TELACU Scholars are predominantly Latinos from some of the most economically- depressed communities in Southern California, their attainment of high school diplomas and college degrees directly benefits disenfranchised communities. Program graduates become self-sufficient, well-educated professionals and role models who inspire and invest in the next generation of Latino leaders. Their attainment of higher education, increased earning power and dedication to service leads to the socioeconomic empowerment of their local communities, and betters our country as a whole. Madam , in recognition of the thousands of students, families and communities they have served and empowered, I ask my colleagues to please join me in congratulating the TELACU Education Foundation on the occasion of its 36th Annual Building the Dream Gala, and in celebrating their inspiring TELACU Scholars.
DO THE RIGHT THING
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-3-26

. Madam , I want to speak openly to my friends and colleagues. Take a moment to look to your right as you come into this body, to the memorial that was put together by the Parkland students and other gun victims. It will pain your heart and move you to action. prgtoken It acknowledges that 722 people die every week from gun violence. It acknowledges that teenagers may lose their lives, and it has a form to indicate which teenager is next. It has flowers, and it says, ``Stop killing us.'' prgtoken Every Member of Congress should walk by that memorial today, commit themselves to be decent and do decent things, and recognize that we should have gun safety legislation. prgtoken I rise as well to say that women who are not being paid or who are supporting families need the paycheck legislation that I will be supporting tomorrow. prgtoken I also say that this country must not accept behavior by a President as a norm, and the Mueller report and the facts must be had. We must do it quietly and respectfully, and we must have our hearings to tell the truth. prgtoken Finally, I am outraged, coming from a State that was a poster child for the persons without healthcare, that this administration would try to oppose the Affordable Care Act. We are going to fight it. We are going to try to save the lives of our children and provide healthcare for all.
The Green New Deal (Executive Session)
Martin Heinrich (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2019-3-26

we don't have any more time to waste on political stunts, on climate denial or, for that matter, on climate ``delay-al.'' Enough with the straw man arguments from my colleagues about hamburgers and ``Sharknado.'' Is that really the best they can do? prgtoken Climate change is real, and our pollution is causing its devastating impacts. Those are just facts. prgtoken As an engineer, I am certain our capacity to confront this challenge rests heavily on our ability to make policy that is actually driven by facts, by data, and by the best available science. That science provides us with clear and indisputable evidence that the destructive wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding we have seen are directly linked to human-caused climate change. prgtoken We are running out of time. It is past time for us to start implementing real solutions to eliminate our carbon pollution and mitigate the most devastating effects of climate change, and we must create a managed transition to an economy that is run on 100 percent clean energy. I encourage us to look to what just happened in my home State of New Mexico to see that this is possible, that it is not pie in the sky. prgtoken For more than a century, New Mexico has been a major part of our carbon-based economy--from coal, to oil, to gas. Yet, just last week, our new Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed into law sweeping legislation to move our State toward being a 100-percent carbon-free power sector by 2045. I am enormously proud of the hard work that has led to there being this landmark legislation. This major transition to clean energy will change our State and our economy for the better. prgtoken New Mexicans will save money in their monthly bills. Along the way, we will create thousands of new, high-paying jobs across our State, including in the communities that will be impacted by this transition. We are already seeing the massive economic potential of clean energy with the enormous wind farms and solar plants that are coming on line all across our State. Every new project brings new jobs and brings millions--sometimes billions--of dollars of investment. prgtoken That is the kind of action we need to take in the U.S. Senate. The United States can and must lead the way in this transition. That is why we are challenging Majority Leader McConnell to put an end to the political stunts. prgtoken Leader McConnell, bring your solutions to the floor. Let's get to work together. prgtoken to Senator Whitehouse of Rhode Island, who has been an incredible leader on this issue.
THE GREEN NEW DEAL
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-3-26

I rise to join my colleagues in calling for legislation to resolve the climate crisis. The need for action could not be more urgent. Every day of inaction in the U.S. Senate brings new risks of irreversible harm to our communities, our environment and future generations. prgtoken Unfortunately, this week's vote is not really about climate change. The Senate has been asked to invoke cloture on a nonbinding resolution that raises but does not really answer a broad range of questions about climate change and our economy. prgtoken The Senate is not ready to end debate on these issues. We have hardly begun. prgtoken The ic Caucus is united in recognizing the realities of climate change and calling for effective solutions. prgtoken However, this constitutes a minority view in the U.S. Senate. For too many years, our calls for comprehensive climate change legislation have fallen on deaf ears. prgtoken The Green New Deal in all of its ambition and breadth should be recognized as a sign of the frustration that is mounting in this country as a result of obstruction. prgtoken I do not agree with every aspect of this particular resolution. It addresses not only climate policy but also longstanding partisan disputes over healthcare, housing, jobs, and other economic policies. prgtoken These are important policy debates, but it is my view that the legislative effort to address climate change does not need to wait for agreement in these other areas. The need for action is too urgent. prgtoken But whatever our disagreements about policy approaches and nonbinding resolutions, it is long past time for us to set aside disagreements about the validity of climate science. prgtoken The scientific community has warned us about climate change for decades with increasing certainty and specificity, including in a report of the President's Science Advisory Committee in 1965, five assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 1990, and four national climate assessment reports of the U.S. Global Change Research Program since 2000. prgtoken Most recently, a special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identified the disastrous consequences if we allow the world to warm by more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial temperatures. prgtoken We are already at more than 1.8 degrees of warming. Sea levels have risen more than 8 inches. Ocean acidity has increased by 30 percent. Ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland are melting into the sea at an accelerating pace of more than 400 gigatons per year. prgtoken Allowing the world to warm another degree, as we are on a course to do between 2030 and 2052, may well surpass our ability to adapt. prgtoken Continued warming will threaten rapid, widespread, and long-lasting increases in heatwaves, wildfire, disease, drought, crop failure, sea level rise, ocean acidification, mass extinction, collapsing food chains, mass popu
The Green New Deal (Executive Session)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-3-26

I want to thank my friend and colleague from Maryland for his powerful words, as well as all of my colleagues who are here for their leadership on this incredibly important issue. prgtoken Climate change is real. Carbon pollution is real. It is having a real effect in my State of Michigan. We can and must take real action to do something about it. It is not a time for playing political games. Frankly, the stakes are just plain too high. We should be coming together around a resolution that our entire ic caucus has put together that simply says this: Climate change is real; climate change is caused by humans; Congress must act on climate change. Let's start there. We can't even get bipartisan support for this, which is so basic. Let's start there and then take specific action. prgtoken I was very encouraged a few weeks ago when Chairwoman Murkowski and Ranking Member Manchin on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on climate change. It was the first one since I have been on the committee. It may be the first one ever to talk about the incredibly disastrous impacts of what is happening in Alaska, as well as around our country. We should be working together across the aisle to solve this big problem and to come together with specific actions after the hearing. I am looking forward to that. prgtoken Instead, the leader is playing ``gotcha'' politics with an issue that is hurting real people from Bristol Bay to the Missouri River Basin to the Great Lakes. Frankly, it is insulting, and the people who are having their livelihoods upended deserve better. prgtoken You don't have to spend much time in Michigan to see the effects, unfortunately. The Great Lakes Basin has warmed more over the last 30 years than the rest of the contiguous United States. That is not a position we want to be in. prgtoken Precipitation is up 11 percent since 1900. That means more flooding. Flooding is worse. Between 2040 and 2060--which actually is not that far away, particularly when we are looking at our children and grandchildren--Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula could see 500 percent more 100-year floods. prgtoken Heat waves in Michigan have tripled compared to the long-term average. It is estimated that by 2040 the dangerously hot days could cause 760 people in the Detroit metro area alone to die each year when they otherwise wouldn't. Rising energy demands will require more than $6 billion in infrastructure improvements. Cold water fish species could simply die off, threatening our $5 billion per year sport fishing industry. prgtoken Agricultural productivity could fall to 1980 levels by 2050. Keep in mind that by then, our planet's population will be double what it was in 1980. If agricultural productivity is falling at that point, that will be a disaster, not only for the United States and our people but for around the world. prgtoken These changes are already hurting our pe
HONORING CAPTAIN ADAM CHAMIE'S TWO YEARS AS THE COAST GUARD'S LIAISON TO HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Lucille Roybal-Allard (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-3-26

I have the honor of serving as chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. The subcommittee is charged with overseeing the funding of our Nation's longest continuous seagoing service, the United States Coast Guard. prgtoken Since the Coast Guard's founding in 1790 by Alexander Hamilton, Americans have relied on this service to protect our maritime interests. The Coast Guard has secured our sovereignty in times of war and peace and safeguarded the American public during times of national catastrophe. prgtoken As one of the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Coast Guard serves as a critical link between the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. prgtoken My role as chairwoman of the DHS Appropriations Subcommittee and previously as the subcommittee's ranking member has afforded me the opportunity to more fully appreciate the challenging work of the men and women of the Coast Guard. This includes saving more than 11,000 lives after the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Maria, Irma, Harvey, Florence, and Michael, to the cumulative interdiction of 432 tons of cocaine over the past 2 years. prgtoken One of the greatest exemplars of Coastie dedication and effectiveness is Captain Adam Chamie, who has served as the Coast Guard liaison to the House of Representatives for the past 2 years. prgtoken Adam has consistently demonstrated an ability to effectively convey the critical needs of the Coast Guard to both Members of Congress and staff, while also supporting the Coast Guard's responses to the needs of States and congressional districts across the country. prgtoken Over his 2-year tenure as liaison, he has helped facilitate the Coast Guard's two largest annual funding levels in the service's history. prgtoken On April 18, 2019, Adam will take command of Coast Guard Sector Key West, an area from the Bahamas to Cuba encompassing 55,000 square nautical miles. prgtoken While his departure is a loss to the House, the men and women of the Coast Guard serving along the Florida Keys will greatly benefit from his leadership and his commitment to the Coast Guard's core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty. prgtoken I wish Captain Chamie fair winds and following seas as he starts a new chapter in his career. prgtoken Today, I ask my colleagues to please join me in recognizing this great American and Coast Guardsman for his selfless service to our Nation.
MAKE QUALITY HEALTH INSURANCE MORE AFFORDABLE
Lauren Underwood (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-3-26

. Madam , Saturday, March 23, we celebrated the ninth anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which has expanded health insurance to over 20 million people in the last 5 years. But quality health insurance remains unaffordable and out of reach for far too many Americans. prgtoken Today, I introduced the Health Care Affordability Act to help fix that and reduce premiums for Americans who purchase private health plans through the marketplace. prgtoken My legislation would cut premiums by hundreds or thousands of dollars per year for more than 10 million people. It does this by increasing the tax credits people get to make premiums more affordable and allowing more people to qualify for tax credits. prgtoken This important improvement would guarantee middle-class consumers would pay no more than 8\1/2\ percent of their income on premiums. This would be a huge help to families. prgtoken For example, in my district, a typical family of four currently pays $1,741 per month for marketplace coverage. With my bill, their monthly premiums would drop by nearly half. prgtoken A typical 60-year-old couple in my district making $80,000 currently pays over a third of their monthly income for marketplace coverage. My legislation would reduce their monthly premiums by over $1,700. prgtoken This legislation moves us forward by making lower cost coverage available to at least 9 million uninsured Americans, while reducing premiums for an additional 10 million Americans. prgtoken Madam , I encourage my colleagues to join me in making quality health insurance more affordable by cosponsoring this important legislation.
Introductory Statement on S. 868
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2019-3-26

. Let me conclude by saying that the Green New Deal is aspirational. To say that it is going to result in forcing everyone to stop eating meat--it is like, what the heck? What these so-called facts opponents and the climate change deniers are saying about the Green New Deal is laughable, coming from the very people who deny the scientific fact of climate change. prgtoken I could go on, but obviously my time is up. I will have more to say as we continue this so-called sham debate. But let's not continue to stick our heads in the sand. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record a letter written by an 11-year-old girl in Hawaii who spoke at a climate change rally in Hawaii. She was so articulate. She said: You know, this is like experiencing world war III for the young people.