mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2, AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Vicky Hartzler (Republican, MO) \u2014 2018-5-17

I rise today in favor of the 2018 farm bill. prgtoken Missouri farmers work hard every day to feed the world, and they need the certainty that this legislation provides. This bill strengthens safeguards for our food supply and improves public-private risk management programs that are vital to American agriculture. prgtoken In addition, the farm bill makes significant investments in broadband infrastructure in rural America by setting a minimum speed for Federal investment. prgtoken This bill contains historic improvements to SNAP which helps recipients break the cycle of poverty by improving work opportunities for able-bodied adults receiving Federal nutrition assistance. This bill also promotes work and individual success while empowering those dependent on government assistance. prgtoken These reforms will reduce unemployment and instill a sense of pride and work ethic by helping people move from dependency to independence and self-sufficiency. These are commonsense improvements that we are discussing today. prgtoken The 2018 farm bill is a responsible and effective piece of legislation which maintains safety net programs in crop insurance for America's farmers while making investments in job training programs to lift those in need out of poverty. prgtoken This bill has my full support, and I thank and commend Chairman Conaway for his hard work on moving this legislation forward.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued (Executive Session)
Richard Burr (Republican, NC) \u2014 2018-5-17

I thank the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and I would also reiterate what he said. This is one of the last bipartisan committees on the Hill. It should be. It is because we are entrusted with seeing things and hearing things that nobody else can and verifying that we live within the letter of the law and the Presidential directives for the rest of the 85 Members of the Senate and the American people. We take that very seriously. prgtoken I rise today in support of Gina Haspel, the President's nominee to be the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Ms. Haspel has been asked to lead one of our Nation's most treasured assets, an Agency that works in the shadows. It requires a leader with unwavering integrity who will ensure that the organization operates lawfully, ethically, and morally. prgtoken Gina was born in Kentucky. She was the oldest of five children. Her father was in the Air Force. She traveled from place to place. She told her dad one day that she wanted to go to West Point, only to hear her dad very gently remind her that West Point did not invite women. That did not delude her sense of service. After graduating from the University of Kentucky, Gina went on to work as a contractor with the 10th Special Forces Group. It was at Fort Devens that Gina learned about the CIA, a place where she could serve her country along with other women doing clandestine work around the world. This excited her. prgtoken In 1985 Gina swore an oath to defend the Constitution and began a 30- plus year career of service at the Agency. Since that day, Gina Haspel has developed extensive overseas experience and served as Chief of Station in several locations around the world that we can't mention. But I can tell my colleagues that every time I traveled abroad to a location where Gina was the Chief of Station, I received the most thorough brief from the most organized station that I have had the opportunity to see. prgtoken In Washington she has consistently proven herself a strong leader, rising to the role of Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service and then Deputy Director of the entire Central Intelligence Agency. Those who saw her approach to that role say she served as a peacemaker, a general, a tough advocate for people, and a clear, steady guide for an Agency dealing with a complex web of world crisis. prgtoken I believe Ms. Haspel's experience, her dedication to service, and her judgment make her a natural fit to lead the CIA as it enters a period of profound change and uncertainty. She is, by many accounts, the most qualified person the President could have chosen to lead the CIA and the most prepared individual in the 70-year history of this Agency. She is intimately familiar with the threats facing our Nation. Where others can discuss world events, Gina Haspel has lived those events. She has no learning curve. prgtoken She has acted morally, ethically, and legall
HONORING LIEUTENANT AARON CROOK OF THE BLUEFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT
Evan H. Jenkins (Republican, WV) \u2014 2018-5-17

as our Nation honors National Police Week, I rise today to remember a fallen officer, Lieutenant Aaron Crook of the Bluefield Police Department. prgtoken This week, the name of Officer Crook, along with 359 of his fallen brothers and sisters in blue, will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial here in Washington. As our Nation honors our police officers for their sacrifices, we give thanks to the life of Officer Crook, whom we sadly lost last May. prgtoken Lieutenant Crook was born in Summers County, graduated from Bluefield State College, and proudly served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve for 6 years. After serving his Nation, he exchanged his Marine uniform for that of the Bluefield Police Department in 2008. prgtoken Lieutenant Crook was an outstanding police officer and devoted family man. He loved the outdoors and would never pass up an opportunity to go fishing. In fact, the city of Bluefield is planning to rename a lake in his honor so his legacy can carry on through one of his favorite pastimes. prgtoken His memory is kept alive by his wife, Whitney; his kids, Brycen and Paislee; his extended family; the Bluefield Police Department; and so many others. prgtoken He will never be forgotten. Our State and country lost a good man, and Officer Crook is missed each and every day. May he rest in peace.
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Bob Goodlatte (Republican, VA) \u2014 2018-5-17

I rise today to support fair sugar policy. prgtoken The sugar program represents a hidden tax on American businesses and consumers and is responsible for the loss of U.S. food manufacturing jobs. prgtoken Each month, families go to the grocery store, and unbeknownst to them, the sugar in many of the products they buy is subject to a cost that is generally 30 to 40 percent higher than the world cost. Very few, if any, will ever know that a hidden sugar tax has been imposed upon them by the sugar program. This hidden tax totals at least $2.4 billion a year for American consumers. prgtoken There are more than 600,000 sugar-using industry jobs in our Nation, including thousands in Virginia's Sixth District. I want to stand up and be counted as an advocate for keeping those jobs in the United States. prgtoken I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for this amendment to help put an end to the hidden costs of the sugar program.
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Kevin Cramer (Republican, ND) \u2014 2018-5-17

not long ago, President successfully negotiated an agreement with Mexico to stop them from dumping illegally subsidized sugar onto the U.S. market. This amendment would undo the President's good work by reopening the floodgates to other foreign countries to send us their subsidized sugar at below their costs of production, further depressing the prices that my farmers receive. prgtoken Vote ``no'' on this amendment.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Lindsey Graham (Republican, SC) \u2014 2018-5-17

I appreciate being recognized. I am going to talk about a budget proposal by my colleague from Kentucky, Senator Paul. prgtoken To those who want to balance our budget and get us out of debt, count me in. How do we do that? I would like to do it without destroying the military. I would like not to open up the wound when it comes to the effects of sequestration. prgtoken Unfortunately, Senator Paul's approach is devastating to the military. It creates unpredictability at a time when we need predictability. It throws us back into the old system where nobody knows what is going to happen. prgtoken Let me tell you about how you balance the budget and get us out of debt. prgtoken In 2008, this blue line represents discretionary spending. This is about 30 percent of overall Federal spending. You can see that from 2008 to 2028 it has been relatively flat. In the budget agreement we entered into just a few weeks ago, we are spending less on nondefense discretionary spending by $2 billion than we did in 2010. This red line represents about the 65 to 70 percent of Federal spending called entitlements, and it is going through the roof. So if you want to balance the budget, you have to deal with the red line. You can't take it all out of the blue line. prgtoken Sequestration has taken about $1 trillion out of the military. I compliment President for entering into a budget agreement that will restore funding to the military at a time when we need it the most. prgtoken What did sequestration do to the military? According to Secretary Mattis, ``no enemy in the field has done more to harm the combat readiness of prgtoken our military than sequestration.'' What a stunning statement that is. In other words, Congress has sunk more ships, shot down more planes, and taken more soldiers off the battlefield than any enemy. prgtoken Under sequestration, we are at the smallest level for the Navy since 1915, the smallest Army since 1940, and the smallest Air Force in modern history. That is about to change with the budget agreement--$700 billion for the military to retool, to buy new equipment, to have more people so that our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines can spend a little bit of time with their families instead of being deployed all the time. So I applaud Senator Paul's zeal to balance the budget. prgtoken What I want to do is to expose what this budget actually does. If you are a defense hawk, you should be against this approach because it does the one thing we can't afford to do. It creates unpredictability when it comes to our national defense strategy. prgtoken At times like this, I miss Senator McCain because I know he would be here with me. prgtoken Under this proposal, we are going to cut $404.8 billion next year. How much comes out of defense? Well, we will figure that out later. We know $6 billion has to come out of it, but it effectively sets aside the budget agreement that plussed up defense. Over
ZTE (Executive Session)
Jeff Flake (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2018-5-17

I rise today disturbed by the President's recent decision to consider easing penalties placed on the Chinese telecommunications company ZTE. prgtoken Looking at ZTE's history of deception and dishonest business practices, it is deeply troubling to see these penalties cast aside so carelessly in pursuit of what appears to be a type of chaotic diplomatic improvisation that has become standard operating procedure with the administration. prgtoken Let me briefly outline ZTE's past actions in order to refresh everyone's memory on how the company came to face such serious punitive measures. prgtoken In 2016, the U.S. Department of Commerce concluded an exhaustive investigation, finding that ZTE had knowingly sold products made with American technology to Iran, North Korea, and other countries banned from receiving such technologies. ZTE violated these sanctions and engaged in a deliberate attempt to cover it up. prgtoken Once ZTE's deception was uncovered, the administration announced imminent implementation of export restrictions that would deprive ZTE of American technology crucial to the manufacturing of its products. prgtoken The threat of sanctions brought ZTE to agree to settle the matter, and one year later, ZTE signed a settlement, which included more than $1 billion in fines, the creation of audit and compliance requirements to avoid future violations, and a promise to punish those individuals involved in past violations. prgtoken Last month, after ZTE was found to have violated the terms of the settlement and to have then sought to deceive the U.S. Government about those violations, the Commerce Department announced a 7-year ban on the export of U.S. components to ZTE. prgtoken In essence, ZTE has repeatedly engaged in malign activity by deliberately misleading the government for years, all while attempting to deliver American technologies into the hands of State sponsors of terrorism. The instinct to punish ZTE for this behavior was the right one. prgtoken So it was puzzling to hear, as we did this past Sunday, that the President instructed the Commerce Department to find a way to ease that punishment. First the President tweeted that the restrictions needed to be eased because they would cost China too many jobs. prgtoken It now appears that this concession is part of a deal that, if reached, would have the Chinese Government agree to remove tariffs on U.S. agricultural products. It must be noted that these are the same tariffs that China levied in retaliation for the steel and aluminum tariffs announced, and now being haphazardly applied, by this administration. prgtoken Make no mistake, what we are witnessing here is a nascent trade war-- tariffs leading to tariffs leading to ill-advised concessions, haphazard exemptions, and so on and so on. Meanwhile, businesses suffer from increased uncertainty, our national security is threatened, and international allies find themselves dealing wit
VETERANS CEMETERY BENEFIT CORRECTION ACT--Continued
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2018-5-17

I want to first commend my colleague from Kansas for his passion for our veterans and for his hard work on legislation that is really going to help in Ohio and around the country to ensure they have the care they deserve and also for his mention of Senator McCain, who is a true national hero. He now has a documentary about him on HBO, as some of us saw earlier today. It will soon be available for everyone to see. It is very powerful. STOP Act prgtoken , we heard earlier from one of my colleagues from Indiana who talked about the fact that this is National Police Week. A number of us have come to the floor to talk about our incredible men and women in uniform back home who protect us every day through their dedication, their public service, and it is appropriate to commend them. prgtoken I will say, as I have talked to police officers from Ohio this week, one issue came up again and again that doesn't get the attention it deserves; that is, the influx of synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, and the effect it is having on our law enforcement community, our first responders, in general, and, for that matter, all of our citizens. What they told me is, this is the issue that is creating so much crime in our communities. This is the issue that is filling our courtrooms and our jails. prgtoken One police officer I met with this week is a corrections officer at a jail in one of our urban areas in Ohio. I asked him to just give me an estimate. What percentage of the inmates in this jail are there because of the drug crisis and specifically the opioid issue? prgtoken He thought for a minute, and he said: Probably 90 percent--90 percent. Some are there because of selling drugs, some of them are there, though, because they have committed a crime while they were trying to get the money to be able to pay for their habit--so it is shoplifting; it is fraud; it is burglary. This issue is now everywhere. prgtoken The last year for which we have good information would be 2016. We have a lot of information nationally on that, and 2016 was the worst year on record in terms of overdose deaths attributable to these synthetic drugs coming into our country. Guess what. Almost certainly, 2017 is worse. prgtoken As one example, the coroner for Franklin County, OH--that is the Columbus area in Ohio, our fastest growing city--recently released their 2017 overdose report for the county. Franklin County had 520 overdose deaths in 2017. That is a 47-percent increase from 2016. So 2016 was the worst year on record; 2017, almost a 50-percent increase in overdose deaths. By the way, sadly, those overdose deaths are on track again this year to reach a record. prgtoken Two-thirds of those overdose deaths in Columbus, OH, Franklin County, involve fentanyl, which is this synthetic opioid that is overtaking our communities in Ohio. Think about that. Two-thirds of those overdose deaths la
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
John J. Faso (Republican, NY) \u2014 2018-5-17

to close on the amendment, let me reiterate. This amendment simply seeks to treat States' flexibility for SNAP the same prgtoken as it does, as current law does, for TANF, for a host of other social services programs, and for CHIP. prgtoken I would also point out, in response to the gentleman from Massachusetts' concern, the States that do this for CHIP and use nonprofit organizations to assist them in eligibility and other determinations, explicitly prohibit the outsourcing of these jobs to foreign countries, and many even prohibit the outsourcing of any job out of State. So the gentleman raises a red herring that is not appropriate in this context, and should not be considered. prgtoken This simply gives the States the flexibility to seamlessly manage the SNAP program and coordinate the benefits as they might have for home heating assistance, or they might have for CHIP, or they might have for TANF. prgtoken , .
TRIBUTE TO ES SWIHART
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-5-17

today I am pleased to honor Es Swihart, the Sarasota County Teacher of the Year from Riverview High School in Sarasota, FL. prgtoken After Es was presented with the Teacher of the Year award, she was asked what inspires her. She stated it was her fellow teachers that offer inspiration, through the long hours and their desire to teach lessons in new ways, plus the creative veracity with which educators make space for students as they learn to navigate the world and allow students to value their own voice serves as inspiration. prgtoken Es notes the desire for students to come to class each day while shouldering the weight of what they carry, sometimes gracefully and sometimes with awkward honesty, inspires her the most. Their optimistic view of the world and wanting others to see them for who they truly are serve as her motivation as their teacher. prgtoken As an English teacher, Es teaches her students to analyze everything, whether it be books or movies that are recent or decades old. She knows her students are understanding and experiencing educational growth when they realize books from the 1500s through 1600s can still be relevant today. Her colleagues note she opens up pathways to language with her content and is focused on the learning process for all of her students. prgtoken I am thankful to learn of Es's commitment to teaching. I extend my best wishes to her on receiving this important award and look forward to hearing of her continued success in her future endeavors.
VETERANS CEMETERY BENEFIT CORRECTION ACT--Continued
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-5-17

as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the ic leader, the Senate proceed to executive session for consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 593. I ask consent that there be 4 hours of debate, equally divided in the usual form, and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote on the nomination with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that no further motions be in order; and that any statements relating to the nomination be printed in the Record.
WELCOMING MONSIGNOR JOHN ZENZ
David A. Trott (Republican, MI) \u2014 2018-5-17

I rise today to recognize the contributions of Monsignor Zenz, a staple in southeast Michigan and the pastor of Holy Name Catholic Church. prgtoken Ordained almost 40 years ago, Monsignor Zenz received a doctorate in spiritual theology in 1984 and has served the faculty at Sacred Heart for over 35 years. prgtoken Starting as a weekend associate at my hometown parish in Birmingham, Michigan, Monsignor Zenz became the pastor at Holy Name in 2008, where he has faithfully served our community since. prgtoken He also serves on the board at the Academy of the Sacred Heart and chaplain to the Detroit Chapter of the National Christ Child Society. He is currently a chaplain to the Detroit Cardinal Club and has extensive experience working with Catholic Network of Detroit, ensuring God's word reaches as many homes as possible. prgtoken , it is an honor to host Monsignor Zenz here today, and I want to thank him for his tireless service and dedication to southeast Michigan. We should all strive to serve our communities with the same rigor that Monsignor Zenz demonstrates on a daily basis.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-5-17

100 days ago, the House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act, the bill that would fix the way we deal with sexual harassment and discrimination here in Congress. prgtoken The current system is broken. It makes no sense that a staffer who is sexually harassed or discriminated against has to possibly wait months for mediation, for counseling, or for a cooling off before she or he is able to even file a claim. prgtoken This bill would also make sure that when a Member of Congress has sexually harassed or discriminated against someone on their staff, the taxpayers are not left holding the bag. That is what the bill does. There is no reasonable excuse for anyone to stand in the way. prgtoken Our constituents do not deserve to have their hard-earned dollars paying for these settlements. What they deserve is a vote on this reform now. But what have we seen since the House acted? Nothing but politics as usual, despite having significant bipartisan support on this issue. prgtoken s--Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Klobuchar, and Senator Murray--for their strong leadership on this issue and all of their efforts to pass this bill in the Senate. They have been great partners in trying to move this forward. prgtoken It is long since time that we should be acting on this issue. We need to pass this bill and send it to the President's desk so he can sign it into law, because what we have seen so clearly, after the several months and years that we have been talking about this, is that sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace is far more pervasive and egregious than we previously might have recognized. prgtoken We have all witnessed harassment and discrimination. We all see what it actually does to society--whether it is happening in factories, in restaurants, in Hollywood, in the Halls of Congress, or right here in this building. But the difference is that while practically every other industry in the country seems to be taking this issue far more seriously and at least trying to make an effort to change their workplaces, Congress is dragging its feet. prgtoken Once again, a problem is staring us right in the face, and we are looking the other way. Enough is enough. We should do better. We have waited 100 days, and we should not have to wait any longer. prgtoken So I urge my colleagues to do the right thing now, to support this bill. Fix this system here in Congress that is failing our staffers on this issue of sexual harassment. This one is as easy as it gets. So let's have a vote and let's pass it. prgtoken .