mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
MAKING FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019--CONFERENCE REPORT
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-2-14

I will be brief. prgtoken First of all, I thank Senator Leahy, the vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, who worked diligently for the past year to get to where we are today in a bipartisan way and also, recently, in the conference committee, which we thought last week had broken down. I also thank Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, and Chuck Schumer, the ic leader. I thank everybody else who has contributed to get us to this point. prgtoken Nothing is perfect, but we think this is a good bill for the American people. It opens up all of the government--the 25 percent that we had not addressed. prgtoken The conference report includes a robust and comprehensive investment in border security, providing funding for personnel, technology, and infrastructure that is critical to keeping our nation secure and our people safe. Critically, the bill provides nearly $1,400,000,000 to further construction of a barrier along the southwest border. But that is only a down payment. More resources are required. Fortunately, the President has at his disposal both constitutional and existing statutory authorities that allow him to supplement the congressional investment in border security that was made today. This bill preserves those authorities, and I support action by the President to use them to the fullest extent permissible to secure our border. In particular, this bill does not restrict the President's ability to declare a national emergency or to exercise emergency authorities under such a declaration. Nor does this bill further restrict the Administration's ability, previously granted by the Congress, to prgtoken transfer funds in support of efforts to gain operational control of our southwest border and to cease the trafficking of persons and drugs across it. prgtoken I am going to get on with the vote. prgtoken I want to say thank you to everybody, including Shannon Hines on our staff and everybody else who contributed to this. prgtoken At this point, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the cloture vote on the conference report to accompany H.J. Res. 31.
BORDER SECURITY
David Perdue (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-2-14

I rise today to talk about an experience I had this weekend that was extremely memorable to me. prgtoken I used to live in Texas. I used to be involved in businesses in the Valley, as they call it there--from Brownsville to Weslaco, to Edinburg, to McCowan. This past weekend, a good colleague of mine, Senator Steve Daines from Montana, and I traveled to the southern border to visit the Customs and Border Patrol people, to visit with ICE people, and to see firsthand what goes on in a typical night. We were there overnight on Sunday night. We had a remarkable evening, and we saw firsthand what these people are up against. prgtoken Before I make my comments, I want to say that from Deputy Chief Ortiz all the way down in the organization in that sector--the McCowan sector that we were in--the best of America is in uniform right now, every day and night, protecting our rights and privileges here in the United States. I was proud to meet these people and to be a part of this trip. prgtoken What we saw this weekend is disturbing on many levels. We spoke directly to Border Patrol agents. We went to the retention center. We saw firsthand that we have not just illegal immigration there, but we have a national security crisis. We saw it firsthand. prgtoken This is a situation that the border agents face every day, and it is a grim situation. It is shameful that we here in Congress have not given Border Patrol agents adequate resources to do their jobs. prgtoken First, the real tragedy at the border is the dramatic increase in illegal drug trafficking. Even though the conversation in this room deals mainly with illegal immigration across that border, in this sector, the drug traffic increases are remarkable. prgtoken This year alone, fiscal year 2018--this is from October 1 to today-- we had a 22-percent increase of heroin seized at the southern border, a 38-percent increase of methamphetamine and a 73-percent increase in fentanyl. prgtoken The amount of fentanyl seized by ICE so far this year is enough to kill every American citizen by overdose. Let me say that again. The tonnage of fentanyl seized is up 73 percent this year across the entire southern border, and that is not 100 percent of what is crossing that border. That is a 73-percent increase over the last year. The tonnage that has been seized this year is enough to kill every American citizen by overdose. prgtoken What is so remarkable is the estimate that only 7 to 10 percent of the drugs that they are attempting to bring across the border are actually interdicted--less than 10 percent. That is consistent with what our SOUTHCOM combatant commander tells us repeatedly year after year. By the end of fiscal year 2019, CPB--Customs and Border Patrol-- will have seized 1.7 million pounds of narcotics at the border. prgtoken The Border Patrol agents we spoke to estimate that they are only able to stop, again, about 10 percent, and that is because they don't hav
RECOGNIZING THE IRREPLACEABLE WORK OF OUR COURT REPORTERS DURING NATIONAL COURT REPORTING AND CAPTIONING WEEK
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-2-14

I rise today to recognize the important and irreplaceable work done by our court reporters during National Court Reporting and Captioning Week, which is February 9 through 16. prgtoken As guardians of the record, court reporters have had and do have a large impact on capturing history for posterity. prgtoken During our nearly 250 years of American history, court reporters have been a cornerstone of our American justice system. From George Washington's farewell address to Lincoln's ``House Divided'' speech, these noble servants have transcribed some of the most important pieces of American history. prgtoken Today, with the help of new technology like that utilized by CART captioners, reporters have been able to expand beyond the courtroom to provide accessibility for millions of Americans who are deaf and hard of hearing by providing captioning in real time for live sporting and theater events, church services, movie theaters, and many other venues. prgtoken As I speak to you now, a stenographer, Julia, is seated next to me, quietly but promptly recording my every word. prgtoken So, on behalf of myself and all Members of Congress, thank you for all the hard work you do in support of this House.
REMEMBERING WALTER JONES
Thom Tillis (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-2-14

I come to the floor with a heavy heart today. A colleague in the House passed away, and right at this very moment, down in Greenville, NC, we have a number of Congressmen and friends and family members congregated to celebrate the life and mourn the death of Congressman Jones. prgtoken Congressman Jones served in Congress for over 24 years. His dad served before that. Between the two of them, the Jones family has represented the eastern portion of North Carolina for 50 out of the last 53 years. prgtoken Now, Congressman Jones was somebody who was a bit of a maverick and a bit of an independent spirit on the House side, and we didn't agree on certain measures. But I never doubted his sincerity and his heart and his commitment to North Carolina and to this great Nation. prgtoken He is survived by his wife Joe Anne of over 50 years. In fact, they were married in 1966. prgtoken He has a number of people in the statehouse who served with him, in a chamber where I was speaker of the house. They are mourning his death today. I couldn't be there in person because we have to be here for the votes that we are taking up this afternoon, but I wanted the Jones family to know, and all the people in Eastern North Carolina, how much I cared for and loved Walter Jones.
TRIBUTE TO SETH BEAL
Mike Crapo (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-2-14

along with my colleague Senator James E. Risch, I congratulate Seth Beal, who is prgtoken retiring after more than 30 years of serving as a commissioner for Butte County, ID. prgtoken Seth Beal has dedicated so much of his time and talents to serving others throughout his communities. He was appointed to the Butte County Commission on June 6, 1988. Seth has said that efforts that established far-reaching benefits for his communities have been the most satisfying parts about his job. This includes the establishment of the rural addressing of Butte and South Custer Counties. He also assisted with Federal legislation providing for small community and arid landfill design. He was involved with ensuring that local counties could access Payment in Lieu of Taxes, PILT, payments because of the local presence of U.S. Department of Energy facilities. Another highlight of his work on the Butte County Commission is the commission's establishment of the Butte County Elected Scholarship, which awards three scholarships per year to Butte County High School seniors. prgtoken Through his work and public service, Seth has helped improve his local communities and supported area youth. In addition to his service on the county commission, Seth has served as an assistant football coach for 8 years at Butte County High School. He has served as bishop and stake president in the Idaho Falls Temple Presidency. He has also been involved with the purchase and renovation of buildings that provide improved facilities for the county. prgtoken In addition to his extensive service on the Butte County Commission, he has served in numerous other leadership positions that include service on several boards, including the Idaho County Risk Management Program for 20 years; GEM PLAN, the county's insurance plan, for 14 years; East Central Idaho Development Association for 12 years; founding member of the Regional Development Alliance and 21 years of service; 7th Judicial District Commissioner for 24 years; District 6 elected officials chairman for 5 years; Idaho National Lab Citizens Advisory Board member for 7 years; founding member of the 3-B Juvenile Detention Center; and founding member of the Energy Communities Alliance. prgtoken Seth Beal, congratulations on your retirement after more than three decades of serving on the Butte County Commission and in many other leadership positions. Your thoughtful and committed leadership all these years is a prime example of what makes our communities so great. Thank you for your dedication and extensive service on behalf of our fellow Idahoans.
HONORING THE MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE SENSELESS ATTACK AT MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-2-14

. Wrapping up on this point, there is another article from the Sun Sentinel entitled ``Hide, deny, spin, threaten: How the school district tried to mask failures that led to Parkland shooting.'' It talks about efforts that were made by the school district to keep from the public the sorts of things that we are now finding out. prgtoken Finally, ``Here's what the [school district] knew about the Parkland shooter'' is another article that talks about, time and again, how this killer told people he was going to do this--not just one person, but multiple people--and nothing was in place to do anything about it. prgtoken I wrap up with a couple of points. The first is that the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission empaneled by the State looked at these shootings and from it, I think, are pretty instructive of some of the things I hope we can work on together. It looked at a 20-year period and found that 48 individuals committed 46 of these attacks, and 35 were students, and 10 were former students. So 45 of the 48 were either students or former students. prgtoken It found that the most typical weapon used was a semiautomatic pistol. It found that 50 percent of these attacks were done with weapons that were taken from the home--not even purchased, but taken from the home. It found that in four of five incidents, at least one person had some knowledge that they were going to do this, and in more than half of the cases, at least two people knew they were going to do this. prgtoken It is on the basis of these discoveries, working with many of the parents whose children lost their lives a year prgtoken ago today, that last year we pursued on a bipartisan basis and passed the STOP School Violence Act, which provides, over a 10-year period, $100 million a year for strengthening school security, providing school training to identify threats before they take action, and creating school threat assessments and crisis intervention. That has passed. prgtoken It is why this year I have reintroduced the Extreme Risk Protection Order and Violence Protection Act, which will dedicate the Department of Justice funds to incentivize States to give law enforcement the authority to prevent individuals that pose a threat to themselves or others the ability to purchase or possess firearms, so that if information like what was available to authorities in Parkland is available to people now, they can actually go to court--to prove their case with due process, and take the guns away from this person before they go out and commit this crime. More importantly, they can alert their parents to secure the guns at home so they don't use that gun to commit the crime. prgtoken I have also introduced a bipartisan bill, the Threat Assessment Prevention and Safety Act. It creates a task force of experts to provide recommendations for a national strategy to keep our communities safe from targeted violence through threat assessment and
ISSUES OF THE DAY
Louie Gohmert (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-2-14

. Madam , I, too, miss my friend Walter Jones. I just greatly treasured the hour each week we spent together visiting. It was a fitting tribute today at his funeral. prgtoken I do want to address this bill we just passed. I had hoped to vote for it after I was hearing, well, it is not much money; it is less than $2 billion. But the trouble is there are provisions in here that are going to make it difficult to remove anybody who is here if they have got a child in there. prgtoken And, yes, I know, there is language that says if it is based on information shared by HHS, so that means they are going to be covered up with discovery requests, FOIA requests, probably people will find judges who let people out. prgtoken This was not a good bill in the end. That is why I had to vote ``no.''
REMEMBERING THE HON. WALTER B. JONES, JR.
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-2-14

. Madam , I rise tonight in memory of our friend, Walter Jones, congressman from North Carolina. prgtoken Walter was a kind, gentle, sweet soul of a man, who I admired even in the brief time we had to serve here together. prgtoken I found him to be a man of integrity who always put what he thought was right for the people of his district and this country first. prgtoken Sometimes he had a vote he might regret, but he did everything he could to make that right. prgtoken He went so far as to make the families of a fallen soldier feel that much more comfortable with a letter--to every one that he could possibly do--showing compassion and showing that at least one congressman knows what their pain is. prgtoken So, to his family; his wife, Joe Anne; and his daughter Ashley; all his constituents and friends and neighbors in North Carolina, our hearts are with you at the loss of a man whose main goal was to please God and walk with Jesus Christ. We admire him, and we will miss him.
TAX POLICY
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-2-14

I just had an opportunity to speak to President , and I will state to all of my colleagues, he is prepared to sign the bill. prgtoken He will also be issuing a national emergency declaration at the same time, and I indicated to him that I am going to support the national emergency declaration. prgtoken So for all of my colleagues, the President will sign the bill we will be voting on shortly.
TRIBUTE TO THEODORE JOSEPH ``TED'' STATON
Steve Stivers (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-2-14

. Madam , I rise today on behalf of the people of Ohio's 15th Congressional District to celebrate the life and legacy of one of Upper Arlington, Ohio's most distinguished citizens, a man who devoted his life to the service of others, Mr. Theodore Joseph ``Ted'' Staton. His commitment to good, ethical governance cannot be understated, and he made a lasting impact on my city, Upper Arlington. prgtoken An incredibly passionate and hardworking man, Mr. Staton valiantly offered his skills to Ohio serving as a City Manager for the City of Upper Arlington since 2011. He displayed strength and tenacity throughout his leadership positions on the Executive Board of the League of Women in Government, the Upper Arlington Community Foundation Board of Trustees, as the Chair of the Central Ohio Mayors and Managers Association, and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. Mr. Staton successfully led these organizations gracefully though both prosperous and challenging times. He continuously propelled Upper Arlington's community towards a bright and successful future. prgtoken To attempt to quantify the impact Mr. Staton made is impossible. He was a firm believer in the value of good, ethical governance. Due to his proven track record of these values, Mr. Staton was awarded the 2019 Outstanding Mentor Award from the International City/County Management Association; 2018 Upper Arlington Stewardship Award, and 2018 Ohio City Manager's Association Award for Career Achievement. His legacy will live on in the memories of those who knew him and loved him: his wife Carol; two sons, Paul and Bennet; and his extended family and friends. prgtoken As a dedicated public servant, community leader, family man, friend, and mentor Mr. Staton consistently seized upon new opportunities to enrich the lives of others. He enhanced the teamwork and collaboration with every organization he joined. Upper Arlington, Ohio is undeniably a better place because of Mr. Staton and the tremendous life of public service he lived, and I am honored to celebrate his legacy.
HONORING THE MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE SENSELESS ATTACK AT MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-2-14

Senator Rubio for standing with me to remember the victims and their families on this tragic anniversary and for his unwavering commitment to school safety. prgtoken Alyssa Alhadeff, Scott Beigel, Martin Duque Anguiano, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Chris Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup, Peter Wang--one year ago today, these 17 souls were taken from us in a brutal act of violence. They were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters; they were students and athletes and musicians and teachers. Not a day goes that I don't think about that day and the amazing people who were snuffed out by the deranged actions of a madman. prgtoken Over the course of the last year, I have spent countless hours with the families of the victims. Unfortunately, I wish we had never met like this. They have been partners in our efforts to ensure that this never happens again. We worked together, along with educators, mental health professionals, and law enforcement, to pass the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, to make sure our State does everything in its power to prevent tragedies like this from happening again. prgtoken Today, the State of Florida stands united with heavy hearts. Nothing we say here today can bring back the lives that were lost. Nothing we do can replace the angels of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who were taken from us too soon. But we must never forget them. We must honor their memory every day, and we must rededicate ourselves to the goal of ending violence in our schools. prgtoken . Recognition of the Minority Leader
Government Funding (Executive Calendar)
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2019-2-14

William Barr is unquestionably qualified to serve as Attorney General, a position to which he was confirmed unanimously in 1991, in President George H.W. 's administration. Mr. Barr's record of public service and long career in the law are exemplary. I have carefully reviewed his record, listened to his testimony before the Judiciary Committee, and questioned him for an hour in my office. Given the significant issues before the Department of Justice and the fact that it is currently led by an unconfirmed, Acting Attorney General, I will vote to confirm Mr. Barr. prgtoken It is imperative that the Senate confirm an Attorney General who is committed to allowing the Special Counsel to complete his investigation unimpeded. Mr. Barr gave this commitment under oath to the Judiciary Committee and again to me in our private meeting. He testified clearly that he will not permit any interference in Special Counsel Mueller's investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election. In fact, Mr. Barr told the committee that he believes ``the overarching public interest is to allow [Special Counsel Mueller] to finish.'' He also said he would resign if he were ordered by the President to fire the Special Counsel without good cause. Mr. Barr testified, ``The country needs a credible resolution to these issues, and if confirmed, I will not permit partisan politics, personal interests, or any other improper consideration to interfere with this or any other investigation. I will follow the Special Counsel regulations scrupulously and in good faith, and on my watch, Bob [Mueller] will be allowed to finish his work.'' prgtoken Not only must the Special Counsel be allowed to finish his work, but also his conclusions must be as open and transparent to the public as possible. The prgtoken Special Counsel regulations, put in place during the Clinton administration, have guided administrations from both parties for two decades. Those regulations instruct the Special Counsel to submit a confidential report to the Attorney General, and Mr. Barr testified that he will be as transparent as possible about the report, consistent with the law. He told me he will always err on the side of disclosure and believes transparency is critical to the public's confidence in the investigation. When asked whether he would allow the President or his attorneys to edit any report, Mr. Barr told the committee, ``That will not happen.'' prgtoken Mr. Barr and I also discussed the memo he wrote in 2018 about obstruction of justice and his views on executive power. I asked him whether suborning perjury would be obstruction. He said yes. I asked him what he would do if the President asked him to stop an otherwise lawful investigation. He said he would resign. We discussed the political checks that exist to limit Executive power, and he described the Special Counsel as a ``super charged political check.'' prgtoken Some have sugges
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.J. RES. 31, FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, 2019
Mario Diaz-Balart (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-2-14

. This bill also includes funding to rebuild urban, suburban, and rural communities with block grant funding that goes directly to the local decisionmakers and to the local communities. prgtoken Again, this is a good bill, . I thank, again, the leaders for putting this together. prgtoken , I urge a ``yes'' vote on what I believe is a bill that will create jobs, rebuild our communities, secure our future, and, yes, stop the gridlock.