mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IMPEACHMENT
Dusty Johnson (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-10-17

since I joined this body in January, I have done my darnedest to steer clear of the political circus that we see on a daily basis in Washington. prgtoken Instead, I have worked with so many Members to pass legislation preventing child abuse and legislation that makes it easier for Americans to save for school and for their retirement. We have made progress, and I have been a key part of that progress in USMCA, in welfare reform, and in implementing the farm bill. prgtoken But, , the impeachment proceedings going on in this Chamber in the last few weeks have given me pause, and they should give pause to every Member of this Chamber and to all American people. prgtoken I know--we all know--that some Members are for impeachment and others of us are opposed. But we should all admit that, by its very nature, impeachment is emotional, it is taxing, and it is divisive. prgtoken You are talking about removing our President from office. This is no small thing. This is changing the trajectory of this country. prgtoken Given how contentious and given how important that proceeding is, we have an obligation to play by the rules and to have a process that is open, that is sound, and that is fair we are failing at that special obligation. prgtoken First, the has launched impeachment without a vote by this body, and that is unprecedented. Members have been denied their authority, their voice, their opportunity to be on the Record in that matter. prgtoken Let us be clear: Under the Constitution, the authority to launch impeachment rests with the U.S. House of Representatives, not with the and not with the chair of House intelligence. prgtoken Second, this proceeding has not been open and transparent. Instead, Members have been denied access to witness testimony and kicked out of committees. There is no live streaming and there is no TV coverage as we have seen in past impeachments. The result is that Americans don't have access to important facts because they can't get them. prgtoken Finally, this proceeding has not been fair. In the past, Presidents have had an opportunity to have counsel present. Counsel has had an opportunity to cross-examine witnesses, and they have been given an opportunity to review the evidence and to prepare a defense instead of battling secondhand accounts of closed-door testimony selectively leaked to the media. prgtoken 228 Members of this body have already announced that they are for impeachment even though the evidence is not fully gathered yet, and, in any case, they have not reviewed it. How is that fair? prgtoken , elections matter; transparency matters; due process matters; and faith in this Constitution, in our Constitution, and in institutions matter. prgtoken As I said, it is time that this body lives up to its special obligation. Our country deserves nothing less.
INDUCTION OF BROOKS & DUNN, RAY STEVENS, AND JERRY BRADLEY INTO THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-10-17

in Nashville, we have a saying: it all starts with a song; but a song is just the beginning of the story. prgtoken This Sunday, Nashville's unbroken circle of elite artists, producers, entertainers, and musical masterminds will welcome four new members into the Country Music Hall of Fame. prgtoken Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Ray Stevens, and Jerry Bradley represent different sectors within the music industry, but they have all contributed to country music's evolution. prgtoken Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn--we know them as Brooks & Dunn--began their careers as solo singer-songwriters but rocketed to stardom as a duo. Their fusion of classic rock composition and heartfelt songwriting spoke to country music fans craving an edge to the genre's traditional ``Nashville Sound.'' Nearly three decades after their first album dropped, their music still inspires emerging generations of fans. prgtoken From the beginning of his career, audiences and fellow artists alike were drawn to Ray Stevens' wonderful sense of humor, open heart, and commitment to entertainment as an art form. Known for his work in musical comedy, Ray stretched his legs and also made a name for himself as a studio musician, producer, songwriter, publisher, label owner, gospel singer, and country star. prgtoken Jerry Bradley, this year's final inductee, may not have invented country music, but no one on Music Row would deny the impact his work has had on generations of country stars. Jerry began his career in Nashville when the industry was on the brink of a major transformation. He drove the format into a new era defined by rebels, outlaws, and crossover superstars. prgtoken Today, I encourage my colleagues to take a moment to think of their favorite song and to remember how it made them feel the first time they heard it. prgtoken Kix, Ronnie, Ray, and Jerry are responsible for making millions of people feel that exact same way about their favorite song. prgtoken Their body of work represents more than just a series of accomplishments. It represents the best of Music City. prgtoken It is a gift.
SEC DISCLOSURE EFFECTIVENESS TESTING ACT
Ann Wagner (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-10-17

I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 1815, which would apply the bill's additional investor testing requirements only to disclosure documents developed after January 21, 2021. prgtoken If enacted, this legislation would hinder the implementation of important rules designed to better protect Main Street investors, particularly, the SEC's Regulation Best Interest rule. This rule has been in effect since September 10, 2019, but it has a compliance date of June 30, 2020. prgtoken If further and ongoing testing were required, it would onerously roll back and delay further--after 7 years of testing, debate, deliberation, comment periods, litigation, it would only roll back and further delay, , all of the SEC's efforts to better protect those retail investors. prgtoken The bottom line is that this legislation is duplicative for rules already under consideration. The SEC has already conducted extensive investor testing of the proposed Form CRS, a component of the Regulation Best Interest rule. This is nothing, , but a political ploy, rope-a-dope, more neglect in not doing the work of the people. It does not serve those low- and middle-income investors, those constituents of mine in Missouri's Second Congressional District. prgtoken It makes no sense to go back and conduct repetitive investor testing, leaving broker dealers and their clients--again, there are low- and middle-income investors--without a uniform best interest standard. prgtoken That is why I ask all of my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment, and if it is not agreed to, to oppose the underlying bill, H.R. 1815, that does nothing but delay and disserve the people that we should be working hard to protect, those low- and middle-income retail investors that are a part of our beautiful and wonderful Main Street districts. prgtoken .
S.J. RES. 54
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2019-10-17

for his constructive observations there. With respect to the Gang of 8 legislation, yes, it passed through this body, and, yes, I voted against that, as did a number of my colleagues. My view is, that was a piece of legislation that while it entailed a lot of work by a lot of people who were trying to make things better, it was doomed at the outset for failure because the message of that bill and of those who were pushing it was essentially you either pass all of this bill and all of its reforms--a large number of which and the majority of which I agreed with--or you pass nothing. We were literally told that. It is either this entire package or it is nothing. We spent weeks in the Committee on the Judiciary debating it and discussing it. I personally proposed dozens of amendments to that. prgtoken What emerged at the end of that from the committee was a--this has been 6 years, so my colleague will forgive me if I don't remember the exact numbers. It was about a 700-page bill. When we got to the floor, what we debated and discussed was substituted out at the last minute. What we ended up getting was another bill that was, as I recall, 1,200 pages long. It was a different bill. prgtoken The message was the same with both of them. This is a package deal. You either reform all of what this bill reforms and do it at once or you get none of it. Many of the sponsors of that legislation made clear that they would oppose any smaller effort. prgtoken I believe this is exactly the opposite of the type of solution that will work. What is going to work here is if we start with incremental, step-by-step legislation. If we start with something the Senator from Illinois has himself in the past sponsored, both as to the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act itself and as to the substance, the nuts and bolts of the Grassley amendment--he has been on the cutting edge of supporting both of those things. If not here, where? If not us, who? If not now, when? This is what we need to do. I am going to continue to come to the floor. I am going to continue to seek unanimous consent and to pass this every way I can. prgtoken As to my colleague's suggestion with regard to a committee hearing. This hasn't, of course, been the topic of committee hearings in the past, and it has been fully discussed. I would, of course, welcome any further committee action that the chairman might choose to hold, and I would be happy to have any committee action that, of course, isn't mine to offer or give, but I would always prefer more consideration of the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act than less. So if that is what we have to do, great, but I don't believe any further factual development is necessary here. prgtoken Just for the record, I want to state this bill is ready to pass right now. This bill has 365 votes on the House floor right now. This bill would become law right now, would pass out of the Sena
HONOR THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MR. DON WAFUL
John Katko (Republican, NY) \u2014 2019-10-17

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mr. Don Waful, who passed away at the age of 103 on September 12, 2019. Mr. Waful was known in Central New York as a decorated World War II veteran, prominent Syracuse University sports fan, and for his tenure as the President of the Syracuse Sky Chiefs baseball team. prgtoken After graduating from Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in 1937 and master's degree in 1939, Mr. Waful went on to enlist in the U.S. Army at the onset of World War II. In the war, Mr. Waful served with the 1st Armored Division, receiving several commendations for his service including, the POW Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button. Notably, while in Tunisia, Mr. Waful and his unit encountered a German tank company, which subsequently took him and his unit prisoner. Mr. Waful survived as a POW in camps in Italy, Poland, and Germany before finally returning home. prgtoken Following World War II, Mr. Waful returned home to Central New York to pursue a career in insurance and to serve as the President of the Syracuse Sky Chiefs baseball team. In his role with the Sky Chiefs, Mr. Waful contributed to the design and construction of NBT Bank stadium, which opened in 1997. Along with his contributions to the Sky Chiefs, Mr. Waful was known for his unwavering support of Syracuse University sports. As a lifelong Syracuse University Football fan, Mr. Waful was a mainstay at home games, missing only three contests since 1945. prgtoken Madam , I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in honoring the life and legacy of Mr. Don Waful. As a celebrated member of our Central New York community and prominent Syracuse sports supporter, Mr. Waful will be dearly missed. I ask my colleagues to keep him and his family in mind as we remember his life.
MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN
Don Young (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-10-17

I rise today to speak about the ongoing epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Alaska Native and American Indian women and girls face disproportionately high rates of violent crimes including murder, rape, kidnapping, and trafficking. Alaska Native and American Indian women are 10 times more likely to be murdered than other Americans. The National Crime Information Center reported that, in 2016, there were close to 6000 reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. According to the Urban Indian Health Institute, Alaska is the fourth highest state in terms of the number of these cases. prgtoken In Alaska, extreme isolation and lack of law enforcement in remote Native communities make it difficult to prevent and respond to these crimes. In fact, only one out of every three Alaska Native villages have any law enforcement at all. These villages are not connected to the road system, and it can take days for state troopers to respond to incidents, particularly when weather prevents flights from landing. Women and girls in urban areas also face risk factors, particularly when they are away from the support of family and culture. prgtoken Given the scale of the crisis, it is troubling that tribes and Native communities do not have adequate resources to respond. Native communities around the country are governed by a varying patchwork of criminal jurisdictions that complicate law enforcement and leave Native women and girls unprotected. Native communities and tribes also lack full access to crime databases, which undermines the efforts of tribal law enforcement and tribal courts. In addition, the Justice Department, which is responsible for pursuing the most serious crimes in Native communities, declines to prosecute the majority of these cases. prgtoken Instead of simply acknowledging these issues, Congress must act. We must reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. VAWA funds vital programs, like domestic violence shelters. The House's reauthorization bill expands legal authority for tribes to prosecute violent crimes against women. It also includes a new demonstration program, enhanced by an amendment I offered, that would expand Alaska Native villages' jurisdictional authority. prgtoken We must pass the BADGES Act, which Rep. Haaland sponsored and I cosponsored. The BADGES Act improves BIA law enforcement recruitment and retention. The bill also improves federal law enforcement reporting mechanisms for missing and murdered Indigenous women. In addition, it expands tribal access to federal criminal databases. Congress must honor the trust relationship and pass this crucial legislation.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Kevin Cramer (Republican, ND) \u2014 2019-10-17

before we vote, I want to take a few minutes to express my strong opposition to what our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are doing with their Congressional Review Act resolution. They are asking the United States to give up a very good, responsible, and Affordable Clean Energy Plan and replace it with the old, -era, illegal, and unconstitutional Clean Power Plan. prgtoken Prior to being elected to Congress, I spent nearly 10 years in North Dakota as an energy regulator and oversaw both economic and environmental policies and regulations in our State. I know something of this issue. For the American people, a fully implemented -era Clean Power Plan would result in much higher electricity costs, less money in their pockets, fewer well-paying jobs, and just a lot less freedom. Across the country, their plan would reduce household spending by $79 billion. It would increase electricity prices in my State of North Dakota by 43 percent, and it would cost over 125,000 jobs over the next decade. prgtoken Perhaps one of the most disturbing things about the Clean Power Plan that was presented by the administration--one of the reasons, frankly, that it was deemed to be unconstitutional and illegal and had a stay put on it by the U.S. Supreme Court--was that in my State, under the proposed rule, we had a CO2 reduction target of 11 percent. Yet, in the classic bait-and-switch maneuver, the final rule increased that 11 percent by 400 percent. The 11 percent, while illegal, was doable, but the 400 percent was ridiculous. prgtoken So make no mistake, right now, here in the U.S. Senate, the are asking us to vote to eliminate good prgtoken jobs, to raise the cost of living, and to take more money out of the pockets of the American people. For what? The United States does not need an unconstitutional Federal power grab, like this one, in order to lead the world in reducing our emissions. In fact, we already do. Emissions have been declining in the United States for nearly 50 years. We don't need to apologize for our action or inaction. In fact, we need to start honoring the innovators who have made these reductions possible in the first place. We should be encouraging them and incentivizing them to continue their work in order to pave the way for responsible energy production that will be used for generations to come not just here in the United States but across the world. prgtoken In the context of several issues, I often speak about needing to follow a Federalist model, the cooperative federalism that our Founders envisioned when they created the States. That is a model of State control, with Governors being in charge, not Presidents. This is under the umbrella, of course, of good Federal oversight and, of course, some authority. Yet States need to have primacy. Put those who are closest to the people in charge, give them the authority and the resources they need, and this mo
CHARLESTON C-17 CREW
Joe Cunningham (Democrat, SC) \u2014 2019-10-17

I rise today to honor the heroic actions of Captain Forrest Lampela, Captain Ken Dickenscheidt, Senior Airman Chris Bowers, Airman First Class Timothy Henn, and Technical Sergeant Nick Scarmeas, who broke diplomatic protocol and fought near-zero visibility to save the life of a U.S. Navy sailor who was wounded in combat. prgtoken The Joint Base Charleston crew was flying a critically injured sailor to Walter Reed from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Halfway through their mission, the sailor took a turn for the worse and needed immediate surgery. The commander, Captain Lampela, made the decision to turn around and make an emergency landing in Shannon, Ireland, in dense fog and without diplomatic clearance. prgtoken In an incredibly stressful situation, the team fell back on their training and made a life-and-death decision that ultimately saved the life of their fellow servicemember. I am honored to commend them.
RECOGNIZING THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF QUEENS PUBLIC LIBRARY, RIDGEWOOD BRANCH
Nydia M. Velázquez (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-10-17

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the 90th Anniversary of Queens Public Library, Ridgewood Branch. I also rise to thank Friends of the Ridgewood Library and Principal Librarian Thomas Maxheimer for their contributions to this celebrated anniversary. prgtoken Queens Public Library, Ridgewood Branch opened on October 15, 1929. Not only was Queens Public Library, Ridgewood Branch the first library to open in Queens, but also the first library to be publicly-funded by the City of New York. prgtoken Over the last 90 years, Queens Public Library, Ridgewood Branch has served as a cornerstone of the Queens community. In one of the most diverse counties in New York State, the Library continues to invite individuals of all ages and ethnicities to learn, research and discover. In addition, Queens Public Library, Ridgewood Branch serves the community through unparalleled accessibility, providing resources for individuals with physical and/or visual impairments. From children's story time to genealogical research tools, the library offers a wide range of programming and learning opportunities. prgtoken I ask my colleagues of the 116th Congress to join me in celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the Queens Public Library, Ridgewood Branch by recognizing its crucial contributions to the Queens community.
300TH ANNIVERSARY OF GARRETSON FORGE AND FARM
Josh Gottheimer (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-10-17

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Garretson Forge and Farm, a national historical landmark in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. This year marks the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Garretson in 1719. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the volunteers of Garretson Forge and Farm Restoration, Inc this special property has been preserved and kept open to the community. In recognition of Garretson's anniversary, I would like to include in the Record the poem `A Heritage to Keep,' by William F. Haywood which captures the long history of Garretson Forge and Farm, a Bergen County treasure: The traffic moves in swifter pace Around the bend that holds this place In gentle curves where time has flown And countless passers it has known. The silent step of moccasin, The echoing of forge's din; A gangling pine saw all of these, New homes replacing other trees. The continental soldier came, Lone hunter seeking wary game, A farmer tilling fertile soil Where the river turns its coil. So generations came and went Through seasons ill and fairly spent. The Garretsons had built to last, While time has added to the past A heritage for here and now-- To keep it whole should be our vow. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Garretson Forge and Farm's 300th anniversary. I know that we will continue to enjoy Garretson for many generations to come.