mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT THROUGH DECEMBER 20, 2019
Brenda L. Lawrence (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-11-19

I rise today in strong support of the continuing resolution to fund our government. prgtoken Unfortunately, it breaks my heart that we have not been able to do our job and reach a consensus on a budget, but we will not be shutting down our government. The bill ensures that the Federal Government does not shut down a week before Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with their families, preventing countless Federal employees from being forced to work without a paycheck. prgtoken For my home State of Michigan, this continuing resolution repeals section 1438 of the FAST Act, which would rescind over $7 billion in highway funding from the States. This repeal would protect over $300 million in critical funding for Michigan, which is needed for our highways. prgtoken I am also thrilled that the continuing resolution provides a 3 percent pay increase for our Nation's servicemembers who devote their lives to protecting our Nation. prgtoken While the House and Senate use this additional month to continue negotiating complete fiscal year funding, I urge the Senate to include House language that would include increased funding for maternal mortality, environmental protection, and programs that give women and families a better chance.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-11-19

I thank the distinguished woman for yielding. prgtoken , I rise in reluctant support of this continuing resolution, which would keep the government open until December 20, 2019. prgtoken As has been stated, but can't be stated enough, the House has done its job. We passed our appropriations bills earlier this summer. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act in time, and now we are kicking the can down the road yet again with a second CR. prgtoken A CR is destructive for our Federal agencies, but we need to keep the government open, obviously. Fortunately, this CR has a few provisions that make this bitter medicine more palatable. prgtoken It once again includes critical health extenders for Medicare and Medicaid programs and for other benefit programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. prgtoken Notably, the bill also restores necessary funding for the Census Bureau as it gears up for the 2020 Census, and it includes a 3.1 percent pay raise for our troops. As chairwoman of the Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I happily support this necessary pay raise for our servicemembers. prgtoken But let me make this clear: We cannot responsibly govern by an endless series of destructive continuing resolutions. These Band-Aids keep the lights on but serve as de facto spending cuts for our Federal agencies, and they handcuff short and longer term budget and project planning. prgtoken Instead of locking ourselves into a series of CRs, it is imperative that the Senate work with us in good faith to come to agreement on top- line funding numbers, and do so without taking all their marching orders from the White House. prgtoken Passing CRs also abdicates our congressional power of the purse. The Appropriations Committee put a lot of work and countless beneficial provisions into our bills. We must not toss all of that thoughtful work aside. prgtoken , I support passage of this CR. Our businesses, families, and local communities deserve and need that budget certainty. prgtoken But I urge Congress to work out amongst ourselves a concrete path forward to fulfill our appropriations responsibilities and resume orderly funding of the government.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Nita M. Lowey (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-11-19

such time as I may consume. prgtoken While the House did its work and passed 12 appropriations bills through committee and 10 appropriations bills off the floor, delays in the Senate mean the appropriations process is behind. prgtoken With just days until current stopgap funding expires, we must pass a continuing resolution to keep the government open and fund key priorities as we negotiate subcommittee allocations and then finalize individual appropriation bills. prgtoken This legislation avoids controversial policies and instead contains provisions that reflect shared priorities, including bipartisan language to fully fund a fair and accurate 2020 decennial Census, a 3.1 percent pay raise for our military, and language to prevent a rescission of $7.6 billion in highway funding. prgtoken In addition to these provisions, the CR includes a package of extenders that will keep health programs critical to American families up and running. By extending these programs and government funding through December 20, this CR will allow additional time to negotiate and enact responsible long-term funding for priorities that make our country safer and stronger and give working families a better chance at a better life. prgtoken , even as we pass this CR today, American families, businesses, and communities need the certainty of full-year funding. To complete the appropriations process, we must first settle allocations with the Senate s. Only by coming together in good faith can we enact responsible full-year spending bills that invest for the people and give every American a better chance at a better life. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation, and .
INTRODUCTION OF THE BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS JURY DUTY EXCLUSION ACT OF 2019
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2019-11-19

. Madam , I rise today to introduce the Breastfeeding Mothers Jury Duty Exclusion Act of 2019. My bill would allow breastfeeding mothers summoned for jury service in federal court or in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to be excused from service for the period they are breastfeeding an infant. This would be optional for the mothers. Breastfeeding mothers would be allowed to serve if they do not wish to take the exemption. The benefits of breastfeeding are well-documented, and breastfeeding mothers should not be deterred from breastfeeding because of a jury summons. prgtoken Under the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 (Pub. L. 105-33), Congress took responsibility for paying for the D.C. courts and other state-like functions previously provided by D.C. The D.C. courts, however, have always been under the control of Congress, even when they were funded by the District. The Home Rule Act prohibits the District government from enacting any law relating to Title 11 of the D.C. Code. Title 11 establishes the exemptions from jury. Therefore, this bill is necessary to provide this exclusion for both the federal and D.C. courts. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-11-19

for this 259th climate speech, I am going to return to the theme of corruption. Before diving into the how, let's start with the why because the scale and the remorselessness of the scheme of corruption the fossil fuel industry has run is hard to comprehend without understanding why. prgtoken Here is the why. The fossil fuel industry reaps the biggest subsidy in the history of the planet. I will say that again. The fossil fuel industry reaps the biggest subsidy in the history of the planet. The IMF--International Monetary Fund--estimates that the global subsidy for fossil fuel is in the trillions of dollars every year. That is globally. In the United States alone, the fossil fuel industry got a $650 billion--that is with a ``b''--subsidy in 2015, according to the most recent report from the IMF. That is about $2,000 out of the pocket of every man, woman, and child in the United States. Here is that IMF report. Look it up. Read it and weep. prgtoken Stop for a minute and understand this subsidy. Some of it is favorable tax deals and other direct subsidies that pour public taxpayer money into the pockets of this polluting industry. In recent years, that has been estimated at around $20 billion annually. prgtoken The vast bulk of this $650 billion is something else. It is people getting hurt. It is the cost of people suffering economic harms. It is the cost of your home burned in a wildfire or swept away in a storm by rising seas. It is the cost of farms withered from unprecedented droughts or crops drowned in unprecedented flooding. It is the cost of fisheries that are lost or moved away as oceans warm and acidify. It is the lost day of work with your kid in the emergency room waiting out a climate-related asthma attack on the ER's nebulizer. It is the cost of tick-borne and mosquito-borne illnesses that didn't used to be where you live. It is the cost to dive tours of tourists seeing dead, white, bleached coral reefs instead of vibrant undersea gardens and the cost to snowmobile moose tours of going through mud instead of snow and when you see moose, seeing emaciated moose calves with thousands of ticks slowly killing them. It is the cost of American military deployments to conflicts caused by resource scarcity or climate migration. It is the cost of relocating Naval Station Norfolk when the community around it floods out. It is the cost of Glacier Park with no glacier. It is the cost of trout streams with no trout. It is the cost of millions of acres of healthy forests killed off by pine beetle infestation. It is the cost to Phoenix of staffing up emergency services when it is not safe to work outside because it is too hot and lost airline flights out of the airport when the tarmac melts. It is the myriad costs of basic operating systems of the natural world gone haywire because of climate change. prgtoken All this pain, all this loss, all this suffering has a bloodless economic name: extern
PROHIBITING THE COMMERCIAL EXPORT OF COVERED MUNITIONS ITEMS TO THE HONG KONG POLICE FORCE
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2019-11-19

on June 9, the streets of Hong Kong filled with over 1 million individuals peacefully protesting what they saw as an unjust law and attack on democracy. It was an incredible visual of people standing up for democracy and standing up for human rights. prgtoken Here we are 5 months later, and the images are much different. You would be forgiven if you saw them and thought they were in a war zone. Hundreds of student protesters barricaded themselves in a Hong Kong university surrounded by armored riot police, pummeled by rubber bullets and tear gas, fires raging, destruction, devastation, and smoke everywhere. prgtoken There have been 5 months of protests, rising anger, and tension. There have been 5 months of police crackdowns on peaceful protests, spurring further protests and resistance, and U.S.-made, U.S.-exported police equipment being misused by the Hong Kong police to violate the human rights of protesters. So far, over 10,000 rounds of tear gas have been fired into the crowds of protesters. prgtoken We believe in free speech, freedom to assemble, freedom to protest, not state-sponsored oppression and violence. It is time to ban the export of U.S.-made police equipment to Hong Kong that is being used to abuse their human rights. That is why I am so pleased to introduce, in partnership with my colleague from Texas, S. 2710, which prohibits the export of munitions and crowd-control equipment to the Hong Kong Police Force. prgtoken Since the protests in June, over 1,700 Hong Kong residents have been injured and over 5,000 have been arrested. Amnesty International verified incidents involving the dangerous use of U.S.-made pepper spray, batons used to beat protesters, rubber bullets, and tear gas. One young woman was clubbed from behind with a police baton and continued to be beaten even after she was on the ground with her arms zip-tied behind her. prgtoken We have seen tear gas fired into confined spaces, in violation of the U.N. Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms. We have seen brutal police tactics that continued even when women and men were held in captivity or in custody. There has been report after report of violent assaults taking place inside police stations. prgtoken We cannot turn a blind eye. It is time to stand with the people of Hong Kong who are demanding a democratic future and against the violent suppression of free speech. prgtoken The bill the Senator from Texas and I have introduced lays out a series of products that we will no longer export to the Hong Kong Police Force: tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, foam and bean bag rounds, pepper balls, water cannons, handcuffs, shackles, stun guns, and tasers. prgtoken This bill is backed by many colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I say a huge thank-you to Senator Markey, Senator Blackburn, Senator Leahy, Senator Scott, Senator Coons, Senator Wicker, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Inhofe, Senator Gillibrand, Se
HONG KONG HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 2019
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-11-19

let me first thank Senator Rubio for his leadership on this issue and Senator Menendez and Senator Risch for their leadership in our committee and so many others who have been involved, because tonight we have a chance to reaffirm our commitment for human rights and democracy. prgtoken That is exactly what our legislation does. It recognizes the fact that for 24 consecutive weeks, the people of Hong Kong have been asking for their basic democracy and freedom. prgtoken On Monday, it was reported--just yesterday--that police fired 1,458 rounds of tear gas, 1,391 rubber bullets, 325 beanbag rounds, and 265 sponge grenades--that is just yesterday--on peaceful protesters. prgtoken They are asking nothing more than to exercise the rights they were told would be protected to express their views and to be able to have democracy in Hong Kong, which is the way it was in the previous time. prgtoken Senator Rubio and I introduced legislation, and the chairman and ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Risch and Menendez, joined us, and we passed this bipartisan legislation on June 13. It reaffirms the principles set forth in the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, which supports democratization, human rights, and the autonomy of Hong Kong. prgtoken Now, Senator Rubio already talked about this, but this is a very important thing. We gave Hong Kong a special status in its relationship with the United States that China does not enjoy, and we gave them that special status upon their protecting democracy and human rights in Hong Kong. That was the commitment. prgtoken If they don't comply with that, this special status should no longer be available, and this legislation requires that we get information on a regular basis as to whether China is respecting the rights that we put in our legislation in 1992, that they notify us on a regular timeframe. That is an important point, because if they don't, we shouldn't give them that protected status. prgtoken Secondly, it identifies persons who suppress basic freedoms, similar to the Magnitsky Act sanctions. Those that are taking away the human rights of the people of Hong Kong would be subject to the same type of visa restrictions to visit America and to use our banking system. That makes a great deal of sense, and we know that is pretty effective. prgtoken So it is time that we back up our words and our commitment to supporting Hong Kong's democratization, human rights, and autonomy with action. Let's make sure the people of Hong Kong know that the U.S. Congress and the American people stand in solidarity with them, as the Chinese authorities, as we speak, are repressing the legitimate rights of the people of Hong Kong. We can stand with the people of Hong Kong for democracy and human rights by our actions this evening. prgtoken .
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 3055, COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION...
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-11-19

the balance of my time. prgtoken Let me begin my closing by again thanking the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) not only for his work on the Rules Committee but also for his work on the Appropriations Committee. I think he understands the importance of making sure that we don't have any more government shutdowns, but he also understands that in this place, no matter who is in charge, you don't always get 100 percent of what you want and that sometimes compromise is appropriate and necessary to do the right thing. prgtoken , as the gentleman knows, we on this side tried to accommodate the minority in terms of the underlying measure, changing the underlying measure at the minority's request. Unfortunately, a Member on the minority side objected, so we were not able to do that, but I do have nothing but the highest respect for the gentleman, and I appreciate his words. prgtoken Now, , I know that some of my friends on the other side of the aisle would have drafted a different bill if they were in charge. I want my colleagues to know that if I could wave a magic wand and have my own way in everything, I would, too. prgtoken For example, I would have removed the 4-month extension of the PATRIOT Act's FISA provision from this bill. I have voted against this program in the past and for bipartisan reforms that would strip the government of this unchecked and, I believe, unconstitutional spying power. prgtoken I may be the chairman of the Rules Committee, but I don't believe it should be my way or the highway on everything. I don't believe in blowing up a bipartisan, bicameral negotiation just because I didn't get my own way on a particular provision. prgtoken But make no mistake, , I hope that we have a standalone and robust debate on the FISA when the extension expires next year. As I said, this is a 4-month extension that we are talking about. Meaningful reforms, I think, are long overdue. prgtoken Let me remind my colleagues what is at stake today. 800,000 Americans had their paychecks held hostage for 35 days during the President's last shutdown. Workers couldn't pay their bills. Communities lost access to health and safety services. Our national security was endangered. Our economy was harmed. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that it cost us billions of dollars for the President's shutdown. prgtoken The choice before us today is whether we are going to vote to cause a repeat of that devastation or not. I think the costs are too high, and I would like to think my friends have learned their lesson. prgtoken Look, no one expects either side to stop fighting for what they believe in, but let's do it while the lights are on. prgtoken There is really nothing terribly controversial here. This is not a radical proposal. It is about keeping the government funded through December 20, giving the men and women of our military a raise, fully funding the Census, and encouraging
CAREER ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-11-19

when we in Congress are fortunate enough to win our elections, we then must take an oath of office. It is quite simple and straightforward: ``I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God''--defend the Constitution and faithfully discharge the duties of this sacred office. Notably, the oath does not say defend the President over the rule of law or our constitutional duties. prgtoken And yet President has made crude and inexcusable attacks against our professional diplomats and military officials who bravely and patriotically tried to abide by this same oath by upholding these values of honor and the rule of law. Career professionals testifying as part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry are facing partisan attacks and even efforts that threaten their lives and careers. President has made no secret of his long-held suspicion of government workers, which he and his allies have perpetually accused of trying to bring down his Presidency. prgtoken That former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch told House Members that she felt ``threatened'' by our own President who called her ``bad news'' is despicable. In fact, even attacked Yovanovitch on Twitter last week during her powerful public testimony before the House Intelligence Committee. prgtoken There have also been countless baseless attacks and insulting questions of loyalty faced by witnesses such as LTC Alexander Vindman. Vindman, who was born in Kiev, immigrated to the U.S. and spent 20 years as an Army officer, an officer who has shed blood for our country, as recognized by his Purple Heart. prgtoken Twenty-five years ago, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was another longtime Army officer who was born behind the Iron Curtain. GEN John Shalikashvili was born in Poland and moved to Peoria, IL, when he was 16. Thank goodness he served our country in a time where his career was not derailed by such degrading attacks. prgtoken I commend Defense Secretary Esper for promising that Lieutenant Colonel Vindman ``shouldn't have any fear of retaliation,'' which only begs the question: Why can't Secretary Pompeo make the same promise for State Department officials? U.S. diplomats and military officials put their lives at risk every day at embassies and conflict zones around the world. To be attacked by their own government--and at the highest levels--defies belief and is beneath the offices they hold. prgtoken That President and s deride and bully these American patriots for telling the truth while Secretary Pompeo sits silently on his hands is simply beyond the pa