mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CHISHOLM RESOLUTION
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-11-15

. Finally, last Tuesday's election was historic for not only the number of ballots cast by Americans in the midterms but also for whom those ballots were cast. Americans sent to our Nation's Capital the most diverse Congress in the history of the country. In several States, the first Native American women, the first African- American women, and the first Muslim women were elected in the history of those States. Finally, the men and women walking the corridors of power are beginning to look more like the Nation they represent, at least on our side of the aisle, I am proud to say. We are not there yet, but we are a lot closer. prgtoken In light of this progress, it is perhaps fitting that exactly half a century ago, a fellow Brooklynite, Shirley Chisolm, became the first African-American woman elected to Congress and eventually the first African-American woman to run for a major party's nomination for President, breaking that glass ceiling and paving the way for so many others to follow. Whether they know Shirley Chisolm or not, so many who are elected on the other side in the House of Representatives owe a lot to her, as do all Americans. prgtoken So I have introduced a resolution in the Senate, along with my friends in the House--Representative Yvette Clarke, my Congresswoman whom I was proud to vote for in November, and Barbara Lee of California--to honor Shirley Chisolm's achievements and her legacy of public service. prgtoken . prgtoken .
RAISING AWARENESS TO ALZHEIMER'S
David Scott (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2018-11-15

I rise today to discuss the heavy toll that Alzheimer's exacts on those who are unfortunate enough to suffer from the disease, the impacts to their family and loved ones, and to the American people. This devastating disease greatly erodes the sufferers' standard of living, strains their finances, and can place an enormous burden on those who care for them. However, despite these troubling realities, it is my hope that through raising awareness and increasing research funding we can lower the number of Americans that suffer with this disease and prevent its dire consequences. prgtoken The most common form of Dementia in America is Alzheimer's. There are about 5.7 million Americans living with the disease and 110,000 in Georgia alone, age 65 and older. Far from being a disease limited to the elderly though, approximately 200,000 Americans younger than age 65 are living with younger onset Alzheimer's (also known as early-onset). But at any age, an Alzheimer's diagnosis is extremely tragic. prgtoken As I mentioned, , Alzheimer's can also cause severe financial burdens, not only for the patient but for their families and caregivers as well. Currently, 16.1 million Americans are providing unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's or another dementia. These caregivers provided approximately 18.4 billion hours of care last year valued at more than $232 billion. We here in Congress must do more to support those patients and caregivers. prgtoken , African American elders are two to three times more likely to have Alzheimer's disease compared with whites and research shows that older Hispanics are about one-and-a-half times as likely as older whites to develop Alzheimer's and other dementias. So it is imperative that we educate these communities on warning signs of the disease, so that they will have a better understanding of the impact of a diagnosis, and are better positioned to seek the opinion of medical experts and to plan and prepare for the future. prgtoken Despite the potential for tragic outcomes, there is reason for optimism. We can and should continue to fund Alzheimer's research, and to support patients and caregivers as they seek treatment for this condition. Even though the cause of Alzheimer's is still unclear, the damaging effects it has on people are. So please , I ask you and the rest of our colleagues to join me while we raise awareness of this terrible illness, and seek to support those around the country who are touched by it.
REMEMBERING EMILY FAY REESE
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2018-11-15

I rise to honor a dear friend. Her name was Emily Fay Reese, who passed away on November 3 at the young age of 44 after 8 years of battling colon cancer. prgtoken Emily was a source of strength and a beacon of light in the Reno community. She radiated love and kindness to every person she met, and her loss will be felt by every single person whose life she touched. prgtoken She loved and adored her three children, Madeline, KJ, and Thomas, who are living legacies and testaments to the amazing person that Emily was. ``Live life, love life, and impact others,'' these are the words Emily lived by and wanted to share with the rest of the world. During her life, she embodied this simple message--giving life and love, doing all she could to make a difference in the lives of others. She did this first as a public school teacher, and after her cancer diagnosis she became a person on a mission to educate us all about the importance of accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare for everyone. prgtoken Before her passing, Emily wished for her friends and family to honor her by voting. She recognized how consequential elections were to building a better future for her children and her country. Emily was proud that she was able to vote early and cast her ballot to make sure her voice was heard in Nevada. Even in the final days of her life, she continued to fight for all of us. prgtoken Her advocacy was one way for her to impact others, and she fought to protect the healthcare of Nevadans by using her diagnosis to openly talk about what it was like to live with a terminal diagnosis and the difference that the Affordable Care Act had made in extending and improving the quality of her life. She reminded us that the ACA meant that she could spend her time with her children instead of worrying about bills and bankruptcy. prgtoken The last time I saw Emily was here, on Capitol Hill, just a few months ago. She was advocating on behalf of our fellow Nevadans who rely on Medicaid to get the care they need. She was here to oppose massive funding cuts to the program that she said was saving her life. She was here to speak out against a lawsuit that would take away protections from Americans with preexisting conditions and to fight for people like her who didn't have a voice. She was a ``Battle Born'' woman, and with grace, dignity, and courage, she bore her fight against cancer and for healthcare for every American. prgtoken Emily was a fighter; she was a mother; and she was a friend. I will be forever grateful for the time she spent in giving voice to the voiceless and for her commitment to bettering the lives of those who, like her, need their healthcare protected. prgtoken Today and every day, I honor Emily's memory and continue to fight to protect healthcare for every Nevadan so that those who are struggling with illness can focus on their fights to get better, can spend time with their families, and live out th
NAFTA
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-11-15

Ohio's jobs and trade message to our Nation is as loud and clear as it always has been: trade must be about people, not just goods. prgtoken The job and wage destruction due to the original NAFTA continues to reverberate across our State and the prgtoken heartland. It undermines the economic security of hundreds of thousands of workers within our State and millions more across our Nation. Following the original NAFTA's implementation, town after town was emptied out of good jobs with good wages and benefits as jobs were outsourced south of our border. prgtoken America has borne witness to NAFTA's vast job outsourcing and wage drag. Millions have suffered firsthand as dire predictions actualized and the grandiose promises of job creation failed to materialize. Our Nation has lost thousands of jobs to penny-wage environments where workers cannot even afford to buy the goods they make. They toil in sweatshops and maquiladoras, exposed to unimaginable toxins and unsafe working conditions. The original NAFTA fueled massive peasant migration from Mexico's countryside to our Nation as thousands of subsidized farmers in Mexico had livelihoods extinguished. Mexico's white corn industry disappeared. It was decimated. prgtoken What a humanitarian tragedy is NAFTA. If anyone cares about people, not just goods, listen to my words: America must wake up to the impact our trade deals impose on people when negotiating with unequal economies. prgtoken Just look to the devastation levied when multinational corporate interests dominate negotiations. Transnational banks and multinational corporations put a heavy thumb on the scales of economic justice for the poorest and for workers in our country as well as Third World economies. They exploit powerless people. Trade with our closest neighbors is never simply a zero-sum game. prgtoken In the nearly three decades since NAFTA's original passage, our Nation has not even had 1 year of balanced trade accounts with Mexico and Canada. It has always been in the red. prgtoken Indeed, the NAFTA deal has managed to add over $1 trillion to America's trade deficits--red ink--and millions and millions of outsourced U.S. jobs. prgtoken , NAFTA renegotiation is too important an opportunity to hang on faulty assumptions. America fell for that back in 1993. We cannot let it happen again. prgtoken The devil is in the details. Incremental progress to uplift North American workers devastated by the original agreement will not be enough. prgtoken With the release of text, which remains unfinished and unresolved, comes the task to determine whether the job outsourcing bonanza that has taken hold since NAFTA's passage in 1994 has truly been addressed. prgtoken Let me ask: prgtoken Have strong, enforceable labor standards been included, subject to swift and certain enforcement? prgtoken Will transnational corporate interests retain the means to outsource American jobs to take advantage of rock-bottom wages i
HONORING THE LIFE OF DAMON P. NELSON
Jim Costa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-11-15

I rise today because this month marks the 40th anniversary of the tragic death of Marjaree Mason, a woman whose life was filled with so much promise and purpose. prgtoken In 1978, Marjaree was soon approaching graduation from Fresno State. She had a job she enjoyed, working for the National Economic Development Association. She was committed to serving others and surrounded herself with the support of family and friends. prgtoken That was until her life was cut short by a brutal death. At the age of 36, Marjaree was heinously kidnapped, abused, and murdered by her ex-boyfriend at his Fresno home. prgtoken To celebrate her life and continued legacy, the folks in Fresno dedicated the Marjaree Mason Center, which was founded in 1979, to provide victims and survivors of domestic violence a safe and supportive environment. The center offers long-term safe housing, legal assistance, educational opportunities, crisis support, and counseling to victims and their families. It is in constant need. The center offers long-term safe housing. prgtoken For decades, I have been working hard to end these horrific crimes plaguing our community and the Nation. Over 10 years ago, Congressman Ted Poe and I founded the bipartisan Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus in the House of Representatives to give a prgtoken voice to victims of domestic abuse and other crimes that sadly occur on a national scale. prgtoken The Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, a piece of legislation working to improve responses to domestic violence, is one of the major initiatives the caucus works on to protect, reauthorize, and expand the needs for this sad occurrence around our country. prgtoken In my district, we have several organizations, including the Central California Legal Services, Choice Women Empowerment, Centro La Familia, and Valley Crisis Center, in addition to the Marjaree Mason Center working nonstop to provide safety and support of domestic violence survivors. prgtoken I would like to thank Marjaree Mason's family for the continuous support and commitment to expanding the mission of its center over the past 40 years. Former Sheriff Steve Magarian and so many others continue to contribute to this important work that this center does, for domestic violence is still sadly prevalent in every community, affecting more than 10 million people each year in the United States. prgtoken We must continue to fight to ensure that no one in our valley and in our Nation suffers the same fate that Marjaree Mason faced. We must continue to work together to end domestic violence once and for all.
Introductory Statement on S. 3636
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-11-15

today I have introduced the Encouraging Americans to Save Act (EASA). This legislation makes common sense reforms to the saver's tax credit by making the credit refundable and restructuring it as a government matching contribution that is directly deposited into a worker's retirement savings account. This bill would offer matching contributions for the first time to millions of middle and lower income individuals not covered by an employer-sponsored retirement plan, including those who save through an IRA under a State or local government savings program--such as OregonSaves. The government match is also available to middle and lower income savers who participate in an employer-sponsored plan. The government match provided by the bill would both encourage saving and help middle and low income earners build assets by providing an immediate, meaningful return on their personal contributions. The legislation would also require the Treasury Department to reestablish the administration's MyRA program, as IRAs established under that program would serve as the default account to hold government matching contributions in case a saver's retirement plan or IRA is unable to accept the government prgtoken matching contribution. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
S.J. RES. 65
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-11-15

as the late Senator John McCain once wrote, ``We are a country with a conscience. We have long believed moral concerns must be an essential part of our foreign policy, not a departure from it.'' He believed, as I do, that human rights and the rule of law are the cornerstones of a just and free society. prgtoken More than any President before him, however, President has shirked our Nation's values. This is especially true in his engagement abroad; across the globe, President has embraced autocrats and derided our democratic allies. prgtoken The Kingdom of Bahrain is no exception to this disturbing trend. Just 2 months into his tenure, President lifted all human rights conditions on a multibillion dollar sale of American fighter jets to Bahrain, imposed by President . President has attached no human rights conditions to any successive arms sale to Bahrain, including the arms identified in S.J. Res. 65. prgtoken The message President has sent is clear: Bahrain has a green light to act with total impunity against its citizens. The administration's decision coincided with an intensified government campaign against civil society and peaceful political opposition. In its 2017 Human Rights Report, the State Department cited Bahrain's unlawful killings by security forces, arbitrary arrest and detention of civilians, restrictions on freedom of expression, arbitrary citizenship revocation, and limits on Shia political participation, among a litany of other abuses by the state. prgtoken I recognize that, in every relationship, the United States must carefully weigh our national security interests. Bahrain is an important strategic partner and hosts our Navy's Fifth Fleet. The arms identified in S.J. Res. 65 are intended for Bahrain's territorial defense, which I support. However, I reject the notion, supported by this President, that our values and our interests are at odds. Our values, our willingness to consider the human costs of our actions, are what make the United States and what keep the United States exceptional. President should not have abandoned human rights conditions in our arms sales to Bahrain, which is why I voted against the motion to table S.J. Res. 65.
TRIBUTE TO JOAN MIDDLETON
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-11-15

today, we honor and celebrate Joan Middleton's commendable service to the Senate Employees' Child Care Center. On September 30, 2018, Ms. Middleton retired from the Center, where she worked as a floater assistant teacher for no less than 32 years. She was an admired and respected member of the Senate Employees' Child Care Center Team, her devotion to which was only rivaled by her love for the Washington Redskins. prgtoken Ms. Middleton carried important responsibilities at the center, including regularly assisting in each and every classroom, as well as supervising and closing the center each evening. She not only took these responsibilities seriously, but went well beyond the essential tasks of her post. Her deep care for the community was palpable, as was evidenced by her consistent, inclusive, and thoughtful leadership. prgtoken Without a doubt, Ms. Middleton played an integral role in each student and faculty member's day. For the students, she prepared snacks and lunches every day. All faculty went to her for anything from a ballpoint pen to a safety pin, garnering her the name ``Ms. Resource'' among her colleagues. Whenever anyone had forgotten where to find something or where it belonged, Ms. Middleton knew. prgtoken For over three decades, Ms. Middleton was a compassionate adviser who shared her wisdom with the many faculty members she took the time to mentor. While her invaluable institutional knowledge will be missed in her absence, her kind, diligent commitment to the center will live on through those members she guided throughout her tenure. The Senate Employees' Child Care center is deeply grateful for Ms. Middleton for all the positive ways she shaped the Center and enriched the lives of its students over these past 32 years.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE--S.J. RES. 65
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-11-15

I rise to discuss the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions by President immediately after the midterm elections, as well as the ongoing Justice Department investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections. prgtoken The only transparency to be found in the White House is the President's disdain for the Mueller investigation into the 2016 elections. After multiple guilty pleas and convictions among the President's campaign advisers on this ongoing investigation, President remains relentless in his campaign to find any way possible to limit the scope of the ongoing investigation. prgtoken I did not support Jeff Sessions' nomination to be Attorney General, but he followed the law and rightly recused himself from overseeing the work of Mr. Mueller and his team of professional investigators. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should continue to oversee the Mueller investigation. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein has shown his fidelity to the rule of law with the much needed announcement of a special counsel to investigate potential criminal activity and collusion between the campaign and the Russian Government in the 2016 elections. His choice of Robert Mueller was solid. Mr. Mueller served as the FBI Director under both ic and Presidential administrations. He has a well-earned reputation as a nonpartisan professional. prgtoken Let me remind my colleagues that when Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein made the special counsel appointment in May of 2017, he wrote: I determined that it is in the public interest for me to exercise my authority and appoint a Special Counsel to assume responsibility for this matter. . . . What I have determined is that based upon the unique circumstances, the public interest requires me to place this investigation under the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command. . . . Considering the unique circumstances of this matter, however, I determined that a Special Counsel is necessary in order for the American people to have full confidence in the outcome. Our Nation is grounded on the rule of law, and the public must be assured that government officials administer the law fairly. Special Counsel Mueller will have all appropriate resources to conduct a thorough and complete investigation, and I am confident that he will follow the facts, apply the law and reach a just result. prgtoken That is what Mr. Rosenstein said when he appointed Mr. Mueller as special counsel. Now we know just how right Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein was to worry about protecting the independence and integrity of the special counsel's investigation so that the rule of law would be followed and the special counsel could follow the facts, apply the l
HONORING OUR VETERANS
Claudia Tenney (Republican, NY) \u2014 2018-11-16

this past weekend our country reflected on the bravery and sacrifice of veterans who answered the call to defend our Nation. prgtoken New York's 22nd District is home to more than 55,000 veterans, and it is a true honor to serve each and every one of them in Congress. Whether part of the Marine Corps, Navy, Army, Air Force, or Coast Guard, our men and women in uniform have served and sacrificed greatly to secure the freedoms we enjoy at home. prgtoken When our veterans come home from serving our Nation, it is our responsibility to ensure they receive quality healthcare, provide them with the tools to start their own business, and find educational opportunities for them following their great service. prgtoken They stood for us, and now we must stand for them. To all of our veterans: Thank you for everything you have sacrificed for our freedom. You truly represent the best in America. prgtoken , I also have a special thank you to every veteran who has continued to serve in this great body on both sides of the aisle, and with a special thank you to our presiding today, who has also served in our military honorably. prgtoken A final thank you to all of my friends in the Marine Corps for a happy 243rd birthday, and especially to my dear son, Captain Trey Cleary, who is also a U.S. Naval Academy graduate. prgtoken Thank you so much to all of you who serve. We are indebted to you and grateful to you for your service to keep our freedoms and to continue making this a great Nation.