mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Introductory Statement on S. 3753
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-12-13

today Senator Crapo of Idaho and I are introducing the Forest Management for Rural Stability Act. This legislation replaces the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self- Determination Act (SRS) to provide revenue sharing with and compensation to over 700 rural forested counties in the over 40 States that host America's treasured, public forested lands and wildlife refuges. prgtoken In 2000, then-Senator Larry Craig, also of Idaho, and I, had signed into law SRS: a 6-year long safety-net program to stabilize county budgets following years of depleted revenue sharing payments from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Oregon and California Grant Lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Over its lifetime, SRS has been a success, providing more than $6.8 billion nationwide for rural roads, schools, and healthy forest projects. SRS also provided the basis for the beginning of, and the now growing propensity for, the USFS and the BLM to collaborate with local people and interests on the management of these public lands, and for local folks and counties to collaborate together and with the USFS and BLM, in return. prgtoken Despite its many successes, the continuation of SRS is in jeopardy. The program expired in fiscal year 2016. Congress passed a two-year extension of the program, but after its expiration. And this was not the first time nor the last time Congress allowed it to expire--SRS is expired right now, though Senator Crapo and I are attempting, in these last moments of the 115th Congress, to reauthorize it again for at least a year, perhaps two. prgtoken This stop and start existence of this program hits at the heart of any attempts at collaboration. And it certainly undermines any attempts for a county to budget. Our rural counties should not continue to suffer neither this uncertainty, nor the market based uncertainty that comes with simply relying on revenue sharing and forest management for support. prgtoken That is why Senator Crapo and I propose an SRS modernization, funding certainty while supporting active forest management. The Forest Management for Rural Stability Act establishes a permanent endowment fund, the Natural Resources Permanent Fund, to provide stable, reliable, increasing payments to counties, in perpetuity, removing them from the vagaries of Congress or the market. prgtoken Under this legislation, Congress charters a fiduciary corporation, the Forest and Refuge County Foundation, to manage the endowed fund. The corporation will be independent from any instrumentality of the U.S. government, including Congress, to ensure the principle balance is held in perpetuity and is separate from annual appropriations. The corporation will be overseen by a board of directors responsible for a transparent governance structure. The principle of the fund will be invested to earn interest. To grow the fund, in addition to the investment income, the USFS, BLM, and the
AMENDING THE CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-12-13

I come to the floor today to talk about the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship in the broader context of America's interests in the Middle East. prgtoken I want to begin by responding to an op-ed Secretary of State Pompeo published in the Wall Street Journal in which he called the U.S.-Saudi Arabia partnership ``vital.'' That statement reflects a distorted view of the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship that has permeated the administration in which the United States is somehow dependent on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for regional stability and security cooperation. It is a view perhaps best articulated by the President's own unhinged pre-Thanksgiving statement in which he suggested that selling weapons to the Saudis was more important than America's enduring commitment to human rights, democratic values, and international norms, or the President and Secretary Pompeo's continued, incredulous insistence that we still don't know whether the Crown Prince is directly responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. prgtoken Desperate to justify this myopic view, officials whimper that Saudi Arabia's military operations in Yemen are the only means to ``root out'' Iranian influence and defend the status quo of U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition. prgtoken To put it another way, these morally blindered and blinded individuals believe that to advance America's interests in the region, there is no other option than dependence on Riyadh and no other way than business as usual. So the United States should just stay the course, resign to accept, with a so-called ``vital'' partner, a government that lures a Washington Post columnist--an American resident with U.S. citizen children--to its consulate in a third country with the express intent of eliminating his dissenting views from public discourse in the most gruesome way possible. prgtoken I, for one, reject Secretary Pompeo's false choice. We can be tough on Iranian aggression, and we can continue our efforts to eliminate al- Qaida and ISIS. At the same time, we can have a reality-based debate on the strategic utility of the U.S.-Saudi partnership. Our security interests and our values demand such a debate. prgtoken I believe that we can pursue an effective strategy to counter terrorism and Iranian aggression while also demanding better from the U.S.-Saudi Arabia partnership. That means standing up for transparency, accountability, and truth when our partners flagrantly violate American values, disregard international norms, and take actions that undermine our broader strategic interests and run counter to regional security. prgtoken The administration has cynically framed this vote as a binary, zero-sum choice: You are either for Iran, or you are for Saudi Arabia. prgtoken Well, my answer to that is, I am for the United States of America. I am for America's security interests. I am for American values. And I am for partnerships and alliances deep
AMENDING THE CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-12-13

I commend my two friends, the Senator from Missouri and the Senator from Minnesota, for what they have done. prgtoken I am going to speak briefly about S.J. Res. 54. It would remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities either in or affecting the country of Yemen--except those forces engaged in operations directed at al-Qaeda or associated forces--unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of U.S. Armed Forces has been enacted. prgtoken I commend my distinguished friend from Vermont, Senator Sanders, for the leadership and perseverance he has shown on this issue. He has rightly insisted that the Congress, which alone has the power to declare war, act in response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen-- a catastrophe, we have to acknowledge, that the United States shares responsibility for causing as a result of our support for the Saudi military. prgtoken The Saudi military, by any objective measure, is guilty of war crimes in Yemen, and it is long past time for us to say: enough. prgtoken International outrage over this issue has been building steadily as the number of civilian casualties in Yemen--one of the world's poorest countries--has swollen into the thousands as a result of Saudi Arabia's intervention and ongoing aerial bombardment. We have all seen the photographs of the dead and the dying, of children who are nothing but skin and bones. Some prgtoken 85,000 children have starved to death--85,000 children--and another 13 million Yemenis civilians are at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations. prgtoken Of course, the Houthis and the Iranians who support them share the blame for the death and destruction in Yemen, but we are not supporting them. We are not sharing intelligence with the Houthis and the Iranians or providing targeting assistance. We are not selling them weapons. That is what we are doing for the Saudis. prgtoken This joint resolution is about more than that. As if the kidnapping of the Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri, the blockade of Qatar, the imprisonment of Saudi women's rights activists, and the carnage in Yemen were not enough, the outrage toward Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman finally boiled over with the horrific, premeditated murder of Jamal Khashoggi--a respected journalist who dared to criticize the royal family. Mr. Khashoggi's murder by Saudi Government agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and the blatant lies by top officials in Saudi Arabia who tried to cover it up exposed the depth of the depravity of the Saudi royal family. prgtoken I have spoken about that despicable crime multiple times already so I will not repeat what I have said, but we know the Saudi royal family is still lying about who was involved. We also know that since long before murdering Mr. Khashoggi, the Saudi Government has had a sordid history of abducting, imprisoning, and executing dissidents and others after sham trials that violate
HONORING MAJOR SHANE BRIONES
C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-12-13

I rise to acknowledge the exemplary service of Major Shane Briones as an Army Congressional Fellow and Congressional Budget Liaison for the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller). Major Briones is transitioning from his current assignment to serve as a Plans Officer for U.S. Army Europe. prgtoken A native of Pearl City, Hawaii, Major Briones was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps from Officer Candidate School in 2006. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Public Policy from The George Washington University (GWU), a Master's degree in IT Management from Webster University, and a Master's degree in Legislative Affairs from GWU. prgtoken Major Briones has served in a broad range of assignments during his 12 years as an Army officer, including Platoon Leader and Battalion Signal Officer at Fort Lewis, WA; Company Commander at Schofield Barracks, HI; and Legislative Liaison in Washington, D.C. He also has served two combat deployments in Iraq with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. prgtoken I have had the privilege of working directly with Major Briones, first as a fellow in my Capitol Hill office throughout 2016 and, then, during his succeeding assignment as a Congressional Budget Liaison for the U.S. Army. His professionalism, performance, and commitment to the mission, as both a fellow and liaison, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and made a lasting impression to both Members and staff of the United States Congress. Throughout his career, Major Briones has positively impacted soldiers, peers, and superiors. prgtoken On a personal level, I have had the honor of also meeting Major Briones' family, who, as with all American military families, share his selfless commitment to our country. I thank his wife, Ilana, as well as his parents, Daniel and Roberta, for their sacrifices made in supporting his service to our country. prgtoken , it has been a genuine pleasure to have worked with Major Shane Briones since the second session of the 114th Congress. Our country has benefited from his extraordinary leadership, judgment, and passion for the Army profession. It is with great appreciation that I recognize and commend Major Briones for his service to our country and wish him all the best as he continues his service in the United States Army.
S.J. RES. 54
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-12-13

the United States must fundamentally reshape our relationship with Saudi Arabia. Whether it is the catastrophic war in Yemen or the brutal murder of a U.S. resident, Saudi leaders believe they can behave recklessly and criminally without any consequences. We simply cannot continue business as usual with the Kingdom, specifically with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. prgtoken President has enabled Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's most egregious behavior. After our intelligence community assessed that the Crown Prince was implicated in the murder of U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi, responded, ``it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event--maybe he did and maybe he didn't!'' Once again, the President has chosen to trust the word of a brutal autocrat above that of his own intelligence community. Once again, has cast aside our Nation's values. prgtoken Even more tragically, the devastating and brutal war in Yemen rages on, pitting the reckless Crown Prince against the Houthis. The Crown Prince's actions have driven the Houthis even farther into the hands of their Iranian backers and, inadvertently, strengthened Tehran's position. The result is the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. More than 8 million Yemenis are on the brink of starvation. The worst cholera outbreak in modern history has afflicted over 1 million people, including over 600,000 children. Millions more are displaced from their homes. As the years wear on, and with no end in sight, the cycle of desperation, destruction, and death continues unabated. prgtoken Though the administration recently suspended aerial refueling for the Saudi-led coalition, it claims that munitions sales and targeting assistance provide leverage in the conflict; yet President seems unable and indeed unwilling to use this leverage to place meaningful restraints on the Saudi attacks in Yemen. prgtoken So we must ask ourselves these questions: Why is the United States complicit in this endless war? Why is the President providing cover for the Saudi Crown Prince, at all costs? Finally, what must we do to reset this relationship? prgtoken I believe there are two clear, near-term actions we must take to answer these questions and reshape our relationship with Saudi Arabia. prgtoken We took our first step today. In an historic moment, the U.S. Senate voted to suspend military support for the Saudi-led operations in Yemen. The administration should heed this clear signal and end all military support, including supplies of U.S. spare parts and technical support. We must refocus our efforts to help broker an end to the conflict. prgtoken Second, the United States must send a clear message to Saudi Arabia or any other autocratic regime: We do not tolerate the slaughter of political dissidents. We must hold accountable all those responsible for murder of Jamal K
AMENDING THE CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-12-13

the last thing one does in life is not necessarily the best. I have come to respect Claire McCaskill over a long period of time. I have watched her walk in a room and watched heads turn. I have listened to her up front, answering questions: no nonsense, direct, truthful, to the very best of her ability. I found in her a great sense of conscience. She has this marvelous exterior. I think the interior is a little different. prgtoken There is a sensitivity there that is very special, Senator. I hope you never ever lose it because it is what gives you the ability to do what you do. Now I expect to turn on my television set and turn on my radio and hear you many times and take a lot of good advice and have a few laughs listening to you. prgtoken I want to say thank you. You have represented your State well. You have stood tall. You have spoken out in our caucuses. You have let people know what you feel. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and you are one great woman.
TRIBUTE TO SHARON SCHULTZE
Susan A. Davis (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-12-13

I rise today to mourn the passing of a truly dedicated public servant, Sharon Schultze. Sharon was a tireless advocate for social justice and civility, a loyal senior Congressional aide, and generous mentor. Sharon dedicated her life to serving the poor, the downtrodden, and the most vulnerable. She will be remembered by all those who knew her for her selflessness and love. Sharon was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska and moved to San Diego after getting married. She was instrumental in creating a ground breaking program at the University of San Diego's Law School, the Mira Mesa Mediation Center, which helped people from diverse backgrounds resolve conflict peacefully and civilly. The center later developed into the National Conflict Resolution Center. prgtoken Sharon worked for Bob Filner throughout his entire political career, from the San Diego School Board to San Diego City Council to the United States Congress. Sharon passionately served the people of San Diego for over three decades, taking on various responsibilities throughout Filner's different elected offices. One of her favorite projects while working for Congressman Filner was helping him chose the district winner of the Congressional Art Competition wherein high school students from every congressional district in the country compete for an opportunity to display their artwork in the Halls of Congress. prgtoken Her favorite role, and the one she found most rewarding, was that of advocate. Sharon took the most joy out of writing legislation that promoted veterans and San Diego residents. prgtoken Perhaps the achievements of which Sharon was most proud were her contributions to the veteran community. She helped draft and pass the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008, which provides full, four-year tuition to military veterans who enlisted after September 11, 2001 attending public universities across the country. She was instrumental in the passage of legislation supporting Filipino veterans and Merchant Marines who served the United States during World War II receiving full veteran benefits, which they had been previously denied. prgtoken Sharon was an amazing, accomplished woman. Her strong worth ethic and professionalism made her a role model and devoted mentor to the young people who looked to her for guidance both in San Diego and in Washington, DC. My office and I were on the receiving end of some of her mentorship. Soon after I was elected to Congress, Sharon was the first to offer guidance and support. Her best quality, noted by many of her friends and family, was that Sharon was a gifted listener. She was there for whoever needed her help, without regard for her time and energy. Sharon bestowed unconditional positive support, kindness, compassion, and empathy to those around her, assuring them that they were loved and valued. She shared her ideas and common sense with others, always making sure to keep people's best
HONORING BARBARA BAILEY
Adam Smith (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-12-13

I rise to honor the life and legacy of Barbara Bailey, an extraordinary leader who will be remembered for her tireless advocacy for LGBTQ communities and communities of color. prgtoken Barbara was a prominent Seattle presence, having run the independent bookstore Bailey/Coy Books for many years. Over that time, her Capitol Hill bookstore served as a key safe haven, and an inclusive space for LGBTQ individuals--particularly, during an era when prejudice, stigma, and discrimination against the LGBTQ community remained rife. prgtoken During the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, Barbara was part of a courageous group of activists who founded the Pride Foundation, with the vision of creating a community of shared humanity and expanding opportunities for LGBTQ peoples. With her passion, volunteerism, and conviction, Barbara helped lead the Pride Foundation at a critical moment in history, and helped to cultivate it into one of the leading LGBTQ organizations in the Pacific Northwest. To date, the Pride Foundation has remained on the forefront of pursuing equity and positive systemic change in our society. prgtoken Barbara remained resolute in her tireless advocacy for equality throughout her life. Whether fundraising for organizations, supporting local candidates who shared her values, advocating on the Lambda Legal Board of Directors, or serving as a member of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), Barbara Bailey's activism and principles paved the way for LGBTQ people in the region. Her legacy lives on through the Barbara Bailey Scholarship Fund, which will empower a new generation of leaders. prgtoken , it is with great honor and humility that I recognize the life of Barbara Bailey, a champion of civil rights in the Seattle area and whose impact will endure through the many lives which she inspired.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-12-13

. We haven't passed the homeland security bill through this House. It got out of committee; you didn't bring it to the floor. We haven't had a vote on it, so there is no consensus on that part of it. prgtoken So, , let's pass those six bills. Let's have a plan that will work to preclude shutting down the people's government. I hope we can do that. I hope we can do it, come back Wednesday night, and I hope, Mr. Leader, you have a plan between now and Wednesday night to get us to the place where we can do what we have agreed upon, and agreed not to agree on something that we can't agree on, or pass it and send it to the President. prgtoken , I hope we can do that. That is our responsibility. That is our duty, the duty to have a plan of how to make sure that government continues to operate, and a plan as to how we can have our Members and their families celebrate one of the highest holy days in Christendom. prgtoken I yield to my friend.