mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES IN YEMEN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-2-13

. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 37, which directs the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress. prgtoken The passage of H.J. Res. 37 would mark the first time in the 45 years since the enactment of the War Powers Act that the House of Representatives successfully invoked the statute's removal mechanism to compel the Executive Branch to remove American troops from harm's way. prgtoken I support this resolution because, Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Constitution. prgtoken Mr. Chair, Congress has not declared war with respect to, or provided a specific statutory authorization for, the conflict between military forces led by Saudi Arabia, including forces from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, and Sudan (the Saudi-led coalition), against the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, in the Republic of Yemen. prgtoken Since March 2015, members of the United States Armed Forces have been introduced into hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, including providing to the Saudi-led coalition aerial targeting assistance, intelligence sharing, and mid-flight aerial refueling. prgtoken The United States has established a Joint Combined Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia, in which members of the United States Armed Forces assist in aerial targeting and help to coordinate military and intelligence activities. prgtoken Mr. Chair, the conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis constitutes, within the meaning of Section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1543(a)), either hostilities or a situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances into which United States Armed Forces have been introduced. prgtoken Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)) states that, ``at any time that United States Armed Forces are engaged in hostilities outside the territory of the United States, its possessions and territories without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, such forces shall be removed by the President if the Congress so directs''. prgtoken Most importantly, no specific statutory authorization for the use of United States Armed Forces with respect to the conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen has been enacted. prgtoken Also, no provision of law explicitly authorizes the provision of targeting assistance or of midair refueling services to warplanes of Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates that are engaged in such conflict. prgtoken For this reason, the resolution directs that the President remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting the Republic of Yemen, except United States Armed Forces engaged in operations directed at al-Qaeda or associated forces, by
SUPREME COURT ETHICS
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2019-2-13

in recent years, some Americans suspect that politics has infected our courts, particularly the United States Supreme Court. This troubling trend threatens our democracy when the independence of our judiciary is questioned. prgtoken Last week, I introduced a bill that requires the Judicial Conference of the United States to create a code of ethical conduct for the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken Unlike Federal judges, Supreme Court Justices are exempt from the code of conduct. The Supreme Court Ethics Act changes that. prgtoken Supreme Court Justices should not be exempt from adhering to the standards other Federal judges must follow. prgtoken Passage of this necessary ethical reform would restore the public's confidence and perception that the judiciary is independent, impartial, and apolitical; and it would protect public confidence in the rule of law, the inviolability of the judiciary and the incomparable and unique role it plays in the delicate system of checks and balances that sustains our democracy.
Nomination of William Barr (Executive Session)
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2019-2-13

once again, I would like to respond to the Senator from Texas as he continues to hold the position that the on this side of the aisle simply oppose all of the President's nominees because they happen to be this lying President's nominees. That is not the case at all. prgtoken has consistently thought to nominate people to his Cabinet who he believes will do his bidding and protect his interests. Once confirmed, if these Cabinet Secretaries displease him, out they go--Jeff Sessions, Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson. prgtoken The President believes William Barr will be an Attorney General who will protect him. Why does the President believe that? Because William Barr auditioned for this position. How? Mr. Barr wrote a highly unusual and factually unsupported, unsolicited 19-page memo to the Sessions Justice Department, arguing that Special Counsel Robert Mueller should not be permitted to interrogate the President about obstruction of justice. Nobody asked him to weigh in. prgtoken He admits he didn't have any facts or inside information, and, in fact, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein chose not to discuss the matter with him, but Mr. Barr felt compelled not only to put his views in writing and send them to the Department of Justice, but he also made sure the President's lawyers knew his views. His memo sent a clear message to this President that he would protect from the Mueller probe. prgtoken Once did nominate him for Attorney General, after having earlier offered him a job as his personal attorney--virtually the same job in 's mind--Mr. Barr came to the Judiciary Committee and continued to signal his willingness to shield from scrutiny. prgtoken First, he refused to commit to follow the advice of career ethics officials on the question of recusal from the investigations. He didn't want to make the same mistake Jeff Sessions did and open himself up to Presidential humiliation, no matter what the ethics experts recommended. prgtoken Second, he refused to commit to make public Special Counsel Mueller's report. In both instances, he said he wanted to keep his options open, leave himself room to make his own decisions, and trust his ultimate judgment. prgtoken While these answers were reassuring to the President, they certainly were not to those of us who want an Attorney General independent of a President who does not believe the rule of law applies to him. When asked at his hearing, Mr. Barr should have affirmatively committed to allowing all active investigations to continue until the prosecutors say they are done. That includes the special counsel's investigation, as well as the probes being conducted by, again, at least three U.S. attorney's offices. Instead, he gave his usual equivocal response. prgtoken Of course, these are all active investigations having to do with Mr. and his activities. Barr's position on these inv
Nomination of William Barr (Executive Session)
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2019-2-13

I thank the senior Senator from West Virginia for his time today, but, more importantly, as the Senator from Virginia, Mr. Warner, said, Senator Manchin has fought harder than anyone in this Chamber on behalf of men and women, whether they are coal miners or their families or their spouses. prgtoken This is a very simple debate. It is not a debate about some far-off, complex issue. This is about a promise--a promise that was made to coal miners and their families in the 1940s. prgtoken The only question--a real simple question--is that we are either going to keep the promise or not. It is as simple as that. Both parties, both Houses, and the administration--this is not complicated. We made substantial progress, but it took far too long, and there are some people in this Chamber who have been blocking it for far too long on healthcare. We got that done. That is the good news. prgtoken The bad news is, the pension issue is still unresolved. There is still a lot of suffering, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of trauma because two branches of government haven't done enough for these families. prgtoken I come from a State where large portions of our State were dependent upon the sweat and the blood of working men and women, especially coal miners. Stephen Crane, the great novelist, wrote an essay in the early 1900s--actually late 1800s--about all of the dangers in a coal mine and all of the ways a miner could die. He described the mine as a place of ``inscrutable darkness'' and ``a soundless place of tangible loneliness.'' That is how he described the work of the coal miner. prgtoken I know we made progress in the intervening generation since then, but that work has always been difficult. It has always been dark and dangerous, but the people who did it kept their promise. They kept their promise to their employer to work every day and kept their promise to their family. Many of them kept their promise to their country when they served in World War II or Korea or Vietnam or any conflict after that, even up to the present day--but especially those who were serving in those years. prgtoken The only question is whether this government and all of us here--and both parties are on the hook here--whether we are going to keep our promise along with this administration and any future administration. It is as simple as that. prgtoken We have some work to do here to make sure that promise is fulfilled. These families, these miners have already kept their promise. They are done. This isn't something extra we are giving them. prgtoken All we are doing is our part. We are obligated here, and I am grateful that the senior Senator from West Virginia and others have worked together to make sure that this issue is front and center, even as we are dealing with a range of other issues. prgtoken .
Nomination of William Barr (Executive Session)
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-2-13

. I did not receive the courtesy of a response to either letter. prgtoken Here is a man seeking approval of his appointment. The ranking member of the Judiciary Committee sends him a letter asking two very valid questions, and there is no response. That told me something very loud and clear. prgtoken Over the past year, we have seen several other investigations arising out of the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Columbia, where prosecutors are looking into crimes involving foreign donations into the inauguration committee, money laundering, campaign finance violations, as well as possible efforts by Russian agents to assist the campaign during the election. When asked about these investigations at his hearing, Mr. Barr refused to pledge they would be protected from interference. He refused to pledge that these valid investigations would be protected from interference. prgtoken For example, Senator Coons asked, ``If the President ordered you to stop the [Southern District of New York] investigation in which someone identified as individual one is implicated, would you do that?'' prgtoken Mr. Barr responded that ``every decision within the department has to be made based on the attorney general's independent conclusion and assessment that it's in accordance with the law, so I would not stop a bona fide lawful investigation.'' prgtoken However, this qualification of ``a bona fide, lawful investigation'' is all important. In his 19-page memo, Mr. Barr clearly wrote this: ``The full measure of law enforcement authority is placed in the President's hands, and no limit is placed on the kinds of cases subject to his control and supervision,'' including ``matters in which he has an interest.'' I really see why he was nominated. This is the offering of complete protection from the law by the Attorney General--future Attorney General, if he should become one. prgtoken Mr. Barr went on to argue that if the President determined ``an investigation was bogus, the President ultimately had legitimate grounds for exercising his supervisory powers to stop the matter.'' This would mean that the President could stop the Mueller investigation, which the President has repeatedly described as a ``witch hunt'' and ``hoax.'' prgtoken It also means that if decided the Southern District of New York's investigation was, in Mr. Barr's words, ``bogus,'' the President would have the right to stop the investigation. Think about that. Think about the ramifications of that. prgtoken When Senator Blumenthal asked Mr. Barr during his hearing, ``If the President fired a United States attorney, would you support continuing that investigation, even under the civil servants, the career prosecutors, who would remain?'' prgtoken Mr. Barr replied, ``Yeah . . . I believe, regardless of who or what outside the department is trying to influence what is going on, every decision within t
Nomination of William Barr (Executive Session)
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2019-2-13

I say thank you to Senator Manchin. We are joined by Senator Capito, Senator Warren, and I know, in spirit, a number of others. I think Senator Casey will be here in a few minutes. I join them to remind this body--it is a constant reminder--that more than 86,000 miners--86,000 miners--are on the verge of facing massive cuts to the pensions and healthcare they earned. prgtoken This body doesn't always remember what collective bargaining is all about. Collective bargaining is when union members sit down and give up wages today to have something for the future, to have healthcare and to have retirement in the future. prgtoken Of those 86,000 miners, 1,200 miners and their families could lose their healthcare this month because of the Westmoreland and Mission Coal bankruptcies. The bankruptcy courts could allow these corporations to ``shed their liabilities,'' which is a fancy way of saying walk away from paying miners the pensions and the healthcare benefits they absolutely earned. prgtoken Senator Manchin is working to fix this. I thank him for his efforts, and I thank others in this body. We know the mine workers aren't alone. The retirement security of hundreds of thousands of teamsters, ironworkers, carpenters, bakery workers, and so many other retirees is at risk. prgtoken We know this affects, in my State alone, 250 businesses, mostly small construction and transportation companies, 60,000 workers in my State alone, and the health of communities. Mine worker communities are especially hurt by this because so many of them live in the same community--local stores and local businesses. prgtoken As we know, Congress pretty much tried to ignore these workers and these retirees. Senator Manchin and I saw that day after day and week after week, but they fought back. We saw workers rally. They rallied in very hot weather on the Capitol lawn, and they rallied in very cold weather on the Capitol lawn. They rallied. They called. They wrote letters. We have seen those camo UMWA T-shirts around the Capitol. Many of them are veterans. They fought for their country. We owe it to them to fight for them. prgtoken We made progress on the bipartisan Pensions Committee that Senator Manchin and I sat on. Thanks to Senator Portman, also from my State, and members of both parties who put in months of good work in good faith on this. prgtoken I am committed to these miners and workers. We will not give up. That is why I brought Rita Lewis as my guest to the State of the Union Address down the hall last week. Rita Lewis is the widow of Butch Lewis, the teamster who died from a heart attack a couple of years ago, in large part, we think--she thinks, his family thinks brought on by the pressure of fighting for his union, his Teamsters 100--1 million members around the country. prgtoken It is about the dignity of work. When work has dignity, we honor the retirement security people have earned. prgtoken As I said, people
Nomination of William Barr (Executive Session)
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2019-2-13

I thank, first of all, the Senator from Virginia for fighting for his coal miners in Southwest Virginia. prgtoken They have been out there fighting in Westmoreland, and we have 1,200 miners about ready to lose everything that we had to fight for to gain. They are going to lose their pensions. They are going to lose, also, the healthcare. We have to get them in the bill. We have to get our trust fund on the black lung restored.
IN RECOGNITION OF THE OUTSTANDING SERVICE BY FEDERAL WORKERS DURING THE LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN AMERICAN HISTORY
Raja Krishnamoorthi (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-2-13

. Madam , today I rise to honor the federal workers, both in my district and across the country, who went without pay during the government shutdown. prgtoken Across the country, about 800,000 federal employees went without pay for 35 days during the shutdown from December 22nd to January 25th. This wrongheaded situation was hard on all the affected workers, but it was particularly difficult for the 110,000 affected federal employees who earn $50,000 or less annually. Despite not being paid, more than 420,000 employees were required to work for weeks on end. Worse still, these employees had to live with the uncertainty of not knowing when the shutdown would end, and when they would be paid again. Furloughs and delayed paychecks are not the right way to treat our hard-working employees who provide critical services to Americans across the country, and they are the wrong way to run an effective and functioning government. prgtoken Despite a misguided lapse in appropriations, many workers in my community and nationwide admirably and dutifully continued working without pay. Air traffic controllers at the O'Hare International Airport, and other American airports, worked without pay to ensure planes could take off and land safely. TSA Agents worked without pay so that Americans could travel safely, keeping our economy thriving. IRS and Treasury employees worked without pay to ensure our constituents could process their tax returns and plan for their financial security. HUD employees worked without pay so that society's most vulnerable, our low-income and senior citizens, had safe housing. USDA employees worked without pay so that our food would be inspected, and so working families could receive food aid, preserving public health and family wellbeing. Employees at the National Park Service worked without pay to protect our sacred public spaces. National Weather Service Employees worked without pay to provide critical weather information that we rely on daily for comfort and accessibility. Madam , these employees worked tirelessly for the good of their country, even when their government wasn't working for them. prgtoken Unfortunately, this lack of pay required working families to turn to food banks, food pantries and other charitable organizations. These incredible civic organizations, including many faith-based organizations and places of worship, are the lifeblood of our local communities. Their life-saving services during this difficult time will not be forgotten. prgtoken Moving forward, I am committed to working with my colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to prevent future government shutdowns at all costs so that no Americans--including federal workers and citizens who rely on critical government services--will have to suffer the consequences of another government shutdown. prgtoken To quote the late civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr.: ``The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 37, REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES IN YEMEN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS; WAIVING A REQUIREMENT OF CLAUSE 6(a) OF RULE...
Tulsi Gabbard (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2019-2-13

. Madam , I thank the chairman and the sponsor of this important legislation for the incredible leadership and continuing to be a resolute voice. prgtoken The United States support for Saudi Arabia's genocidal war in Yemen, with no authorization from Congress, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Yemeni civilians. The U.S.-Saudi coalition has dropped bombs on children in school buses, on people in markets, and on families who are celebrating weddings. prgtoken They have left millions of Yemeni people on the brink of death from famine, disease, starvation, a lack of access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare. This has created the worst humanitarian crisis in a generation. prgtoken Earlier this week, the administration threatened to veto this critical legislation should it pass Congress, this legislation that would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, by spreading blatant lies. They have said that this legislation draws ``constitutional concerns,'' and they say it would ``affect our ability to prevent the spread of violent extremist organizations.'' prgtoken But here is the truth. First, the United States' support for this war in Yemen is unconstitutional. Congress has not authorized it. Second, Saudi Arabia is not our ally, and continued U.S. support for this war in Yemen is strengthening terrorist groups like al-Qaida. prgtoken A recent CNN report documented how Saudi Arabia is literally taking the U.S. weapons that have been provided to them in this war in Yemen and handing them off to al-Qaida on the ground in Yemen, the very same terrorist group that attacked us on 9/11. prgtoken Or to speak of the fact that Saudi Arabia is continuing to spend billions of dollars spreading their Wahhabi-Salafist ideology that is fueling terrorist organizations like ISIS and al-Qaida, causing them to grow stronger. prgtoken Congress must take action today. We must reclaim our constitutional responsibility and pass this legislation to stop supporting Saudi Arabia's genocidal war in Yemen and strengthening these terrorist groups that threaten us.
HONORING PARKLAND SHOOTING VICTIMS
Stephanie N. Murphy (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-2-13

I rise today to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. prgtoken It was just a year ago that we lost 17 lives at the hands of a gunman as part of the terrible epidemic that is gun violence in America. Fourteen of these were young students with a bright future ahead of them. prgtoken Today, I am here to honor the memories of Alyssa, Martin, Nicholas, Jaime, Luke, Cara, Gina, Joaquin, Alaina, Meadow, Helena, Alex, Carmen, and Peter and the three courageous staff members: Scott, Aaron, and Chris. prgtoken May their souls in Heaven be a guiding light to us here on Earth as we continue to fight against gun violence, because no parent wants to send their kids to school, to church, or to a movie theater worried about whether they may ever come home. prgtoken It took less than 7 minutes for a gunman in Parkland, Florida, to try to erase these 17 people, but he could not and will not be able to erase them from the memories of their loved ones. prgtoken Today we remember their lives by saying their names, and we honor them by taking action. We can and must act. I, for one, will never stop fighting to honor their legacies and make our communities safer by ending gun violence. We as a nation shall never forget.