mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO BOB LEEPER
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-1-28

for more than 30 years, the men and women of Paducah, KY, have prospered with the leadership of my friend, Bob Leeper, in city, State, and finally county government. There are few individuals more appreciated for their public service in western Kentucky. At the end of last year, Bob completed his term as McCracken County judge-executive, and I would like to take a moment to offer my gratitude and reflect on his many years of service. prgtoken There is a common expression identifying two types of people who are elected to office: show horses and work horses. The first kind thrives when driving home a point in front of the camera or in making a bold headline. On the other hand, a work horse will forgo acclaim in favor of accomplishment and reject praise for progress. Without a doubt, Bob has spent his career as a work horse. His achievements will leave a lasting impact on the area and our Commonwealth. prgtoken To say the least, Bob cared little for party labels. As a matter of fact, during his distinguished career, Bob hit the political ``trifecta'' of sorts, having been elected by his constituents as a registered , then a , and lastly as an Independent. prgtoken In his first elected office as Paducah city commissioner, Bob also served as mayor pro tem and quickly earned his colleagues' respect. From there, Bob won a seat in the Kentucky State Senate. In Frankfort, Bob set himself apart as a constructive leader and a problemsolver. His reputation for handling complex issues with fairness garnered the appreciation of his fellow senators on both sides of the aisle. prgtoken Reelected five times, Bob served for 24 years in Kentucky's legislature including as the chair of the senate appropriations and revenue committee. His work from this important post displayed his integrity, skill, and his characteristic nature as a work horse. prgtoken Bob chose to leave the Senate in 2014, but that didn't end his career of public service. The same year, he was elected as the McCracken County judge-executive, the top job in county government. In that role, Bob had the opportunity to continue serving his community and making positive impacts on the lives of his neighbors. Among his proudest accomplishments, he includes a number of infrastructure improvements at the courthouse, jail, road department, and in the local parks. I enjoyed partnering with him on behalf of workers at Paducah's U.S. Department of Energy site. prgtoken For his decades of service in Kentucky, the current members of the Paducah City Commission wanted to express their gratitude to Bob at his retirement with a lasting testament to his work. The commission unanimously voted to name a footbridge in his honor in Paducah. When completed, the Bob Leeper Bridge will connect the city and county's trail systems, a fitting tribute to a man who spent his career working to benefit his community. prgtoken As he enters his retirement from pu
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-1-28

today I want to speak as a Senator and a physician. Many know that I am a doctor, but specifically I am a hepatologist. I studied and treated those with liver disease. One of my colleagues, Dr. Louis Balart, just passed away; a friend who treated many patients with liver disease and made an incredible impact upon the lives of those whom he treated in the State of Louisiana and indeed across the Nation. Dr. Balart has a remarkable story. His family came to the United States from Cuba when he was a child. His father escaped Cuba after his family was sent ahead to the States by drinking blood that he had drained from his own body. He went to the Cuban captors and said, ``I'm bleeding internally, I need to go to Miami to get treated.'' As a doctor himself, he knew that this would happen. With this remarkable story, he was able to rejoin his family that had moved to the United States, fleeing Castro's Cuba. As is the case of many such stories, the family succeeded tremendously, Louis Balart being among them. I mentioned before that he was an influential physician, but he was also a teacher with LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans and Tulane School of Medicine. He also headed the liver transplant unit at the Tulane Medical Center. He passed his gifts down and now his son, Carter Balart, is a gastroenterologist in Baton Rouge, whom I have had the pleasure of working on patients with. Today I honor Dr. Louis Balart, a father, husband, and physician who contributed greatly to his adopted country, the United States of America. He left it richer because of his presence.
U.S.-QATAR STRATEGIC DIALOGUE
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-1-28

this month, Qatar and the United States completed the second annual Strategic Dialogue. The State Department cited the many successes of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. prgtoken The Strategic Dialogue highlighted the strength of the relationship to deepen the cooperation to benefit both countries. prgtoken The United States welcomed Qatar's generous offer to expand critical facilities at bases used by U.S. forces in the country, enabling expansion at Al Udeid Air Base. prgtoken Both sides intend to strengthen their security and counterterrorism partnership to eradicate terrorism and violent extremism. prgtoken There was continued support for a strong and united Gulf Cooperation Council promoting a peaceful and prosperous future for the region. Our GCC allies should work together to resolve their differences for the sake of the success and security of the region. prgtoken In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism. prgtoken Our sympathy to the family of Robert Adams, VI.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-1-28

there has been a lot of conversation about the damage to our economy and to the basic operations of government from the shutdown. Rightfully so, it is something we should talk about and spend some time trying to figure out how to manage this for the future, what shutdowns do to our future. prgtoken What has been interesting is how absent that same conversation has been over the last 2 years as my colleagues on the other side of the aisle actively worked to shut down the basic operations of government by not allowing nominations to proceed in the normal process. prgtoken In December, with little fanfare and into early January, 386 nominations from the administration were returned back to the administration with a ``no action''--386 people. Those were judges, those were potential board members, those were individuals, many of them Deputy Assistant Secretaries of different Agencies, individuals who keep the basic functioning of government open and working. Three hundred and eighty-six of those nominations had no action on this floor because something very different was happening during the last 2 years. It had not happened like this before in the beginning of any Presidency--in the first 2 years--that his nominations were blocked on the floor not with a vote, with time. prgtoken In the past, with nominations, a person would be nominated by the President. They would go to the committees. They would get a full background check investigation. There would be questions for the record. The committees would then have an open debate in the committee. They would vote as a committee. If they were voted out of committee, there would be additional questions for the record. Then, once those were done, they would get an up-or-down vote. Often those were voice votes, even here. It was something that was assumed because they had been approved by committees, and the background checks had been done. prgtoken In the last 2 years, 128 times, Members of the Senate required what is called a cloture vote--one more hurdle to go through--so that literally they would have to file cloture on those, allow for an intervening day for them to sit out there, and then 30 hours of debate on that person--30 hours of additional debate. That is after the intervening day. You have 24 hours, plus another 30 that is all set out there, to add a little additional time. prgtoken With over 1,000 nominees whom the executive branch would do, it is not possible to get through all of those if you continue to request an additional 2 days in the process to work on each of them. prgtoken For individuals to prevent these different Agencies from working and functioning, to prevent the activities of government, you can just request cloture votes over and over again--128 times to basically slow down the Senate so much and to slow down the workings of government all over DC so much that it can't operate at its capacity. prgtoken This has to be
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
Roger F. Wicker (Republican, MS) \u2014 2019-1-28

today is Data Privacy Day, a day set aside to raise awareness about how personal information is being used, collected, and shared in today's digital society. It is also an opportunity to educate the public about how to safeguard individual data and also an opportunity to encourage businesses to respect consumer privacy when correcting and dealing with data. prgtoken As we all know, data-driven innovation is exploding today, and that is a good thing. It allows developers, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and large companies to create applications, products, and services that are increasingly customized for users. This is great for consumers and great for the economy. prgtoken The benefits from this explosion of data come in the form of increased productivity, convenience, and cost savings. The benefits also extend to our prgtoken very health and safety. In using data and in using this data economy, we can serve to improve the daily quality of life for every American. prgtoken All in all, opportunity in this digital era is potentially limitless. However, to realize our Nation's economic and societal potential in the global digital economy, consumers need to have trust and confidence that their data will be protected and secure in the internet marketplace. That is the reason we are emphasizing data privacy today. prgtoken I want to talk briefly about the potential for legislation in this Congress. Over the last decade, there have been numerous calls at all levels of government in the United States and elsewhere for baseline privacy legislation to protect consumers in a world of Big Data. Some jurisdictions have already acted. For example, the European Union recently enacted the General Data Protection Regulation--commonly known as GDPR. California has enacted and signed into law the California Consumer Privacy Act, CCPA. We see some American companies, not based in California, certainly not based in Europe but who are dealing with data across the board, calling on Congress to act and enact baseline privacy protections across the board in the United States of America. prgtoken I say that we have reached a point where Congress needs to act to develop Federal privacy legislation, and this is a viewpoint that is accepted and supported across the aisle by and s in both Houses of the Congress. Strengthening consumer data protections will be a top legislative priority for the Commerce Committee during this Congress. We will continue to build on the current momentum in the Senate as we discuss how to approach the development of bipartisan privacy legislation in this Congress. prgtoken This is one of the best opportunities in this Congress, will be one of the best opportunities for and s to work together and put something on the President's desk for his signature. I know that through collaboration, we can develop a legislative proposal that provides consumers with meani
FIGHT ILLICIT NETWORKS AND DETECT TRAFFICKING ACT
Denver Riggleman (Republican, VA) \u2014 2019-1-28

today I am proud to speak in support of H.R. 502, the Fight Illicit Networks and Detect Trafficking Act, or the FIND Trafficking Act. prgtoken First, I would like to commend Representative Vargas for sponsoring this bipartisan legislation, and I would also like to thank my colleague from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), for her important work on this bill. prgtoken As the father of three daughters, including one at James Madison University, who is currently working on a project utilizing technology to combat human trafficking, it is deeply concerning to me that sex traffickers and drug smugglers have seamless access to the financial system through the use of virtual currencies. prgtoken Virtual currencies were created to meet legitimate market demand, but have increasingly become the preferred method of payment for illicit goods and services facilitated by the dark web. Virtual currencies appeal to criminals because of their versatility and ability to provide anonymity during transactions. prgtoken According to the International Labour Organization, in 2016, 4.8 million people in this world were victims of forced sexual exploitation. In 2014, the global profit from commercial sexual exploitation was $99 billion. Additionally, a 2015 Treasury Department report estimated that $64 billion is generated annually just from the United States in drug trafficking sales. prgtoken This bill calls for the Comptroller General to conduct a study on how virtual currencies and online marketplaces are being used to facilitate sex and drug trafficking, and how these funds are repatriated into the banking system. prgtoken By enacting this legislation, Congress will be taking a much-needed step to better understand the methods and tactics used by criminals. This information will be critical to law enforcement efforts to thwart sex traffickers, drug dealers, terrorists, and other bad actors. Mr I strongly support this bill.
FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY PROTECTION ACT
Ted Budd (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-1-28

I want to thank my friend, the ranking member, for yielding, and I want to start by congratulating him on his new role on the Financial Services Committee. Certainly, he makes our home State, the Old North State, proud. prgtoken I also want to congratulate the new chair on her position as chair of our committee, and I look forward to working with her in a bipartisan fashion whenever I can. prgtoken I also have to thank my colead on H.R. 56, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch), for his leadership on illicit financing issues, and this bill in particular. I always enjoy teaming up with him, and I value his input and expertise on these issues. I am hopeful we will see some movement on his kleptocracy legislation soon, and I am proud to be coleading that bill with the gentleman. prgtoken Today, , I rise in strong support of my bipartisan legislation, the Financial Technology Protection Act. I have said this many times before, but I will say it again because it bears repeating: Illicit financing networks are the linchpin of any terrorist group, criminal organization, or rogue state's operations. prgtoken As we move into an increasingly digital and virtual world, criminals and terrorists will start to use new technologies that are available to them. This shouldn't shock anyone. Of course, we all recognize the good that comes with innovation and new technology, but there will always be bad actors as well. prgtoken The bottom line is that the Federal Government has to be one step ahead of the illicit actors in this new space without threatening technological innovation, and that is what this bill will do. It will do this by giving the private sector additional tools to protect their new technology, hence the name for the bill, the Financial Technology Protection Act. prgtoken , H.R. 56 is a culmination of months of work with outside groups all over the political spectrum, from national security groups that appreciate the task force to trade and industry groups that appreciate the new tools being given to them that will help them better protect their industry and livelihood. prgtoken I think that this bill strikes an impressive balance and is an example of some bipartisan areas that we can work together on in the 116th Congress. Specifically, , my legislation will do the following things: prgtoken First, and perhaps most importantly, H.R. 56 establishes the Fintech Leadership in Innovation and Financial Intelligence Program, which will be used for grants and rewards in the fintech space for ideas and programs to combat terrorist use of digital currencies. These technologies would be open access and open source. Experts in the private sector can track illicit use of these currencies and perhaps do a better job of leveraging their talent to create tools and programs through the Fintech Leadership and Financial Intelligence Program. We need to give them the ability to try, and that is exactly what this bill
CBO REPORT
David Schweikert (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-1-28

I am going to try to do a couple of things tonight, and some of this is actually to answer some correspondence we had into our office when we did part of our, we will call it, unified theory presentation a couple weeks ago on what we see happening. prgtoken I have two key points I really want to try to drill home tonight. I am going to say them over and over, and I am going to use a number of different slides to talk about them. prgtoken , one is, it is obvious. You see what is happening in our mandatory spending, but that mandatory spending is substantially driven by our demographics. We are getting older as a society, and we need to just deal with that. That is not or ic; it is basically math. prgtoken Those of us from the baby boom--there are 74 million of us--the peak of the baby boom, I believe, right now, is about 63 years old. A lot of the reforms should have happened a decade ago. Now it is almost too late. prgtoken So how do we deal with the fact of the matter? We are going to see a number of slides of what is about to happen in our mandatory spending curve and what that means to the financial impact of our debt and our economic growth in our society, because much of the debate you will see behind these microphones, I believe, is actually missing the point. prgtoken We joke in our office that D.C. is substantially a math-free zone. We are going to try to actually do some math. prgtoken The reason we put up this slide is very, very simple: just to visualize it. It is about a year old. prgtoken This new CBO report update came out today. We are grinding through it. We have a couple slides here from that. prgtoken But just to visualize, this is 1965, and that is 2018. prgtoken , do you see the red area on the 2018? That is to give you a sense that we don't vote on that. That is on autopilot. The blue area is actually the defense spending; that is about 15 percent. The green is basically everything else. prgtoken So remember, 70 to 75 percent of all of the spending around here is on autopilot. I am going to show you, , in a number of these slides how much of that is actually really based on our demographics. prgtoken This slide is very powerful--and I am going to bend it just a bit to try to understand. prgtoken Now, this is done by the Manhattan Institute. It was done about a year ago. So we are going to try to get the numbers updated. prgtoken Now, this is not adjusted for inflation. So when it says what is causing an $84 trillion deficit, functionally, over the next 29, 30 years, you can take off about one-third if you want to do the inflation adjustment in your head. prgtoken But when you look at it, the point is up here. You see the first bar; that is Social Security. The middle bar there is Medicare, and the third bar is everything else. prgtoken , you will notice everything else over the 30 years is actually positive in its impact on revenues, but Social Security and Medicare are the <|
FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY PROTECTION ACT
Stephen F. Lynch (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-1-28

I rise in support of H.R. 56. prgtoken First, I would like to thank our chairwoman, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), for her outstanding leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. I would also like to thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry) for his energetic support as well. In addition, I would like to thank my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Budd), a colleague of ours on the Financial Services Committee, for working in a bipartisan fashion with me to get this bill to the floor in a better way to safeguard our emerging financial technology sector against its illicit use by terrorists and their financiers, money launderers, computer hackers, and other criminal actors. prgtoken I would also like to point out, as evidenced in the course of our ongoing committee investigation to examine terrorist and money laundering activities, that continued innovations in digital currencies, peer-to-peer financing, mobile payments, and other emerging financial technologies--or in today's lingo, fintech--have been met with increasing efforts by malign actors to exploit these digital platforms and services for terrorist and other criminal purposes. According to the Combating Terrorism Center At West Point: ``Given the interest that terrorist organizations have shown in leveraging digital currencies, their use of such mediums for conducting financial transactions will only increase in the future.'' prgtoken So the growing reliance on digital currency for terrorist financing recently manifested itself in the U.S. in the form of a complex bank fraud scheme perpetrated by a Long Island woman, Zoobia Shahnaz, who pleaded guilty in November of 2018 to providing material support to a terrorist organization. prgtoken In an attempt to raise funds for the Islamic State, Ms. Shahnaz fraudulently obtained credit cards which she used to purchase more than $62,000 in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. After converting the currency to U.S. dollars and transferring the funds to her checking account, she proceeded to execute wire transactions totaling over $150,000 directed to top Islamic State-affiliated individuals and shell entities in Pakistan, China, and Turkey. prgtoken The illicit use of digital currency systems has also extended to other criminal enterprises, including cybercrime. According to a six- count indictment returned by a Federal grand jury in Newark, New Jersey, two Iranian nationals engaged in a nearly 3-year international extortion and computer crime scheme involving the deployment of so- called sam sam ransomware against U.S. public and private entities. Acting from inside Iran, these cybercriminals forcibly encrypted the computer systems of more than 200 hospitals, municipalities, and public institutions in the United States, including the city of Atlanta, the city of Newark, and the Colorado Department of Transportation. In exchange for decryption keys, t
NO MORE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-1-28

last Friday the 25th of January, 2019, was a day of celebration for 800,000 Federal workers. They joined me at the Federal office building which my office is in, and we stood together listening to their pain and their stories of trying to survive. Many said: We don't want to be held hostage again. prgtoken , I rise today to say that no Federal employee over a policy question should not be paid. And as we have been saying, open the government and pay the workers. That same day, I went out to visit TSO officers and air traffic controllers. prgtoken When I came back today, I stopped to speak to air traffic controllers, and I thanked them and said, America now knows for all of the Federal workers what great patriots and servants of the Nation that they are. We must thank them. prgtoken I want to say to the officer who asked me about his pay being frozen that I hope s will join in raising that pay to 2.6 percent. This is my answer to you, that we will pay you, and we will increase your pay. prgtoken As I close, , I want to offer sympathy and concern for five Houston police officers who have just been shot. I offer my prayers and concern and sympathy for their families, and a speedy recovery during this time.