mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
COAST GUARD SHUTDOWN
Kurt Schrader (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2019-1-10

I rise today with some very, very sad news. On Tuesday night, the Mary B II, a crab boat out of Newport, Oregon, capsized while crossing the Yaquina Bay bar. prgtoken Members of the U.S. Coast Guard responded heroically to assist the boat, battling seas that were 12 to 14 feet in height. Unfortunately, the crew of three died. prgtoken It was actually to be Josh Porter's last trip on that boat. He had a different job. prgtoken , I want to convey my deepest condolences to the crews, the family, the friends, and, frankly, the community for their immense loss. The tragedy illustrates the courageous and perilous work that our Coast Guard members perform daily and how vital their services are for these communities. prgtoken I am proud to lend my support to legislative efforts that make sure these men and women actually receive their pay for this dangerous work that they perform on our behalf. prgtoken As we enter almost 3 weeks under a partial shutdown of the government, I know, for many of our valuable public servants, their resources are stretched thin. They will start missing paychecks because of the failures of the Federal Government. They continue to admirably serve throughout this shutdown, and we must ensure they don't suffer because of our failures. prgtoken , I implore the President and Congress to take up the bills the Senate and House have passed and reopen the United States Government.
GOVERNMENT FUNDING
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-1-10

today is the 20th day of the shutdown. Tomorrow, it will tie the record for the longest shutdown in American history, and 800,000 Federal workers will miss a paycheck--TSA agents and Border Patrol, air traffic controllers and food safety inspectors, veterans, and FEMA aides, and more. Many Federal employees--particularly, GS-3s and GS-4s and GS-5s--live paycheck to paycheck. Who is going to make the next mortgage payment for them? Who is going to put food on the table? And what on Earth do these employees and their agencies have to do with disagreements here over security down on our southern border? prgtoken The President is treating these hard-working Americans as nothing short of leverage--pawns in his political gambit to extract $5 billion from American taxpayers to fund a border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for. This is ridiculous and cruel, and it needs to end now-- right now. prgtoken The ic position is very simple. Let's separate our disagreements over border security from the government shutdown, reopen all the government agencies unrelated to border security, and let's continue to work to resolve our differences. Do not hold all of these workers as hostages, as pawns, as leverage. prgtoken That is why have passed the House legislation to reopen government that was drafted and supported by Senate s. We are not trying to push down the throats of s something they don't support or they can't swallow. Four of the bills in this package passed the Senate 92 to 6. The other two came through committee. They didn't get to the floor. They passed 31 to 0 and 30 to 1. There is nothing--I repeat, nothing--contained in the legislation that Senate s oppose. prgtoken So why aren't we voting on it? Because Leader McConnell is hiding behind President , saying he will not bring to the floor a bill to reopen the government unless the President says OK. prgtoken Now, for the past 3 weeks, we have tried to get the President to ``yes.'' We have gone around and around and around with the White House and made little progress. Congressional leaders have now been to the White House three separate times for negotiations. Each time, the President has been intransigent and uncompromising. He refuses to back down from his position that the price to reopen the government is $5 billion of taxpayer money for a wall that he promised Mexico would pay for. prgtoken On multiple occasions, he has refused our request to reopen unrelated parts of the government and continue negotiations on border security, revealing that he is holding the American people hostage as leverage, and he seems to be--in his words--``proud'' of it. After only a short time into yesterday's meeting, the President got up, said ``bye-bye,'' and left. Does that sound like someone who is working to solve this impasse? prgtoken Allies of the President pointed out that he passed
SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM ACT
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-1-10

I rise today in support of, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor of, the bipartisan Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act, H.R. 221. I thank Representative Chris Smith for introducing this bill and Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul for their leadership in bringing it to the floor today. prgtoken I am sad to say that we live in a time when anti-Semitism is again on the rise across our globe. Last fall, the entire world was shocked by the shooting in Pittsburgh of 11 Jews at prayer in the Tree of Life synagogue, the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in our country's history. prgtoken Here in the United States, according to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents increased 57 percent in the U.S. alone in 2017 compared to the previous year. prgtoken In the European Union, a survey found that European Jewish communities fear attacks and rated anti-Semitism on the Internet and social media as the biggest social and political problem. A Kantor study on contemporary Jewry recently stated that Europe's largest Jewish communities are experiencing normalization and mainstreaming of anti-Semitism not seen since the Second World War. prgtoken The United States has an important leadership role to play in tamping out hate both here and around the world. That is why I am concerned that the State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti- Semitism remains unfilled, as it has since the start of the administration. Our bill would elevate this role to a position of proper importance at the ambassadorial rank and sets requirements to ensure the role is filled within 90 days. prgtoken We need to do all we can to support our allies and combat anti- Semitism wherever and whenever it manifests itself. Hate is truly a cancer that eats away at our foundations. What may first begin as words can fester and manifest into discrimination, violence, or worse. prgtoken I am proud this House passed our bill overwhelmingly in the last Congress but disappointed that the Senate did not take action. I am pleased that this is a priority at the start of this new Congress, and I hope the Senate will follow our lead and take up this important legislation. I hope the President will take note and pass this legislation and fill this long-overdue vacancy.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Tina Smith (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2019-1-10

today and for the last 19 days, men and women across the country are being hurt by a government shutdown that President said he was proud to cause for the wall. I rise today on behalf of Minnesotans, on behalf of more than 4,790 hard-working Federal employees and low-wage contractors going without pay in Minnesota right now, and I rise today on behalf of the taxpayers of our country who just want the government to work for them. prgtoken Since I became a Senator, just a little over a year ago, the government has been closed three times over the President's obsession with building an expensive, ineffective wall on our southern border. I am all for border security, but we need to focus on real solutions, not symbols. prgtoken So let us start with the facts. In my home State of Minnesota, the Federal Government employs about 32,000 people as food safety inspectors, prison guards, postal workers, and more. Of this total number, the Center for American Progress estimates that 4,790 people are impacted by the shutdown today in Minnesota and are furloughed or working without pay. Over 750 of these workers have already filed for unemployment benefits, and hundreds more are being forced to make tough decisions about how to cover basic expenses, feed their children, and take care of their families. prgtoken A couple of days ago, I asked Minnesotans how they are being hurt by this shutdown because I wanted to understand how this is affecting people in their everyday lives. In just the last 48 hours, I have heard from Minnesota farmers who can't cash checks because the Farm Service Agency offices are shut down and Tribal law enforcement officers who are working without pay. prgtoken I have heard from air traffic controllers in Minnesota who came by my office earlier this week with dozens of handwritten letters full of stories. The letters I am about to read come from these air traffic controllers, and I really want to thank them for sharing their stories. These are public servants who have dedicated their careers to making our airports safe. prgtoken Tomorrow, January 11, marks the first day when these folks--Americans who show up at work every day to protect us--will miss their first paycheck. What is going to happen to these families? How will they be able to cover their credit card bills, their childcare payments, their mortgages? These are the questions that are keeping them up at night. prgtoken I wanted to share some of their stories with you today so that those of us in Congress and the President can keep these people uppermost in our minds and the human impact of what is a wasteful and increasingly harmful shutdown. prgtoken The first story comes from Michael, in Rochester, MN. Michael writes: My wife stays at home to care for our 3 year old daughter. She is also currently obtaining a master's degree in education so she can be a teacher when our daughter finally goes to
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2019-1-10

now, President is right about one thing. There is a crisis in America, and I want the President to know I agree with him, but I would note it is not fictitious hordes of illegal immigrants crashing into our southern border. That is nothing more than the imaginary invasion of a President obsessed with constructing a wasteful monument to himself; the obsession of a President who, long before the shutdown, began resorting to misinformation and stoking fear among the American people for political gain. prgtoken There is a crisis in America, but it is not the crisis the President wants us to believe. It is a crisis at the kitchen table of Americans. prgtoken Hundreds of thousands of American families are preparing to miss their first paycheck through no fault of their own. These families are trying to figure out how they are going to make ends meet, how they will pay their mortgage or heating bills or, God forbid, whether they can afford both food for their table and medicine for their children next week. That is not fiction. That is a real choice in America today. That is the crisis in America. prgtoken These are the adjustments President has glibly said our country's public servants are ``willing'' to make on behalf of his wasteful border wall; incidentally, a wall the President repeatedly promised--gave his word--that Mexico would pay for. prgtoken I have been privileged to be here for a long time, but in my 44 years in the U.S. Senate, I have never seen something so tone deaf from a President of the United States of either party. Even during his address to the Nation on Tuesday night--which was more of an exercise in data- distorting demagoguery than informing the American people--President refused to acknowledge the real pain the shutdown is causing. prgtoken Dozens of Vermonters have contacted my office to share how they are suffering under the shutdown. These Vermonters are urging the President and my colleagues in the Senate to stop playing politics with their lives and reopen the Federal Government. These are not just people who are Federal employees; these are people who have contracts with the Federal Government. These are people who have to rely on the Federal Government being open. prgtoken I will give you one example. Like many Americans affected by the shutdown, one of the Vermonters who contacted my office is a veteran. He spent more than two decades serving his country in the Navy. He is now a Federal employee in charge of more than a dozen people who are coming to him with questions he cannot answer. prgtoken He writes: I have run out of words to tell the 15 employees who work for me when asked how they are supposed to provide food, heat, and electricity for their families here in Vermont. prgtoken Keep in mind, the weather in Vermont is projected to drop well below zero this weekend with enough snow to close dow
EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-1-10

I rise today in support of the small business development centers located throughout my district and throughout the country. These development centers are Statewide, nationally accredited programs that provide one-on-one consulting, training, and information resources to empower new and existing small businesses. prgtoken They are a public-private partnership between the Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce and Economic Development, and universities and colleges across the Commonwealth. prgtoken Clarion University and Penn State both have fantastic small business development centers whose mission is to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge needed to make smart decisions and to see their businesses grow and prosper. prgtoken Over the past few months, I have received many letters in support of small business development centers from constituents who have utilized these services to start or maintain a small business of their own. prgtoken Lisa from Smethport wrote that, after growing up working in her family's restaurant, it had always been a dream to operate her own restaurant. Through the help of the Clarion University Small Business Development Center, her dream became a reality. prgtoken Joseph from Punxsutawney worked with the center to help manage his business's financial records and receive a line of credit. He wrote that the information and advice they provided helped him make critical business decisions with confidence. prgtoken And Emily from Franklin recently opened up a charming bed and breakfast after working with the development center staff to write up a business plan and organize the financial aspects of her business. She hopes to continue working with the development center and said she truly feels as though they want her to succeed. prgtoken , these are just some of the stories I have received, and I thank all of my constituents that took the time to share their stories with me. The success stories of small business owners that work with development centers are endless. They have greatly helped economic progress in my district. prgtoken The Clarion University center helped start up 55 new businesses in 2017 and supported more than 500 constituents. prgtoken Nationally, small businesses make up 99.7 percent of U.S. employer firms. In 2018, there were more than 30 million small businesses that employed 58 million people. prgtoken The development center program, operated through the Small Business Administration, was allocated $130 million for fiscal year 2018. Through the continued funding of small business development centers, paired with the passage of probusiness legislation like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, entrepreneurship can continue to thrive in Pennsylvania and all across this country. prgtoken , that is something every American can applaud and that we should be proud of.
BORDER SECURITY
Mike Johnson (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-1-10

I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri. prgtoken , the gentlewoman has given us this opportunity tonight to speak on the growing crisis at our southern border. It is a critical issue that our friends on the other side of the aisle are simply failing to address. prgtoken Over the course of this government shutdown, many have sought to dismiss the very real challenges that we are facing regarding human trafficking, sexual assault, and drug smuggling that clearly are occurring. Thousands of people are making the dangerous journey to and across our southern border, and this has been the result. prgtoken What these same opponents fail to mention is the perverse incentives that exist for these crimes. prgtoken For example, our lax immigration laws have encouraged illegal immigration. prgtoken For example, the dramatic increase in unaccompanied minors and supposed family units at the border are a direct result of our catch- and-release policies. prgtoken The President made his case to the American people just a few nights ago, and he addressed the urgent need for border security. He is precisely right. prgtoken Securing our borders and protecting the American people must be a top priority of this Congress. It is our duty. It is important to maintain the strength and the sovereignty of our Nation. prgtoken A strong America is good not only for our national security and our prosperity, but it is good for all people around the world. As the last great superpower, we have to maintain our sovereignty and our strength, and it is important to do exactly that. prgtoken Here are just a few of the most devastating facts, and we will hear many of them tonight. prgtoken Last year, Customs and Border Protection agents apprehended 17,000 adults with existing criminal records. prgtoken In the past 2 years alone, ICE agents have arrested over 230,000 illegal aliens with a prior criminal history committed within our borders. That is assault, homicide, and sexual assault--violent crimes. Our border agents have arrested thousands of gang members and traffickers, and they have rescued countless children from exploitation. prgtoken By any objective measure, this is a humanitarian and a national security crisis. Anyone who says otherwise is either ignoring the facts or being dishonest. prgtoken Right now, so many of our friends on the other side are refusing to do what they have supported in the past, simply because it is now in line with President 's agenda. prgtoken When President was in office, for example, all 54 Senate voted for $46 billion in border security and hundreds of miles in border fencing. prgtoken What has changed, ? prgtoken That is an important question. Do our friends across the aisle need to hear from the families who have lost loved ones at the hands of an illegal alien? Do they deny that children being smuggled across the border deserve reprieve? prgtoken Sadly, the legislation that has come before the H
SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM ACT
Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-1-10

I thank Chairman Engel for his friendship and all his good work over the years, as well. Again, I also thank Representative Smith, my good friend, for sponsoring this piece of legislation. prgtoken As co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Caucus, I rise in strong support of H.R. 221, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act. prgtoken The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism was established by the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act. The Special Envoy develops and implements policies and projects to support efforts to combat anti- Semitism globally. prgtoken This bill elevates the position to the rank of ambassador, directly reporting to the Secretary of State, sending a clear message to the world regarding our commitment to combating anti-Semitism. prgtoken In addition to requiring the position be filled, the bill prevents the appointee from holding any other office, making this a priority and ensuring their sole focus is monitoring and combating the scourge of anti-Semitism. prgtoken Throughout history, humanity has experienced tremendous evil, Mr. . Our brightest moments as a Nation were those when we recognized evil and worked together to swiftly and unapologetically defeat it. Our darkest moments were those when we stood by and did nothing while making excuses for our passivity. prgtoken Combating anti-Semitism and promoting human rights are pivotal components of American diplomacy and foreign policy. Additionally, dedicated U.S. leadership in this area is crucial, especially at a time when anti-Semitism around the world is dangerously on the rise. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this good, bipartisan bill.
RECOGNIZING MARICOPA COUNTY SUPERVISORS STEVE CHUCRI AND BILL GATES
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-1-10

I rise today to commend the just completed chairmanship of Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri and to congratulate the incoming chairman, Supervisor Bill Gates. prgtoken Maricopa County is the Nation's fastest growing county, and Steve Chucri has had a lot to do with our success. He has led efforts on the board of supervisors to create a healthier urban environment, foster more job connections, fight homelessness, and sustain good governance. We are thankful for his service as chairman of the board of supervisors. prgtoken Incoming chairman is Supervisor Bill Gates, and I congratulate him on his new post. I know he will continue to lead Maricopa County well throughout this next year. prgtoken I am grateful for individuals like Steve Chucri and Bill Gates who help to make Maricopa County an attractive destination to millions of men, women, and children.
HONORING THE LIFE OF WILLIAM R. CARTEAUX
John Shimkus (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-1-10

. Madam , I rise to recognize the life of William R. Carteaux (Bill), the president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association and a renowned leader throughout the decades he spent in the U.S. plastics industry. prgtoken Mr. Carteaux passed away on December 10, 2018, losing a hard-fought battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at the age of 59. Bill was a tireless advocate for the U.S. plastics industry, which employs nearly one million Americans across the country. prgtoken In addition to being a champion for one of America's largest and most important manufacturing industries, Bill was also a true son of the Midwest--he was born in Avilla, Indiana, was the son of an electrician, and spent high school working the night shift at a local metalworking plant. Eventually, he attended Purdue University and Indiana Wesleyan before entering the business world and achieving success in the plastics industry. prgtoken During his time leading the Plastics Industry Association, Bill made recycling and sustainability core priorities for his organization and his industry. He presided over the foundation of his association's Recycling Committee and Sustainability Advisory Board. He also played a role in the design and execution of several recycling projects which aimed to drive lasting market-driven solutions to the industry's and the environment's most serious waste management challenges. prgtoken Before he passed away he led the Washington-area Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and became one of its biggest supporters--raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for research to find a cure. prgtoken Madan , Bill's contributions to the U.S. plastics industry, his tenacity, and his passion made an impact on the lives of thousands of Americans. He will be sorely missed. I would like to extend my condolences to his wife, Daniele Fresca; his daughter, Whitney Taveras; her husband, Fernando; their son, Liam; and his daughter, Mallory Carteaux.