mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SAUDI FUGITIVE DECLASSIFICATION ACT OF 2019
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-10-17

it is interesting. When we come here, we seem to think that everybody in America is reading the blogs and all the major newspapers every morning. A lot of people do, but some people have lives. They get up early. They go to work. They listen to the news from time to time, but they don't follow it closely. That is what they hire us to do and they hire us to deal with as policymakers. prgtoken On this issue of Syria, it strikes me, and it really did earlier this week when I visited this gas station close to my home that I frequent. It also has a little convenience store with a coffee stand inside. A gentleman comes up to me and basically says: Why do we care about all the stuff that is happening there? You know, it is thousands of miles away. These people have been fighting forever. Let them figure it out. Why do we have to be involved in all of this? prgtoken I will tell you that there is appeal to that argument. There really is. I understand why Americans feel that way. Since September of 2001, we have lost countless young men and women abroad in combat. We have seen families who have been ripped apart. We have seen the injuries that people come home with, not to mention the amount of money that has been spent on all of this as well. At a time when we face so many challenges, a lot of people are saying to themselves: Well, why do we have to be everywhere? Why do we have to care? These people have been fighting for a billion years. It is not our problem. We need to focus on issues here at home. prgtoken I do understand the appeal of that argument. I want to tell you that despite how much I focus on these issues and spend time on them, from time to time, those arguments appeal to me. But then you have to analyze why we are there to begin with and what it would mean in the short to long term to our country to just walk away from these obligations. That is what I hope to do here today in a way that answers the question the gentleman asked me last Monday. I didn't have time to get into all of this because I had an airplane to catch, and these airlines don't wait for anybody. prgtoken So here is the way I would explain it. The first is that you have to tell people why we are there to begin with. Let me tell you what this is not. This is not about an endless war or being somewhere for the rest of our lives. Frankly, it is not even about committing thousands of troops. The U.S. force presence in Syria was quite small. It actually achieved an extraordinary amount with such a few number of people. prgtoken There were 2,000 special operators imbedded alongside thousands of Kurds and our international partners. Basically, it is an area that ISIS once dominated. They literally controlled the cities. The capital of the caliphate was once there at one point. They were driven out. There was tremendous success, a real example of the sort of counterterror that these missions have successfully pursued. prgtoken T
TURKEY AND SYRIA
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-10-17

I rise to call attention to the dire situation that continues to unfold in northern Syria. prgtoken Turkey embarked on a reckless and brutal intervention on October 9, 2019, ostensibly to clear northern Syria of terrorist elements. It has ironically dubbed this operation ``Peace Spring.'' The departure of U.S. forces in the days just prior to this incursion left nothing between Turkish military forces and the predominantly Kurdish militia, known as the Syrian ic Forces, or SDF. Up until the cease-fire agreement that was announced today, the SDF bore the brunt of the Turkish assault. prgtoken The Kurds are deeply stung by what they see as America's abandoning them--this after a long, hard, and successful fight against ISIS. prgtoken At the height of its power, ISIS controlled territory larger than the United Kingdom. As many Americans know, ISIS directed and inspired terrorist attacks on our homeland, in communities across the United States, and staged numerous attacks against our troops overseas. ISIS's branches across the globe have conducted unimaginable atrocities, including targeting Christians, Yazidis, Kurds, and others who prgtoken opposed ISIS's corrupt interpretation of Islam. Examples of these atrocities are the heartbreaking stories of so-called Yazidi brides who were forced into marriages with ISIS fighters. They were raped and brutalized repeatedly and were forced to decide whether to abandon their children or to make an escape. There are multiple stories of ISIS's terror that has been inflicted on those with disabilities, such as babies being suffocated simply for being born with Down syndrome. prgtoken The United States, together with a coalition of over 30 countries, engaged in a campaign to rid the world of ISIS and to restore peace and stability to that region. Yet it was not a nation-state that bore the brunt of the fighting against ISIS. The Kurds and the Arabs who made up the Syrian ic Forces took the fight to the heart of the caliphate. With the help of U.S. Special Operations Forces and airstrikes, the SDF liberated lands held by the terror group, imprisoned thousands of terrorist fighters, and restored hope to hundreds of thousands who suffered under ISIS rule. prgtoken In our fast-moving and quickly changing world, it is easy for some to forget the terrible threat ISIS once posed while they were at their most powerful, but it would be wrong to think we can now allow ourselves to take our foot off of our enemy's throat. prgtoken Even now, ISIS cells are seeking to take advantage of the chaos in northern Syria to reconstitute and once again pose a direct threat to Americans right here in our homeland. prgtoken You cannot watch what is unfolding in Syria without being fundamentally concerned about the security of our friends and our neighbors. A recapitalization of ISIS is a threat to us all. prgtoken It is for this reason that I have introduced a resolution which
S.J. RES. 54
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2019-10-17

in February of this year, Senator Udall and I joined in introducing a resolution to terminate the national emergency declaration. On March 14, 59 Members of this body joined together in a strong bipartisan majority to pass the companion House Resolution and send it to the President. Unfortunately, the President chose to veto that resolution, and the House vote to override the veto fell short. prgtoken Last month, a bipartisan majority again came together in the Senate to pass a resolution introduced by Senator Udall, Senator Shaheen, and myself to reverse the President's national emergency declaration. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the President has chosen to veto this resolution again, and we will be voting shortly on whether to override that veto. prgtoken Before we do so, I would like to take a few minutes to speak to the fundamental issue raised by the emergency declaration: It directly conflicts with the ``power of the purse'' vested in Congress by the Framers of our Constitution. prgtoken The question presented by this veto of the resolution is not whether you are for a border wall or against a border wall, nor is the question whether you believe security at our southern border should be strengthened or whether it is sufficient. prgtoken In fact, the question is, simply; Do we want the executive branch, now or in the future, to hold the power of the purse, a power the Founders deliberately entrusted to Congress? prgtoken Throughout our history, the courts have consistently held that ``only Congress is empowered by the Constitution to adopt laws directing monies to be spent from the U.S. treasury.'' This view is central to several ongoing cases challenging the President's national emergency declaration. prgtoken I have consistently supported funding for the construction of physical barriers and strengthening security on our southern border. I will continue to support those efforts and believe that they are important, but I cannot support the President unilaterally deciding to take money that has been appropriated for one purpose and diverting that money for another purpose. prgtoken The system of checks and balances established by the Founders gives Congress the power to protect our authority on our own. That is what this resolution does, and I urge my colleagues prgtoken to support it by voting to override the President's veto. Vote on S.J. Res. 54
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-10-17

I come to the floor today to discuss the current partisan blockade. It is a blockade of critical military funding for our troops at home and abroad. prgtoken Last month, Senate blocked a key vote on the defense spending bill. We need to pass this bill to fully fund the Defense Department. By blocking the bill, are denying America's troops the pay raises that they have earned and that they deserve. prgtoken To add insult to injury, both parties in both Houses agreed a couple of months ago to give the troops this raise. We did it more than 2 months ago. In fact, it was part of the bipartisan budget deal that was signed in August. prgtoken By moving the Defense spending bill, s are keeping their promises to our all-volunteer American force. Still, have broken their promise to the troops. prgtoken Why on Earth would the want to play political games with the paychecks of our troops? Under the harshest conditions, these brave men and women defend our cherished freedoms 365 days a year. America's servicemembers--our servicemembers--help keep us safe. They keep us strong, and they keep us, as a Nation, prosperous. Without question, they deserve our full support, and that support should be bipartisan. Why it isn't right now is beyond me. prgtoken Recently, I had the privilege of visiting Wyoming troops, our Wyoming National Guard. We have a very large deployment, our largest in 10 years. They are serving in Kuwait, in the United Arab Emirates, and in Kosovo. We have troop members serving, as well, in Afghanistan. prgtoken We have about 1,500 members in the Wyoming National Guard, and, right now, about 400 of them are serving overseas. They are from towns like Casper, Cheyenne, Guernsey, Laramie, Sheridan, Lovell, Moorcroft, Wheatland, and brothers from Sheridan and Casper. I met with all of them. Some 370 Wyoming Guard members are currently serving in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and in Europe. It is our largest deployment in a decade. prgtoken I was honored to spend time with these dedicated servicemembers from my home State. First, I visited the 115th Field Artillery Brigade Forward in the United Arab Emirates. It is in the desert across from the Strait of Hormuz. From there, I traveled to Kuwait to meet with our 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery. My father-in-law, Bob Brown, was a member of this group during Korea. He had also served in World War II, as I know, , your father was part of the D-day invasion. I finished visiting with the troops in Kosovo, the C Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment in prgtoken Kosovo, up near the Serbian border. In service to our country, these soldiers now find themselves far from home, and we owe it to them to give them the raise that they have earned and that they deserve. prgtoken You know, before I left, I gave every one of our soldiers a challenge coin. It is a challenge coin for me, as a Sen
SAUDI FUGITIVE DECLASSIFICATION ACT OF 2019
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-10-17

the purpose of my speaking today is to remind my colleagues about some history as it relates to the adoption of Part D of Medicare back in 2003 and the importance of considering that history in regard to the importance of passing legislation this year in regard to high drug costs. The reminder goes to my colleagues who are up for election, based on the fact that the history of the elections of 2000 and 2002 had consequences for people who weren't aware of the grassroots support for doing something for prescription drugs and Medicare, as Part D turned out to be. prgtoken In this environment today, I don't think there is proper concern that people--the grassroots of America--are expressing the need to do something about prescription drug prices, so I am going to spend my time doing what I just summarized for you going through the history of 20 years ago versus now. prgtoken I want to lower the cost of prescription drugs for American seniors. I have spoken on this topic many times before, and in my previous speeches years and years ago, I said that we were delivering on the promises of the last three elections in a bipartisan manner to help seniors who had waited far too long for relief, and that relief came out as Medicare Part D. prgtoken That speech was more than 15 years ago. We have been here before. In 2003, I was leading the last piece of bipartisan entitlement reform, the creation of the Medicare Part D Program that was entitled the ``Medicare Modernization Act of 2003.'' prgtoken Now here we are again on the cusp of meaningful, bipartisan action in regard to prescription drugs. This action would fulfill the promises that I and many of my colleagues and the administration, meaning the administration, made to the American people that we are going to do something about prescription drug pricing. We should be reminded that promises made ought to be promises kept. prgtoken I want to remind my colleagues that history does not have to repeat itself. Hopefully, this will help rid the gridlock that delayed us from delivering Medicare Part D nearly two decades ago. prgtoken As we all know, the Medicare Modernization Act was signed into law in November of 2003, but the process of creating Part D began long before the President actually signed the bill. We could go back more than a decade--but that is not the most important part of it--but Congress was voting on what would become prescription drug coverage as early as 1988. Obviously, it didn't become law. prgtoken Suggestions for how to help seniors with prescription drugs came from every corner throughout the next decade after those 1988 votes. Yet the proposals weren't enacted, so we failed to bring any kind of comprehensive change to Medicare. prgtoken Under President Clinton, prescription drug pricing reform gained national attention, just like it has national attention today because President has made it one of his premier goals of redu
S.J. RES. 54
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-10-17

I rise to announce a new use of an old requirement. I rise to speak about the latest Senate scorekeeping report which I filed this week in the Congressional Record. The Congressional Record is available to anyone online. This report could show overspending by committees and a number of other things. This is the first such report since I filed a current law budget for the fiscal year 2020 as authorized by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019. prgtoken This week's filing tracks the Senate's adherence to that current law budget and provides up-to-date budgetary information about the Federal Government for Congress and for the public. For the first time, a copy of the scorekeeping report can be found on the Senate Budget Committee's website to allow the American people to better track Congress's fiscal decision making. That is new. prgtoken Let me repeat that. For the first time, a copy of the scorekeeping report can be found on the Senate Budget Committee's website to allow the American people to better track Congress's decision making. prgtoken Since this is the first time the committee is posting the scorekeeping report on its website, I want to take this opportunity to explain the report for those taxpayers who are concerned, as I am, about our country's fiscal health and want to learn more. prgtoken I hope the people will look at the future months and each monthly report. A current-law budget allows the Senate to enforce the budget spending levels projected under current law. While it will not put us on a path to stabilizing our debt and deficits, like the levels approved by the Senate Budget Committee earlier this year would do, it tells the Congress to stop making our fiscal situation worse--to stop making our debt and deficits worse. prgtoken The scorekeeping report covers six primary areas. First, it shows whether authorizing committees are sticking to their allocation, which is just a fancy term for each committee's spending allowance. We track that for the 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year periods for this report. For the October 2019 report, all committees are in compliance and no breaches have been recorded since I filed the current-law budget on September 9. That is good news, though with our debt approaching $23 trillion, going a month on the budget is not something to pat ourselves on the back over, but it is a good start. prgtoken Second, the report tracks whether the Appropriations Committee is adhering to the discretionary spending limits imposed by the most recent Bipartisan Budget Act. For fiscal year 2020, the limit on regular discretionary spending for accounts in the defense category is $666.5 billion, and for the accounts in nondefense category, it is $621.5 billion. Since full-year appropriations measures for this fiscal year have not yet been enacted, the only budgetary effects recorded are for advanced or permanent appropriations made through our prior law. prgtoken Third, the score
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON FEBRUARY 15, 2019--VETO
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-10-17

. I rise to speak today because I just finished up visiting all 92 counties in our home State, and every one of them, especially at the tail end, have backed what we have been doing here, especially following the lead of President . prgtoken When it comes to the particular issue of Syria, I think it begs the question when people say it green-lighted what occurred there. What would the reaction have been had we not gotten out of harm's way? I am guessing it would have been a bigger fiasco in many different dimensions. prgtoken The minority leader indicated that Mr. Paul's idea was horrible. I want to make the point that, collectively, over the last 40 to 50 years, we have been engaged all the way back to the Vietnam war, where we have been adventuresome and have done it where we have not paid for it, and we are now in a pickle. That is why I was for what the President decided to do. You cannot continue being engaged like this when running trillion-dollar deficits--$22 trillion in debt. Hoosiers understand that, and most Americans do as well. prgtoken So I am going to support Rand Paul's amendment, and I am glad that the President finally had the guts to do what most Americans have been for, and I am disappointed that the other side in any other situation would have been for that exact action. prgtoken .
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-10-17

before I begin, I, too, want to join with my colleagues who have preceded me and just say how sad I was to hear of the death of Elijah Cummings. We joined the House together. He got there a little before I did in a special election in 1996. I came in January of 1997. I always admired his fire and his dedication. He was a fierce advocate for his constituents and for the causes he believed in. The House will be a lesser place for his absence. prgtoken Our prayers are with his family and all those who had the opportunity to know him, his constituents, those he represented in Baltimore and the State of Maryland who are going to mourn his loss today and miss his presence for many, many days in the future. United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement prgtoken , farmers and ranchers have gotten some good news on the trade front in recent weeks with the signing of a trade deal with Japan. prgtoken U.S. farmers depend on access to the Japanese market. It is the fourth largest market for U.S. agricultural producers. This agreement will remove barriers to the sale of a variety of products, from cheese to sweet corn, beef, pork, and wheat. prgtoken While this is very good news for farmers and ranchers, we have a lot more work to do on the trade front to help our ag community and to increase demand for American agricultural products around the world, and we should start by passing the United States-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement. Canada and Mexico are the No. 1 and No. 2 markets for American agricultural products, and preserving and expanding access to these markets is key to improving the economic outlook for America's farmers. Over a year ago, the administration finished negotiating a strong deal with these countries that will help boost our struggling agricultural economy. prgtoken To start with, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will provide farmers with certainty about what these important markets are going to look like going forward. One of the biggest challenges facing farmers on the trade front right now is the uncertainty about what markets around the world are going to look like. The United States-Mexico- Canada Agreement will give farmers and ranchers clarity on what trade is going to look like with these two key trading partners. prgtoken In addition to providing certainty and preserving American access for American farmers and ranchers, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement makes a number of improvements to the status quo. Of particular interest to South Dakota are the agreement's dairy provisions. If you drive the I-29 corridor north of Brookings, SD, you can see firsthand the major dairy expansion South Dakota has experienced over the past several years. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement will preserve U.S. dairy farmers' role as a key dairy supplier to Mexico, and it will substantially expand market access in Canada. The U.S. International Trade C
RECOGNIZING THIRTEEN PLANO ISD PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS
Van Taylor (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-10-17

. Madam , I rise today to congratulate thirteen Plano ISD schools on receiving the National PTA School of Excellence designation. prgtoken This recognition program, created by the National Parent Teacher Association, works to support and celebrate partnerships between PTAs and schools across the nation. prgtoken Plano ISD is setting an incredible example, with a current Parent Teacher Association membership of more than 16,000 parents. With the help of their PTA's, Plano ISD is cultivating crucial relationships between teachers, parents, and the surrounding community. prgtoken Their dedication to improving the learning environment for students in and outside of the classroom serves as a crucial reminder of volunteerism and its role in shaping a community. prgtoken I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating these thirteen Plano PTAs on their success of putting students first and championing a quality education. PLANO ISD National PTA Schools of Excellence Award Recipients prgtoken Barksdale Elementary PTA, Boggess Elementary School, Bettye Haun Elementary School, Gulledge Elementary School, Harrington Elementary PTA, Hickey Elementary School, Huffman Elementary School, Hughston Elementary School, Mathews Elementary, Mitchell Elementary School, Pearson Early Childhood School, Robinson Middle School, Wyatt Elementary School.
MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN
Dan Newhouse (Republican, WA) \u2014 2019-10-17

I include in the Record the following letter regarding the Special Order on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women on October 17, 2019. Nez Perce, Tribal Executive Committee, Lapwai, ID, September 18, 2019. Hon. Jerrold Nadler, Chairman, House Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC. Hon. Raul Grijalva, Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources, Washington,