mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
OPPOSITION TO H.R. 737
Daniel Webster (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-11-21

. Madam , I rise today to make clear my opposition to H.R. 737, the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act. Yesterday, when the House considered this deeply flawed legislation I spoke in opposition--to express my concerns about the devastating impacts the legislation will have on shark conservation efforts and responsible American fishermen. Many of these fishermen come from my own district in Florida and have made many sacrifices to rebuild and sustain our shark populations. I am grateful to many of my colleagues who joined me in opposition to this measure after listening to my concerns. Regrettably, when the electronic vote was taken, I was recorded incorrectly. I want to make clear that I oppose this legislation and intended to vote NO.
JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION ONE WALK
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-11-21

. Madam , on Saturday, I walked in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation One Walk at Segra Park, home of the famous Columbia Fireflies, with members of the University of South Carolina chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. I am grateful to have been able to support such an important cause and walk in support of eradicating type 1 diabetes. prgtoken The money raised at the JDRF One Walk in Columbia supports life- changing research that gives hope to those impacted by type 1 diabetes. It is an autoimmune disease that strikes suddenly and is serious and stressful to families, challenging families across our district. prgtoken Currently, there is nothing that can be done to prevent type 1 diabetes and there is no cure. JDRF is a leader in funding diabetes research, motivated by their vision of a world without type 1 diabetes. This organization works tirelessly to improve the lives of those affected by this disease by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat diabetes. prgtoken I appreciate JDRF Palmetto Chapter Development Director Beth McCrary for her hard work and success in coordinating the JDRF Walk in Columbia and for her advocacy for ending type 1 diabetes. prgtoken In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the Global War on Terrorism.
Nomination of Dan R. Brouillette (Executive Session)
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-11-21

I am pleased that at any moment now, we will move to invoke cloture on the nomination of Dan Brouillette to be Secretary of Energy. As folks know, he is currently serving as our Deputy Secretary of Energy. In my view, he has excelled in that role since being confirmed by this body in a strong bipartisan vote back in August of 2017. He has run the Department on a daily basis. He has been helping Secretary Perry set an agenda that has been focused on energy security and technological innovation. He has been a good partner of the Energy Committee--honest, open, and responsive. I have certainly appreciated all of his leadership. prgtoken We commend him to this body. He did very well in his nomination hearing before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. I believe he will do very well in his new role. I encourage all Members to work with us to confirm him as soon as possible today.
OCTOBER VETERAN OF THE MONTH
Kevin Hern (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-11-21

. Madam , I rise to honor the First District of Oklahoma's October Veteran of the Month, Senior Airman Kelli Ingraham. prgtoken A Public Health Journeyman in the United States Air Force, Senior Airman Ingraham honorably served our nation for four years. Upon returning home from service, Senior Airman Ingraham followed her passion for service and has dedicated her life to serving her fellow veterans. prgtoken As a Veterans Services Representative with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA), Senior Airman Ingraham works with our nation's veterans to help them in navigating the federal bureaucracy. Assisting veterans with claims for service-related disabilities, education opportunities, advance medical compensation, as well as employment and housing placement, Ingraham's work with the ODVA is truly admirable. Her devotion to ensuring that our nation's heroes receive the benefits they deserve is honorable and she sets an example we should all strive to follow. prgtoken In addition to working as a Veterans Services Representative for ODVA, Ingraham is involved with the Tulsa Vet Center, the Tulsa Stand Down for Homeless Veterans committee, and the Oklahoma Women Veterans Organization. Senior Airman Ingraham lives a life of unmatched dedication, sacrifice, and service to our great nation. She answered the call to defend freedom across the globe and sacrificed whatever was necessary in the name of that noble cause. She continues to serve our country, community, and her fellow veterans at a high level on a daily basis. It is my honor to recognize Senior Airman Kelli Ingraham as the 1st Congressional District of Oklahoma's October Veteran of the Month.
GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK
J. French Hill (Republican, AR) \u2014 2019-11-21

. Madam , I rise today to commend the Arkansas Department of Human Services for taking action to address the urgent need for better mental healthcare by establishing a support line to connect Arkansans to low-cost mental health and substance abuse services. prgtoken Far too many Americans, about one in five, are suffering from some form of mental illness, a problem that has disrupted too many families, caused too much violence and pain, and cost far too many lives. prgtoken Untreated, mental health disorders and substance abuse have resulted in countless tragedies in our country, including over 45,000 lives lost to suicide and 70,000 lives lost to drug overdoses, both in 2017 alone. prgtoken We all must work together and continue to move forward in addressing the issue of mental health and mental health access and do what we can to save the lives of all American citizens and reverse this deadly trend of suicides and overdoses. prgtoken The Arkansas support line is now live. If you or a loved one need mental health or substance abuse services, please share this number and call the DHS mental healthcare support line at 1-844-763-0198. prgtoken Recognizing the Arkansas Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
SUPPORT SERVICE ORGANIZATION CAUCUS
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-11-21

. Madam , service plays an important role in communities across the Nation. From small acts of kindness to grand gestures, we can all do our part to make a difference. It is something I am personally passionate about, having served as a volunteer firefighter for many years and being involved in scouting my entire life. prgtoken Nobody embodies this mission better than the countless volunteers and service organizations that can be found nationwide. That is why I am honored to co-chair the Congressional Service Organization Caucus with my colleague, Congressman Panetta from California. prgtoken The Congressional Service Organization Caucus is a group of Members who not only support their local volunteer service organizations but share a mutual admiration for community service and humanitarian assistance. prgtoken The spirit of service is something that both s and can come together to champion. That is why Congressman Panetta and I are asking for the support of our colleagues in joining this caucus and upholding our support for these organizations and the communities that they serve.
NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-11-21

probably a lot of my colleagues know I have had a quarter-century interest in legislation dealing with foster care and the foster care system. This is National Adoption Month, and while recent data from the Department of Health and Human Services show improvements for kids in foster care, it is clear that there is still work to be done. prgtoken In 2018, the average length of stay in foster care increased to over 19 months. We need to take that statistic as movement in the wrong direction. Less than half of the kids who exited foster care were reunited with their parents. Our goal ought to be to reunite them with their parents when it isn't harmful to the kids, but what I have also learned over the last 25 years from talking to kids who are in foster care, being shunted from home to home, school to school in the same school year--I have heard from them, ``I would like to have a mom and dad,'' and ``I would like to have a permanent home.'' prgtoken I have taken that to heart, and legislation that I have worked on helps with that issue. All children deserve a permanent home, and they deserve caring, consistent adults to nurture and guide them. As long as I serve in Congress, I will continue to work toward that goal. prgtoken Also, during this month of November, National Adoption Month, I hope people will take a special concern about kids who are in foster care. prgtoken .
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-11-21

on another matter, the USMCA is not the only important legislation are holding up. As if neglecting the first major update to North American trade policy in a generation were not enough, they are also on track to break a nearly 60-year tradition of passing a bipartisan Defense authorization bill. prgtoken Passing the NDAA is one of Congress's most basic governing responsibilities. It authorizes and assures the ongoing missions of our Armed Forces and the resources the Department of Defense needs to carry them out. prgtoken Every year since 1961, these goals have been enough to get Members across the ideological spectrum to prgtoken come together and deliver a comprehensive, bipartisan piece of legislation--but not this year, at least not yet. prgtoken House are so intent on picking fights with the White House that they decided to play partisan games with our Armed Forces. They passed a fully party-line NDAA--not one vote--for their House version on the floor. I believe it is the first time ever that either Chamber has passed a purely partisan NDAA. prgtoken The House, on a partisan basis, also included many provisions that aren't even in the jurisdiction of their Armed Services Committee. Even in conference, House are holding germane provisions hostage in order to secure partisan, nongermane provisions that literally have nothing whatsoever to do with our national security. prgtoken Their demands to treat the NDAA like a gift basket to liberal interest groups is imperiling the passage of this important legislation. We are talking about demands like a new taxpayer-funded benefit for all Federal employees and burdening farmers, ranchers, small businesses, local airports, and community water utilities with expensive new environmental liabilities--all kinds of domestic policy changes that were not in the Senate's bipartisan version and have no business bringing this crucial process to a halt. prgtoken The Senate did things the right way. We passed a bipartisan NDAA back in June, just as we do every year. That is a credit to Chairman Inhofe, Ranking Member Reed, and the rest of the Senate Armed Services Committee. It was a thoroughly bipartisan product, debated out in the open. prgtoken But House literally went off the rails. The House Rules Committee afforded floor debate only on a single substantive amendment while they jammed through their own partisan priorities. They passed a totally partisan NDAA with zero votes--none. Now they are risking the entire conference committee to insist those partisan demands wind up in the end product. prgtoken Enough is enough. The USMCA and NDAA cannot be clearer examples of bipartisan legislation that would make our country stronger. prgtoken Our ic friends said that they want to do more than just impeach. They say they came to Washington to do more than pick fights with the President. W
Order of Business (Executive Session)
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-11-21

I rise to present an amendment to this bill. My amendment is simple, and it reflects the kind of commonsense budgeting we ought to be doing in Washington. Today I offer the penny plan for infrastructure. This plan cuts one penny, 1 percent of all spending, and puts that money in a fund for infrastructure. prgtoken My amendment would put about $12 billion per year into a fund to fix our roads and bridges. Every agency would still get 99 percent of the spending they got the previous year. Sure, they would need to trim some fat, but they would still be fine. A lot of businesses and organizations will tell you they have to cut much greater than 1 percent a year. prgtoken I visited a business recently that in the downturn of 2008-2009 had to cut 30 percent of their expenditures. Business men and women in America are used to having to cut expenditures; government never does. prgtoken Whether it is our highways or our bridges or our waterways, our infrastructure in America is falling behind. Everyone knows it, but like so many things, Washington can't figure out how to fix it, how to find the money to fix it. prgtoken Politicians on both sides of the aisle talk about trillion-dollar infrastructure plans but offer no way to pay for it. My plan is much more modest, doesn't increase taxes, and doesn't increase our debt. The penny plan for infrastructure pays for it with money we have already allocated. prgtoken To be clear, we do have the money. Washington just spends it in inappropriate ways. Washington spends, for example, $233 million on a single highway in Afghanistan. We have money to pave roads in Afghanistan, but they will not vote to spend the money here to pave roads. prgtoken The people in Afghanistan got $233 million for a road, but they couldn't even maintain it, so we gave them another $22 million to maintain the road. prgtoken We spent $326 million to pave 2,000 kilometers of dirt roads in Afghanistan. We have enough money to spend over $300 million to pave dirt roads in Afghanistan, but we can't come up with $1 billion to help our infrastructure here. They were supposed to pave 2,000 kilometers; it turned out they only paved 159 kilometers. They paved less than 10 percent of what they actually promised to do with the money. What is that equal to--$2.7 million per mile. prgtoken It is outrageous, and it goes on year after year after year. I think it is time we try a new way. Just in Afghanistan, we have spent more than the Marshall Plan did to rebuild Europe after the devastation of World War II, and we are still there, spending good money after bad. So when people come up here and prgtoken say that a 1-percent cut would somehow be a disaster, we need to remind them that the money is there. They just have to listen to the people and pull the plug on this kind of crazy spending overseas. prgtoken My amendment would move 1 percent of current spending, and it would put that 1 percent of the current
RECOGNIZING PULMONARY HYPERTENSION AWARENESS MONTH AND NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH
Kevin Brady (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-11-21

. Madam , I rise today in recognition of two important events in November: Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month and National Adoption Month. prgtoken Pulmonary hypertension was first brought to my attention by my dear friend Jack Stibbs, whose daughter, Emily, had PH. Because of her early diagnosis and his terrific leadership, Emily has been able to lead a relatively normal life and recently graduated from college and married. However, not all patients are as fortunate as she. prgtoken That is why the work of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association is so important. Their efforts to increase awareness and research across Federal agencies are making a huge difference in lives across the Nation. I am proud to represent the PHA Lone Star Chapter in The Woodlands, Texas. prgtoken November is also National Adoption Month. This is a cause I hold close to my heart because it is thanks to the miracle of adoption that I have my incredible family today. prgtoken During this month, we recognize and thank the adoptive parents, dedicated professionals, and the faith-based organizations that work tirelessly to provide our Nation's children with love and support. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in raising awareness and saying thanks to these two great causes.
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-11-21

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION FOR HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS ACT
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-11-21

. Madam Chair, this amendment underscores two obvious points: first, that healthcare and social service workers should be free to report workplace violence incidents to law enforcement; and second, that this bill was drafted poorly. prgtoken Such a commonsense provision should not need to be added to the underlying legislation. But in the ' rush to force OSHA to promulgate workplace violence prevention standards, they are bypassing key elements of the established rulemaking process that would ensure a provision such as this amendment, if needed, is in the regulatory text. prgtoken H.R. 1309 circumvents the longstanding, established OSHA rulemaking process, which is intended to gather information on the underlying circumstances that may merit a health and safety regulation and to receive meaningful stakeholder input in order to create the most feasible and protective safety and health standard possible. prgtoken By dodging the established regulatory process, the are ignoring or unaware of many key issues like the ones addressed in this amendment. prgtoken Madam Chair, I will support the amendment, and .
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--H.R. 4566
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2019-11-21

I ask unanimous consent that if the Senate receives H.R. 4566 and the text is identical to the text of S. 2592, as introduced, that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 4566; that the bill be considered read a third time; and that the Senate vote on the passage of the bill; finally, if passed, that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
CLOTURE MOTION
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-11-21

I would like to talk about a couple of topics. prgtoken First, s on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for very recently approving legislation to rename the NASA Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, OH, after Ohio's own and a true American hero--the late Neil Armstrong. I now, of course, urge that this legislation be taken up by the full Senate and that we get it passed. There is an identical bill in the House. We hope to join both bills so that it may be sent to the President for his signature very soon. prgtoken The NASA Plum Brook Station is a state-of-the-art testing facility. It is near Sandusky, OH, and is a terrific facility that is doing a lot of the testing right now for both NASA and some private sector companies. It is part of the NASA Glenn complex that is headquartered in Cleveland, OH. prgtoken It is an impressive operation for a lot of reasons, but the one that is most exciting right now is their work on the Artemis Project. This is, of course, NASA's plan to put astronauts back on the Moon by 2024, including having the first woman go to the Moon. This mission will also lay the groundwork for future expeditions to the next great leap in spaceflight--that, of course, being a manned mission to Mars. It is exciting stuff. prgtoken At Plum Brook, they are already testing critical components of the rocket engines that are scheduled to carry Artemis astronauts into space starting next year. Very soon, they are going to be testing the spacecraft itself. We hope it will arrive at Plum Brook within the next few weeks where it will undergo about 4 months of testing. prgtoken This past summer, I and my colleague, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, introduced this legislation to rename the facility after Neil Armstrong, and we did so on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, from which, of course, Neil Armstrong became world famous for being the first person to walk on the surface of the Moon. prgtoken Ultimately, Neil Armstrong was a test pilot. We think of him as an astronaut. Some know that he was also a fighter pilot and that he was a veteran of the Korean conflict. He was just an amazing individual-- humble, smart. He was a very patriotic individual. How appropriate and perfect that as a test pilot, which he was during his whole post- fighter pilot career until his time as an astronaut, Plum Brook be named after him. prgtoken By the way, Neil's family agrees with that, as does NASA, and as do others we have talked to. So we are hoping that this will be a fitting way to honor a man who, for all of his accomplishments, saw himself, first and foremost, as a patriot who pushed the boundaries of flight. Therefore, the test facility is very dear to them. prgtoken I talked to him about this test facility. After one of my visits there, I went to see him at his home and told him about the progress they were making. At that time, they were
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-11-21

I move to table the Paul amendment, but I just want to say a few words. prgtoken This continuing resolution before the Senate holds spending at the fiscal 2019 levels. An arbitrary 1-percent across-the-board cut on top of this--although it sounds good--would be extremely harmful to our agencies, particularly our military. prgtoken The Senate handily defeated similar amendments just recently, and I hope we will do this today.
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
David Perdue (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-11-21

. I am reserving the right to object. prgtoken , just yesterday, Secretary Pompeo joined the foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, including Foreign Minister Cavusoglu from Turkey. Secretary Pompeo had quite a lot to discuss with him, as this administration continues its engagement with Turkey's leadership on the heels of President 's meeting with President Erdogan last week. In light of these diplomatic efforts, I respectfully object to this resolution at this time. prgtoken While the content of the legislation before us merits undivided consideration, its passage would undermine the administration's overcoming real challenges in our bilateral relationship with Turkey. I look forward to working with the administration and Senator Cruz and Senator Menendez in holding our NATO ally responsible for its commitment made when it joined the NATO community of like-minded nations founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law. prgtoken For those reasons, I object.