mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Opportunity Zones (Executive Calendar)
Tim Scott (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-5-1

I thank Vice Chair Ernst for putting this event together on the floor to talk about the success of opportunity zones and what they could mean for so many Americans who desperately need the assistance in so many places. Without any question, this is a great part of the tax bill that has not received enough attention. A lot of folks know about opportunity zones, and a lot of folks are excited about opportunity zones. prgtoken I would like to spend a little time talking about the success of our economy and touching on some of the issues that my colleague Senator Braun spoke about as well, those being the importance of workforce development and of making sure our workforce has the skills that meet the jobs of our current economy. prgtoken One estimate said that perhaps there are a million more jobs than there are people looking for work, and a part of the reason why that is so is because we still need to make sure that we harmonize the skill set necessary to do the work with the skills being taught or trained to our younger folks and folks looking for work. prgtoken This has been an amazing journey from an economic perspective, when you think about where we are financially as a country. prgtoken This past quarter we saw the announcement of a growth rate of around 3.2 percent. That is astounding because all of the estimates were so significantly lower. prgtoken We finished 2018 with a growth rate of around 3.1 percent. Now, we have not seen that acceleration in our economy in a very long time. So it is really good news for those folks looking for work. prgtoken Our unemployment rate is near a 50-year low--somewhere between 3.8 and 3.9 percent. This is something we haven't seen in a very long time. African-American unemployment is near 7 percent. Some of the lowest numbers ever recorded in the history of the country for African- American employment are there now. Hispanic unemployment is in the same range--very low, record lows. prgtoken We have seen wages in the last several months continue to increase. Wage growth is now hitting the bottom quintile of our workforce at a 3- percent growth rate, which is really good news because it was another one of those targets that we knew was important for us to reach. prgtoken Said differently, income disparity is shrinking because of the success of our Tax Code and the success of our regulatory reset, and that is good news for everyone. prgtoken The economic recovery, however, has been uneven. Part of the challenge that we see is that there are areas of our Nation that are not doing as well as the numbers I have just indicated. That reinforces the fact that, as a whole, the Nation is succeeding and the people of our country are succeeding at a much higher level and at a faster clip. However, rural America still lags a little behind and needs more tools in the toolkit, more arrows in the quiver to address some of the challenges that are endemic and specific to those ru
ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-5-1

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m Thursday, May 2; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Ruiz nomination under the previous order.
CLIMATE ACTION NOW ACT
Bill Johnson (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-5-1

put simply, this legislation forces President 's hand to carry out the goals of his predecessor, but this administration was elected to tackle our energy issues differently, our environmental issues differently. prgtoken Americans asked for this change in direction. And we got that last Congress, where s worked with this administration to find creative ways to streamline the development and use of all of our energy sources and technologies. prgtoken We examined grid modification issues, looked at ways to encourage the creation and adoption of advanced nuclear energy, along with creative ways to encourage new coal and natural gas technologies. prgtoken We looked at how market forces are driving new energy technologies and prgtoken how the Federal Government can play a supportive role in that advancement, not pick winners and losers. prgtoken I worry that today's legislation could bring us back to a prescriptive approach to our Federal energy policy. It could cause significant ratepayer hikes on families and small businesses in eastern and southeastern Ohio who simply cannot absorb higher electric bills. prgtoken H.R. 9 was rushed through our committees. The Energy and Commerce Committee held no hearings on it, but simply a full committee markup. Members had no time to debate it--only vote. prgtoken E&C leadership even expressed frustration over the expedited pace of this bill. prgtoken Because of these reasons and the issues raised by my colleagues, I urge a ``no'' vote on H.R. 9.
TRIBUTE TO JEFFERSON CHA
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-5-1

I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Jefferson for his hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming. prgtoken Jefferson is a native of California. He is a graduate of UCLA, where he studied history. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months. prgtoken I want to thank Jefferson for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.
CLIMATE ACTION NOW ACT
Garret Graves (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-5-1

I want to thank the distinguished leader for his statement. prgtoken I, too, wish this were a bipartisan bill. I do. I wish it were a bipartisan bill. Unfortunately, as the ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, I found out about this from the press, not from the chairman of the committee. I found out from the press about this bill. That is not how you pursue bipartisan legislation. If there were a true attempt and a true desire to do bipartisan legislation, certainly this would have been handled differently. prgtoken Let me be clear, , I fully agree that the climate is changing. I agree that humans are contributing to that change. I agree that there is something that we need to do about this, and we need to be aggressive. prgtoken As we heard from scientists just yesterday in the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, they have confirmed to us that the United States can eliminate all emissions, and we are still going to see warming. We are not going to see changes in the temperature if we eliminate all of our emissions. prgtoken , China, right now, is the top emitter. They are emitting 80 percent more than the United States. As a matter of fact, Greenpeace found last year they are actually increasing their emissions. Here we are, the United States, for about the last 20 years, the largest absolute reduction in emissions of any country in the world. prgtoken The Paris accord is fundamentally flawed. It is not the solution. We can eliminate all of our emissions, , and you are going to have countries like China that are allowed, under the Paris accords, to come in and more than replace all of our emissions prgtoken reductions. That doesn't make sense, and it is not fair. This coming from a country that has already stolen trillions of dollars in intellectual property and cost this country millions of jobs. prgtoken Let me say it again: Climate change is real, and we need to take action. prgtoken This agreement is fundamentally flawed. It benefits China. prgtoken Of course other countries agree. It is on the back of the United States, the nation that spends more money on climate change science and more money on climate change technology than any other country in the world. prgtoken , this bill is fundamentally flawed. This whole agreement is fundamentally flawed. China has an entirely different metric to measure their emissions reduction than the United States, and they don't even have to reduce a single degree of emissions until after 2030. prgtoken , this is a flawed bill, and I urge rejection.
Order of Business (Executive Calendar)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-5-1

for the leader, I ask unanimous consent that following disposition of the Wolson nomination, the Senate proceed to legislative session and resume consideration of the veto message on S.J. Res. 7, and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding, with no intervening action or debate, at 1:45 p.m Thursday, May 2, and with 5 minutes of debate prior to the vote under the control of Senator Menendez.
REMEMBERING LIEUTENANT COLONEL DICK COLE
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-5-1

I am here on the floor to talk about an American hero. prgtoken General Douglas MacArthur once said, ``Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.'' Those words--duty, honor, country--are exemplified through the life and legacy of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Cole. prgtoken Lt. Col. Cole, who went by Dick, was born and raised in my grandfather's hometown, Dayton, OH. He graduated from Steele High School and completed 2 years of college at Ohio University before enlisting in the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Corps in November 1940. He commissioned as a second lieutenant in July 1941 and received his pilot wings at Randolph Field in Texas. From there, he joined the ranks of the 34th Bombardment Squadron of the 17th Bombardment Group. prgtoken Soon after, Lt. Col. Cole became one of the 80 volunteers who signed up for the Doolittle Mission, which was to become the first offensive strike on mainland Japan during World War II. In a turn of fate, a Japanese vessel spotted the USS Hornet, forcing the mission to commence a day early. Therefore, what was originally planned prgtoken as a 400-mile trip to mainland Japan turned into a 645-mile journey to the target, putting the pilots in grave danger because the planes did not have enough fuel to reach their destination. prgtoken Lt. Col. Cole served valiantly as Lt. Col. James Doolittle's co- pilot, and together, they led the squadron of 16 Army Air Force bombers from the Hornet to Tokyo. The squadron succeeded in bombing their target, but as predicted, his plane ran low on fuel and they were forced to bail out over China. His parachute worked, and he landed in a tree, where he spent the night and climbed down in the morning. He ultimately found some Chinese students who took him to Doolittle. After the raid, Cole went to India, helped establish the dangerous Hump flying route and flew more than 100 missions carrying cargo, earning three Distinguished Flying Crosses. The Doolittle Raiders received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2015 and donated it to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio. prgtoken The raid provided a psychological lift back home and marked a turning point in the Pacific theater of the war. He was humble about his role in this mission and chalked it up to duty. In 2016, when remembering the raid, he said: ``We were the only B-25 crew operating for months. We were going on that mission whether we wanted to or not. That straightens out that fairy tale.'' He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism for this mission. prgtoken Cole remained in China to continue flying bombing and transport missions through the end of the war. He is the only American serviceman of the 16 million who served in World War II to have flown in three elite groups: the Doolittle Raiders, the Himalayan Hump Route pilots, and the 1st Air Commandos. prgtoken
HONORING HOLOCAUST VICTIMS
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2019-5-1

I rise today to honor the 6 million Jewish men, women, and children who were violently murdered for their religious beliefs by the Nazi regime. prgtoken This week remembers the victims who lost their lives to this evil regime and honors the survivors who beat the unthinkable odds. prgtoken Sonia Warshawski, a Kansan from Overland Park, was a young teenager when Nazi Germany invaded her home in Poland. She was imprisoned, locked inside a Nazi concentration camp, and then later sent to the Auschwitz death camp. There, she saw human hatred in a way many of us today cannot comprehend. prgtoken Sonia tells a story of waking up each day suffering from starvation and seeing thousands of bodies stacked where she was imprisoned. She watched as her mother was forced into a gas chamber. And still, through this torture and through it all, she never gave up hope or abandoned her faith. prgtoken Sonia will not forget the hatred and horrific injustice that the murderous Nazi regime put her and millions of others through in the name of anti-Semitism and neither will this country. prgtoken As the most well-documented genocide in human history, a genocide documented and confirmed by General Eisenhower, the evil and unimaginable torture throughout the Holocaust will forever haunt us. We must never tolerate or overlook anti-Semitism in any form. prgtoken In 2017, I had an emotional experience at the Holocaust museum in Israel with my wife. There, we met and heard from many survivors and walked through the Hall of Names honoring the 6 million victims of the Holocaust. prgtoken Sadly, we have recently seen the ugly face of anti-Semitism rearing its ugly head. We must continue to fight it with full force. It should be made abundantly clear to those with this deep hatred of Jewish people in their heart that this country has zero tolerance for this type of evil. prgtoken , I stand with the survivors like Sonia and those who lost their lives during the darkest days in the history of our world, and I stand against anti-Semitism. Judicial Overreach
Missouri Flooding (Executive Calendar)
Johnny Isakson (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-5-1

first of all, from Missouri for his comments about the disaster. We are having a disaster in the U.S. Senate because we haven't been able to solve our emergency problem yet. It is not because of Senator Blunt. He has done a great job, as have many Members of the Senate. We are close now, and there is a meeting this afternoon with important Senators. We are close on Hawaii, on Alaska, on Georgia, on South Carolina, on Tennessee, on Alabama, on Florida, and on the other States that have had disasters in the past year to which we have still been late on getting disaster emergency funds. prgtoken In fact, in Georgia, this is the 222nd day, in the case of one emergency, that those funds have been held up. In the agricultural season, 222 days is 1\1/2\ plants. It is one planting, one picking, and a second planting. So it is a significant part of the agriculture year. We are getting killed in Georgia. Our farmers are getting hurt badly because of the ineptitude, in part and sometimes in whole, of the U.S. Senate. prgtoken Finally, cool heads are coming together. We are getting over some arguments, and we are getting some things solved. Thanks to the help of Senator Blunt and others in the U.S. Senate, we are going to get help to our farmers in Georgia, to those in Alabama, and to those in Alaska from the earthquake and to those in Hawaii from the lava flow and the eruptions they have had there and from all of the other disasters we have had. Finally, that money is going to start flowing.
HONORING MAJOR CHRISTOPHER PETRANCOSTA
Lee M. Zeldin (Republican, NY) \u2014 2019-5-1

. Madam , today I rise to recognize Major Christopher Vincent Petrancosta of the United States Army for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to our nation. Major Petrancosta will soon transition from his current assignment as an Army Congressional Liaison to the House of Representatives to attend Army Intermediate Level Education with follow on assignment at Fort Drum. A native of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Chris is a third generation Army Soldier, continuing a proud family tradition of service to this nation. Chris attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and commissioned as an Infantry Officer in 2007. He has held numerous leadership and staff assignments in a variety of units, highlighted by operational and combat deployments to Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, and Niger during service with the 82nd Airborne Division and First Infantry Division. During his time in Washington, Chris earned a Masters in Policy Management from Georgetown University and worked as a Political Military Planner within the Joint Staff's Transregional Threats Coordination Cell. In 2018, Major Petrancosta was selected to serve as a Congressional Liaison in the United States Army House Liaison Division. As the primary liaison between Members of the House of Representatives, their staffs, committees, and the Army, he provided insight and understanding of Army policies, actions, operations, and requirements. His first-hand knowledge of the military, its culture, and traditions has been a tremendous benefit to Congressional offices. This previous Christmas, I traveled with Chris to the Middle East to visit our servicemembers and better understand the region. Chris' extensive experience in the region enabled a productive visit for myself and other Members of Congress. I found him to be a thoughtful, intelligent, and dedicated Soldier in the best traditions of America's Armed Forces. Madam , it has been a pleasure to work with Chris during his time as an Army Congressional Liaison Officer in the House of Representatives. On behalf of a grateful nation, it is my honor to recognize the selfless service and sacrifice of Major Christopher Petrancosta, his wife, Stacia, and their children, Tatum and Maryn. I wish them the very best as they continue their journey in the United States Army, and continue to dedicate their lives to the service of our nation.
REMEMBERING WILLIAM M. DETWEILER
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-5-1

today I rise to honor the life and legacy of William M. Detweiler who passed away on March 27, 2019, at age 79. Mr. Detweiler was a lifelong advocate for veterans and a former national commander of the American Legion. His commitment to our country stands as a shining example for every American. He leaves behind a legacy of compassion for his fellow servicemembers that touched everyone who knew him. prgtoken Mr. Detweiler was born in New Orleans, LA, on January 28, 1940. He was a graduate of St. Aloysius High School and Loyola University, where he earned both his undergraduate and law degrees. prgtoken Mr. Detweiler served as a captain in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps and, later, as assistant chief of staff for the U.S. Army Defense Center at Fort Bliss, TX. He then joined the U.S. Army Reserve and returned home to New Orleans to practice law. prgtoken During his law career, Mr. Detweiler served on various local, State, and national veterans committees. In 1973, President Nixon appointed him to serve on the Veterans Administration's National Rehabilitation and Education Advisory Committee, which he later went on to chair. prgtoken As a member of the American Legion, Mr. Detweiler served in a number of capacities including Department of Louisiana judge advocate, chairman of the National Public Relations Commission, chairman of the National Foreign Relations Commission, national vice commander, and national commander. prgtoken While serving as national commander of the American Legion, he fought for the extension of service-connected disability benefits for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange. He was also involved in the planning and development of the National D-Day Museum in the heart of New Orleans, which later became the National WWII Museum. prgtoken In his most recent leadership role with the American Legion, Mr. Detweiler served as the chairman of the organization's traumatic brain injury--TBI--and posttraumatic stress disorder-PTSD-committee. He was serving as chairman of that committee on March 27, 2019, when his final battle, with pancreatic cancer, came to an end. prgtoken William M. Detweiler was a tireless advocate for the veterans community, and we thank him for his lifetime of service to our country.
HONORING RALPH VANNI
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-5-1

I rise today to honor my friend Ralph Vanni, the senior House audio technician who retired earlier this month. prgtoken For 34 years, Ralph has been the man behind this microphone and every microphone in this Chamber. When he took his job as the House technician in 1985, Ralph was no stranger to Capitol Hill. At the age of 16, he landed an internship with the then-Senate majority leader. prgtoken After two more internships and graduating college, Ralph had a hand in nearly every corner of the Capitol building, from doorkeeper for the Sergeant at Arms to working in the Senate Cloakroom. prgtoken In his most recent role, Ralph saw six Presidents give their State of the Union speeches, but the day he has said he will never forget is running audio from that perch right up there for Pope Francis' address to this Chamber in 2015. prgtoken I remember meeting Ralph on my first day as a newly elected Member of Congress during orientation in 2013. With the 's permission, we could take photos on the House floor that day, and I took a minute to take one with Ralph and some of his team and the many folks who do a wonderful job guarding this Chamber every day. prgtoken Ralph became my friend that day and has been my friend for the last 6\1/2\ years I have had the chance to serve in this great institution. I wish him the best in his retirement. And I want to thank him personally, on behalf of every Member of Congress who stands behind any microphone in this institution. prgtoken Ralph made us sound better, and we appreciate him for doing that. I wish him good luck in his retirement and thank him for all his years of service. prgtoken I am going to miss Ralph, looking up in that perch, but I am going to get to know the folks who have replaced him so well. He has led a great generation into that seat to replace him now. prgtoken I thank Ralph Vanni.