mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3219, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Zoe Lofgren (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-7-26

a lot of Members don't know what a previous question motion is, and that is not really a surprise, because it is usually used to set up some issues, and it is a party-line vote. This is different. prgtoken This is different because this would allow amendments to be offered to these appropriations bills. Now, the amendment process in appropriations is one of the few times that Members of Congress have an opportunity to offer an amendment. And it is not just . It is s, too. prgtoken I recall very well--I am a member, I am a co-chair of the Fourth Amendment Caucus. It is Congressman Ted Poe and myself. And what members of the Fourth Amendment Caucus did was we put together an amendment that actually reformed section 702 of the PATRIOT Act. What it said was you can't query the database accumulated under section 702 without a warrant. It is pretty obvious the Fourth Amendment protects Americans. That passed by a huge bipartisan vote twice. We don't get to offer that amendment this time because it is not an open rule. prgtoken So I am just asking that we treat this previous question vote as very different than the usual garden variety previous question vote, because this is different. This isn't about idealogy. This isn't about 30- second adds and all that nonsense that we both do. No. This is about having the opportunity--s and , Members of Congress--to offer an amendment in important areas, especially the Fourth Amendment. prgtoken So please vote ``yes'' on the previous question this time, and let's have open rules. Let's have democracy in America.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-7-26

I intend to offer the following motion to H.R. 1628, and I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record. The motion is supported by Senator Blumenthal. prgtoken All of these repeal bills shift costs onto consumers, patients, hospitals, and State budgets. prgtoken None of them do anything to actually address what is driving the increase in healthcare costs. And one of those biggest drivers? Pharmaceutical costs--Blue Cross of Illinois tells me they spend more on prescription drugs than inpatient hospital care. prgtoken So what can we do to address prescription drugs? Listen to the American Medical Association, which called for a ban on direct-to- consumer pharmaceutical advertising. prgtoken According to the AMA, these ads are, ``driving demand for expensive treatments despite the clinical effectiveness of less costly alternatives.'' In short, pharma advertises their drugs because they know you will tell your doctor you need it--driving up the cost-- regardless of whether it's right for you. That is why they spend billions on it. prgtoken But the moment of truth on when patients find out about the cost is when they are checking out at the pharmacy. That is wrong. prgtoken So my motion to commit would instruct the Finance Committee--within 3 days--to report out a bill that helps lower the cost of healthcare by tackling the driving cost of prescription drugs, requiring pharmaceutical companies to disclose the price of their drug in their ads.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-7-26

. My colleague has described how the Senate works best when she says: Look, bipartisanship is not about taking each other's lousy ideas. Bipartisanship is about both sides getting together, having hearings, listening to all alternatives and ideas, and often coming up with something no one has thought of. prgtoken My colleague knows a lot about bipartisanship in healthcare because my colleague was part of our effort in 2008 when we put together the first bipartisan universal coverage bill in the history of the Senate-- seven , seven s. By the way, a number of those s are still serving in the Senate today. We know that is a better path. prgtoken To wrap up this portion of the debate, I wish to say to my colleagues that the best way to proceed is with a kind of two-part effort. The first is to say that we all agree the Affordable Care Act is not perfect. We are going to take steps immediately to stabilize the private insurance market. prgtoken We have a number of our colleagues--Senator Shaheen, with her effort to make sure people can get some help when they have deductibles and copayments; our colleague from Virginia, Senator Kaine, with reinsurance; Senator McCaskill with a fine idea to help areas that are bare in terms of no coverage. We have to move to stabilize the private market quickly because at the end of August, the plans are essentially signing contracts for premiums for 2018. prgtoken My colleague is absolutely right. We ought to knock off this partisan our-way-or-the-highway approach, move on a bipartisan basis to take steps to improve the Affordable Care Act now after we have hearings, input, and the opportunity to have people in front of the committees of jurisdiction. After that, we then move to the broader array of issues, starting with the immediate challenge my colleague has led on, which is clamping down on the cost of pharmaceuticals. You take steps to stabilize the market immediately, and then you move again in a bipartisan way on what our constituents are talking about at every community meeting, which is that their Social Security checks, the benefits they get, aren't coming close to keeping up with the rise in the cost of prescriptions. prgtoken for her very helpful questions and our colleague from Vermont, Senator Sanders. prgtoken .
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-7-26

I intend to offer a motion to commit the reconciliation bill to the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, HELP, Committee with instructions to report the bill back to the Senate within 3 days, not counting any day on which the Senate is not in session, with changes that would eliminate provisions in the bill that would increase health disparities among certain populations, including disparities on the basis of race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, religion, disability status, geographic location, and sexual identity and orientation. prgtoken I am offering this motion because communities of color and disenfranchised communities have faced significant barriers to accessing affordable health coverage, and these barriers have contributed to health disparities, which are evident in higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS and infant mortality, among other conditions. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's vital coverage reforms, which include Medicaid expansion, cost sharing reductions, eliminating annual and lifetime limits, and creating coverage options for individuals with preexisting conditions, has led to sharp declines in the uninsured rates for minorities and low-income populations. With the implementation of the major ACA coverage provisions in 2014, the uninsured rate dropped dramatically and continued to fall in 2015. In 2015, the nonelderly uninsured rate was 10.5 percent, the lowest rate in decades, with the most dramatic changes seen among low-income Latino Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans. prgtoken Minorities now make up more than 35 percent of the American population, and that number is expected to rise in the future. Every community across this great Nation deserves optimal health. A person's ethnic or racial background should never determine the length or quality of his or her life. We must work to bridge health equity across communities, ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, high- quality healthcare, and continue our efforts to eliminate health disparities. prgtoken The following Senators support my motion to commit: Senators Booker, Hirono, Brown, Carper, Stabenow, Markey, Blumenthal, Van Hollen, and Nelson. I ask unanimous consent that the full text of my motion to commit be printed in the Record.
CALLING FOR UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE OF U.S. CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS HELD FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES BY THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-7-26

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , yesterday this House spoke in no uncertain terms, in a bipartisan fashion, about what we think of Iran's dangerous and destabilizing prgtoken behavior. An overwhelming bipartisan majority voted to slap tough new sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program, for the regime's support for terrorism, and for the awful record of human rights abuses against the Iranian people. prgtoken Tehran should know that we mean business. We will not back down on any of these issues, and we certainly will not forget that Americans are being wrongfully held. prgtoken I am glad to go on record once again, along with my colleagues, Chairman Royce, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Nita Lowey, everyone who has spoken today, shining a line on this abuse, to put it front and center in our foreign policy, to call on Iran's leaders to release these people, and to say they will not be forgiven as long as these people are unlawfully held. prgtoken , I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' I am happy that we are bringing this important issue to the fore, and .
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-7-26

I have a motion to commit the bill, H.R. 1628, to the Committee on Finance with instructions to report the same back to the Senate in 3 days, not counting any day on which the Senate is not in session, with changes that, No. 1, are within the jurisdiction of such committee; and No. 2, ensure that any cuts to Medicaid shall cease to apply in States with fewer than 26 weeks of unemployment insurance under State law and shall be reversed in States with increased unemployment in a quarter and include a study on available job opportunities for those most likely to lose health insurance coverage in the next 10 years as a result of the bill. Like most of the country, Rhode Island was hit hard by the recession, and Medicaid provided a critical safety net. Medicaid can adapt to cover those who have lost their jobs or are facing other economic hardships, saving families from having to choose whether to take their kids to the doctor or put food on the table. Under this bill, States will be unable to expand coverage during a recession to those in need and will likely be forced to make devastating across the board cuts. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent that the motion be printed in the Record.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-7-26

since the s have announced that their top legislative priority in this Congress would be to rip away healthcare from millions of Americans, I have come down to the floor many times to beg them to reconsider. I shared stories about families in Massachusetts who gained quality healthcare coverage for the first time after the passage of the Affordable Care Act. I shared statements and letters from hospitals and doctors in Massachusetts talking about the incredible difference healthcare coverage makes for the patients who walk through their doors. I have also shared many, many stories from parents with children who have complex medical needs--all of those children depending on Medicaid. prgtoken I know that families, doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and patients lying in their hospital beds haven't just been sharing their stories with me; they have been begging every in the Senate to listen to them as well. People share their stories because they want to make a difference. These are the stories of families we represent. They are the reason we are here in the Senate. They are supposed to be our guiding light for the choices we make and the way we vote. prgtoken Senate s who voted yesterday to move forward with their effort to rip away Americans' healthcare are not listening to the people they represent. Their vote was irresponsible. It was reckless. It was cruel. It was immoral. But more than that, this was a vote that is not who we are as a country. prgtoken Let's be very clear about what is happening on the floor of the Senate right now. Fifty s have voted to open debate on a series of bills, each of which would have devastating effects for healthcare in this country. Now the s don't know which of these bills will actually be the ones they will be asked to vote on. Only some of the bills have been analyzed by the number crunchers over at the Congressional Budget Office, the CBO, to estimate exactly how many people would be kicked off insurance and how high premiums would go, but every version that the CBO did examine over the last few weeks was very ugly, with tens of millions of people losing their coverage and costs skyrocketing for millions more. prgtoken The latest plan Senator McConnell has been floating behind the scenes would have s ultimately vote on what is called a skinny repeal bill. This bill would make a limited set of changes to the Affordable Care Act--just the important stuff. What is important to Senator McConnell? It seems to be the part of the Affordable Care Act that makes the health insurance system actually work, because the skinny bill would repeal the parts of the ACA that say everyone needs health insurance coverage. This is the individual mandate. prgtoken leadership is telling their Members that if they vote for this skinny bill, they can hammer out the rest of the details in conference with the H
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Salud O. Carbajal (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-7-26

. Mr. Chair, I want to thank all of my colleagues for their leadership and work on this important amendment to strike this harmful rider, to prevent implementation of the National Ocean Policy. prgtoken The National Ocean Policy ensures we are able to implement marine planning efforts based on management components of the National Ocean Policy. It also allows coordination between Federal agencies to make sure they are working in a collaborative manner to improve our ocean's health. prgtoken This brings all stakeholders together, including conservationists, fishermen, scientists, shipping companies, and those who live and work in our ocean communities, and it will allow them to have a voice in finding solutions for effective management of our oceans. prgtoken Healthy sustainable ecosystems and economic growth are not mutually exclusive. That is why we need to make sure we strike this harmful rider. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Jared Polis (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2017-7-26

. Mr. Chair, such time as I may consume. prgtoken Mr. Chair, my amendment would simply restore the funding cuts to the Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy account just to fund at the same levels it was funded last year. That is $986 million. And I will tell you where we find those funds and take it from in a minute. It takes them from two programs: the fossil fuel energy and research account and the nuclear weapons account. prgtoken So we should invest in our future for energy efficiency and renewable energy rather than throwing more money at the past and into nuclear weapons. prgtoken Fossil fuel research and development is a dead end for America, for our economy, for the clean air that we need, and for our water. Continuing to fund fossil fuels, whether it makes them marginally cleaner or not, is simply throwing money at the past rather than the future. prgtoken Regardless of how clean we make fossil fuel extraction, it is never as clean or, more importantly, as sustainable as renewable energy, and definitely won't be as cheap or sustainable as clean energy. prgtoken I am the proud sponsor of a bill for our country to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, but to be able to do that, we need the investment in research and development. prgtoken Frankly, investing in nuclear weapons when we already have enough nuclear capabilities to destroy every man, woman, and child on this planet seven times over is simply wasteful. Nuclear weapons receive over $10 billion, while renewable energy receives a measly $986 million. prgtoken I was talking to one of my constituents a little while ago, Nancy Cronk from Colorado, and she agreed that we simply spend too much on potentially having the capability of destroying the world through nuclear weapons, rather than investing in a renewable energy future. prgtoken We don't live in Cold War times. We don't need Cold War-level spending for facilities that the military hasn't used in over 20 years. prgtoken We should be following the advice, in this case, of the Department of Defense and focusing on the renewable energy account, which helps fund national labs like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden. prgtoken The most recent study of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's economic impact alone shows it totaled over $800 million nationally. In addition, CU Boulder and NREL jointly operate the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, which is located in Colorado, which helps advance renewable energy science, engineering, and analysis through industry partnerships and education. prgtoken That is the future of our country, , and the future of the world. And by undercutting our investment in our future and throwing money at the past, and being able to kill every man, woman, and child seven times instead of six times, we are losing the forest through the trees, and we are making our country less secure, not more secure. prgtoken The Building
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2017-7-26

I know the Chair said I may speak for a few minutes before the vote. I spoke earlier so I will not reiterate every argument. prgtoken Really, what we are doing with this particular amendment is sending this legislation to the Finance Committee so as to focus it as the motion itself says: When this bill would be recommitted to the Finance Committee, the Finance Committee could examine it from the perspective, in this case, of people with disabilities and to focus on changes that could be made in order to prevent harm to individuals with disabilities as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. prgtoken The reason we mention that particularly is that is the seminal piece of legislation to protect people with disabilities who would be harmed by this legislation because you cannot just have rights that are guaranteed without the support for those rights. Medicaid provides that support so folks, if they want to live at home or if they want to live in a community-based setting, can do that, but they can only do that with the help of Medicaid. It is a pretty simple amendment to make sure there is some adequate review of the impact on Americans with disabilities. prgtoken We have, in Pennsylvania, for example, over 720,000 people who have a disability and depend upon Medicaid. I want to make sure every one of those Pennsylvanians has all of the protections we say we are guaranteeing with disability legislation--with laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and with the protections Medicaid provides. prgtoken This is critically important. At a time when we are talking about freedom and liberty in the context of healthcare, I would hope we would take steps to guarantee that freedom and liberty apply to those with disabilities so that as the Americans with Disabilities Act has enshrined in our law, they may be able to choose the kind of places they want to live and choose the settings within which they want to live their lives, to be able to have the freedom to choose that by way of the support they can get from Medicaid. I hope that is something that is reasonable enough so as to get support from both sides of the aisle. prgtoken I know my friend from Nevada is offering a sense of the Senate in the next vote. I just do not think that a sense of the Senate, in any way, is commensurate with the gravity of this problem. There is a time and a place for a sense of the Senate--when we are expressing a sentiment that is bipartisan--but we need more than sentimentality here. We need more than good wishes. We need to make sure we get this policy right as it relates to people with disabilities. prgtoken , .
SECURELY EXPEDITING CLEARANCES THROUGH REPORTING TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2017
Raja Krishnamoorthi (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-7-26

I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding, and I thank Mr. Knight and Mr. Mitchell for their leadership on this. I also want to thank Ranking Member Elijah Cummings for all that he has done to try to get the answers about executive branch background checks. prgtoken For over 6 months, various Oversight and Government Reform Committee members have been working to get basic answers from the White House about its process for granting security clearances. In a February 2017 hearing, my colleague, Congresswoman Plaskett, asked the Director of the National Background Investigations Bureau if any senior administration officials with access to sensitive material were under criminal investigation. Chairman Chaffetz specifically asked the Office of Personnel Management to get back to Representative Plaskett about her request. Unfortunately, neither OPM nor NBIB have answered these basic questions. That is why I am pleased that the Oversight and Government Reform Committee unanimously adopted my amendment during consideration of H.R. 3210 last week. prgtoken My amendment is very simple. It requires the NBIB to report to Congress on the process for conducting and adjudicating security clearances at the White House. prgtoken This bill is a necessary first step for Congress to conduct the oversight necessary to ensure that all personnel in the U.S. Government, regardless of administration, regardless of office, regardless of the President who happens to be in office at the time, will be thoroughly vetted and will not pose a threat to our national security. prgtoken I encourage all Members to support this bipartisan bill.
BORDER WALL FUNDING
Judy Chu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-7-26

the inclusion of $1.6 billion to fund an ineffective divisive border wall is a direct attack on immigrant communities across our Nation. Funding this immoral wall does nothing to help our country. It only helps to promote President 's campaign of fear. prgtoken The wall itself mirrors President 's approach to policy: divisive, ineffective, and motivated by hate. prgtoken This is exemplified by the administration's reckless disregard of the humanitarian cost of building a border wall, which will force immigrants and asylum seekers to take greater risks and more dangerous routes that will likely result in more deaths. Furthermore, this wall will literally divide immigrant households and tear families apart. prgtoken Instead of funding ineffective efforts to protect our homeland from dangerous threats, this administration would rather fulfill a campaign promise that does the exact opposite. It makes us less safe by targeting immigrant communities and closing off America from our neighbors. prgtoken American taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for President 's xenophobic anti-immigrant agenda.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-7-26

I intend to offer a motion to commit the reconciliation bill to the Committee on Finance with Instructions to report the same back to the Senate in 3 days, not counting any day on which the Senate is not in session, with changes that No. 1, are within the jurisdiction of such committee; and No. 2, add automatic sunset to the bill and reinstate the Affordable Care Act if the uninsured rate increases 10 percent as compared to the rate at the beginning of fiscal year 2017. I am offering this motion because any bill that increases the uninsured rate is a giant step backward. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent that the full text of my motion to commit be printed in the Record.