mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DIRECTING THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE TO MAKE A CORRECTION IN THE ENROLLMENT OF H.R. 2423
Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-11-14

I am disappointed that the majority has objected to passing our bipartisan legislation. prgtoken Every Senator should support a simple fix to assure veterans enrolled in the VA system can obtain preventive medications without out-of- pocket costs. prgtoken All Americans deserve access to the best healthcare possible, especially the veterans who signed up to defend our Nation. Yet, because of this objection, our veterans will continue to pay more for essential preventive medications compared to every other insured American. prgtoken One of the Affordable Care Act's critical patient protections was prohibiting insurance companies and other health systems, including the Department of Defense's own TRICARE, from charging copayments for drugs that are designated as preventive by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. prgtoken The ACA recognized that preventing serious illness, such as heart disease and breast cancer, may help avoid complex and costly medical treatments down the line. prgtoken Most importantly, preventive medicine may also increase patient survival odds. That is why the ACA required every insurer to cover preventive medications at no additional cost to enrollees. prgtoken The time has come to expand this vital patient protection to cover veterans enrolled in VA healthcare. Congress has the power to stop veterans from being the only ensured Americans who are charged copays and out-of-pocket fees for essential drugs and potentially lifesaving preventive health medication. This includes everything from critical vaccinations to common medications such as aspirin to lower the risk of heart disease and more advanced drugs such as tamoxifen inhibitors to lower the risk of breast cancer. prgtoken The question is simply, Does the Senate majority in this Congress have the will to exercise this power to swiftly fix the problem? prgtoken Unfortunately, today's objection provided a disappointing answer. I hope the majority will reconsider its opposition to passing the bipartisan Veterans Preventive Health Coverage Fairness Act by unanimous consent. prgtoken I am confident that a ic House majority would act swiftly to pass S. 1573 if we can get this commonsense bill to that Chamber. After all, I am confident that if asked, the majority of Americans--if not all Americans--would agree it is simply wrong to force veterans to pay more for essential preventive medications that are critically important to heart disease and building bone density. prgtoken This should not be controversial. It is certainly viewed as a commonsense legislative update by the veterans community. prgtoken That is why my bipartisan bill has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, the American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America. prgtoken Making sure veterans enrolled in the VA system can obtain preventive medications without paying out of pocket should be som
Senate Legislative Agenda (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-11-14

for the past few weeks, including this morning, the leader has amazingly accused the of being uninterested in making progress for the American people because we are so distracted by the impeachment inquiry into President . It is a ludicrous charge, not the least because Leader McConnell has shuttered the Senate when it comes to legislative business. prgtoken The House has passed over 250 bills that Leader McConnell has taken no action on here in the Senate. Leader McConnell proudly called himself the Grim Reaper and blocked just about everything that came through the House long before impeachment was even being talked about. So this idea that impeachment is blocking us from doing things belies Senator McConnell's record. Let me repeat it. The House has passed 250 bills, and Senator McConnell has taken no action on them from January forward. prgtoken There are lots of these bills we could have put on the floor this week, but there has been not a one. The s just block and block. They block legislation to protect Americans with preexisting conditions, to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, and even to secure our elections from foreign interference. prgtoken A few minutes ago, I heard Leader McConnell say that everything was fine with the elections and that we don't need any more legislation. Go talk to the election officials around the States. The States are the ones that have the say. The bottom line is they think we need to do more, and the experts think we need to do more. Only Leader McConnell doesn't. Again, he is blocking that. If Russia interferes in 2020--and I hope it will not--all eyes will be on the leader, who has repeatedly prevented us from moving forward on bipartisan legislation to make our elections safer. prgtoken To show another example of the legislative graveyard, in a few minutes, the two Senators from Connecticut--Murphy and Blumenthal--will be moving forward on bipartisan background checks, H.R. 8. It is overwhelmingly supported by the American people. Senator Murphy and Senator Blumenthal will ask for unanimous consent, and the s will object. So, while the leader accuses the of being too distracted to make progress, he has turned the Senate into a legislative graveyard, where we hardly ever vote on legislation, where we hardly ever have an open amendment process, where we hardly ever debate major issues. This is despite commitments that have been made by the leader in the past. At one point, he said--and I am sure my colleagues from Connecticut will point this out--yes, we ought to do something on background checks. Yet nothing has happened--nothing. prgtoken You don't even have to ask me. My friend the Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr. Toomey, said something last week that caught my attention. He and I may not agree on much, but here is what he said: ``Our i
DIRECTING THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE TO MAKE A CORRECTION IN THE ENROLLMENT OF H.R. 2423
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-11-14

I have serious philosophical disagreements with many of the judicial nominees put forth by this administration, but I believe Mr. Menashi is especially unfit to serve on the Federal bench. His record indicates an inability to serve as a fair and impartial judge. And so I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reject his nomination to a lifetime appointment on the bench. prgtoken Steven Menashi's public record demonstrates a deep contempt for a wide spectrum of Americans, and particularly some of the most vulnerable amongst us. In his own writings and as editor in chief of the Dartmouth Review, he has directly expressed or condoned disturbing views on issues such as LGBT rights, racism, and student aid. prgtoken Even if we were to cast these sentiments aside, Mr. Menashi's recent work in the administration provides ample evidence that he is unfit for a lifetime appointment to the bench. Consider his performance as acting general counsel at the Department of Education. Mr. Menashi oversaw the rollback of regulations designed to protect students and taxpayers from predatory for-profit institutions of higher education. prgtoken More egregiously, Mr. Menashi wrote the memo outlining the administration's scheme to provide only partial debt relief to students defrauded by for-profit colleges--a scheme that a Federal judge ruled violated Federal privacy laws. Under this scheme, the Department of Education used data that was collected to hold institutions accountable for providing education leading to gainful employment to further punish their victims. The Department has still failed to comply with the court's orders, resulting in the Secretary of Education being held in contempt. prgtoken Mr. Menashi supervised the legal work on the administration's proposal to rewrite the rules dealing with sexual assault and sexual harassment on college campuses. The administration's own analysis concluded that the new rules would dramatically reduce the number of sexual assault investigations. prgtoken Mr. Menashi worked on the rule rolling back efforts to address disparities in the discipline of students of color and those with disabilities. In March, a Federal court ruled that the Department had engaged in an illegal delay and had acted arbitrarily and capriciously. prgtoken During Mr. Menashi's time at the Department of Education, the administration argued that it was appropriate to use Federal education funds to purchase guns for schools. prgtoken Also consider Mr. Menashi's time as a White House counsel where he helped Stephen Miller in crafting some of the administration's most draconian immigration policies. While he was an advisor, the White House cut refugee admissions to a historic low, effectively banned asylum for refugees traveling through Mexico, and threatened to end birthright citizenship. prgtoken His views and work experience call into question how his personal biases would color his
UNITED STATES EXPORT FINANCE AGENCY ACT OF 2019
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-11-14

. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairwoman for yielding. prgtoken And I thank Mr. McHenry for his work on the committee. Mr. Chair, I say to Mr. McHenry: There is still time to get well. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of this legislation. I have been the majority leader in years past, the minority whip in years past, and now again the majority leader. During all of those years, I have been a strong supporter of the Ex-Im Bank. prgtoken Mr. Cantor, who was the majority leader, and I worked together the last time we brought this bill to the floor for reauthorization. There were 42 s, many of whom served on the Financial Services Committee, who signed a discharge petition, a discharge petition, because the chairman of the committee refused to bring this bill to the floor. prgtoken Mr. Chair, this bill enjoys the support of the United States Chamber of Commerce, wide support among the business community throughout America, support of the labor movement--the AFL-CIO and labor unions-- all over America, and the support of millions of workers who are producing products here in America. prgtoken I have an agenda. I call it Make It In America. This is critical to that because all of our competitors around the world have an agency similar to the Export-Import Bank that facilitates their products being sold in competition with ours. prgtoken If we fail to reauthorize this piece of legislation, and if we fail to effect the reforms that have been included in not only dealing with the amount of money that they are authorized to lend but also the fact that we will not be locked into the inability of either a President or a Senate to confirm members of the Ex-Im board, but we will be able to act. prgtoken This legislation, therefore, is better than we have done before. prgtoken I thank Maxine Waters for her untiring leadership on this issue, and I also congratulate my friend Denny Heck, a member of the committee from Washington State who has been as tenacious and faithful in his support of ensuring the reauthorization when we had the discharge petition, and this time, as anybody in this House. I thank the gentleman, Mr. Heck, for his leadership on this issue. prgtoken When that bill was discharged, some of you may remember, even though the leadership would not bring it to the floor, it had to be discharged. Forty-two s signed the discharge petition, led by Mr. Lucas and Mr. Fincher from Tennessee. prgtoken Mr. Lucas is still here. I hope Mr. Lucas will vote for this bill when he has the opportunity to do so one more time. prgtoken I had made the point with Mr. Cantor that I believed that the majority of s would support the reauthorization. And, in fact, they did. The majority of s, when the vote came, voted for the bill that had been refused by Mr. Hensarling to bring it to the floor. prgtoken So this is not as if it is some partisan piece of legislation. I would hope
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF HR. 4863, UNITED STATES EXPORT FINANCE AGENCY ACT OF 2019; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-11-14

let me just simply say that you have to live this to understand it, and I have spoken to those businesses that have benefited from Export-Import. prgtoken It sounds like a name that you can't get your hands around, but just understand it simply. You want to do business overseas. You want to get your products overseas. It is a big hurdle. You need additional finance. This is the place to come. prgtoken And they have been successful in paying for themselves. That $175 billion is over 10 years, but it pays for itself with the number of businesses that Americans can take advantage of and create new businesses for the sole purpose of selling that product overseas, selling that small farmer produce, what is on that small farm, allowing them to send it to markets that are desperate for the wonderful bounty of food products that we are able to raise in this wonderful country. prgtoken In particular, I would like to add, it is a good place for veterans who want to start their business, to add to their business, because many of them, obviously, understand the international realm. prgtoken , this is a good bill. I support this bill, the Ex-Im Bank, and I hope that my colleagues will support it.
UNITED STATES EXPORT FINANCE AGENCY ACT OF 2019
Sean Casten (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-11-14

the balance of my time. prgtoken , the amendment under consideration has nothing to do with moving the Ex-Im forward. Instead, it eliminates needed reforms in the underlying bill to modernize the Bank and bring it into the 21st century. It takes this bill back toward the past rather than looking toward the future. prgtoken I urge all my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this misguided amendment. .
UNITED STATES EXPORT FINANCE AGENCY ACT OF 2019
Maxine Waters (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-11-14

the balance of my time. prgtoken , this misguided amendment is going to hurt American workers and American businesspersons. This is not the way to get at the issue the gentleman from Ohio is concerned about. He should be supporting the McAdams-Rose amendment if he wants to do that. prgtoken I urge all my colleagues to vote against this amendment, and .
RECOGNIZING GLOBAL COALITION TO DEFEAT ISIS
Elissa Slotkin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-11-14

I rise today to speak about a bipartisan resolution I am introducing today, together with a group of and s, recognizing the global coalition to defeat ISIS. prgtoken This resolution recognizes the critical contributions of the counter- ISIS coalition partners; the value of those partnerships to countering threats, both today and tomorrow; and the importance of building and maintaining trust among partners for the sake of future fights--as well as reaffirming Congress' commitment to defeating ISIS. prgtoken It is important to remember how this coalition of 60-plus countries came together in the first place. Take yourself back 5 years. ISIS had taken over wide swaths of Iraq and Syria. They had huge amounts of territory. They were systematically slaughtering the opposition. They were targeting ethnic groups. They were targeting Christians. They were targeting Yazidis. They were systematically raping women. They were setting up bureaucratic structures, charging taxes, and extorting people. prgtoken They were projecting violence and threats out of that territory into places like Europe, into places like Russia, and into places like the United States. So the Department of Defense and the Department of State pieced together 60 nations to contribute to a coalition. prgtoken Some of those countries provide F-16 air cover. Some provide overhead imagery. Some provide human intelligence. Some train the Iraqi security forces and police. Everyone has a part to play. prgtoken Today, as I speak, Secretary Pompeo is convening the counter-ISIS coalition at the highest levels in an emergency session to discuss the future of the counter-ISIS mission, following President 's decision to pull out U.S. forces from northern Syria. prgtoken Our allies and partners are rightfully questioning the future of this coalition. The President surprised these nations, all 60 of them, with the pullout. Many of our partners found out about the pullout, in which they are involved, via tweet and via the media. prgtoken As the counter-ISIS coalition partners come to Washington, I, therefore, want to take a moment to recognize their partnership, their contributions, and their commitment to the counter-ISIS fight. prgtoken Why is it important to have a coalition? Why is it important that 60 nations come together to fight this terrorist group? It is not just for show. For every airman, marine, soldier, or sailor from the U.K Spain, France, or Norway who comes to contribute to the fight, that is one fewer soldier, airman, marine, or naval officer who needs to come from the United States. For every piece of intelligence that they risk their lives to collect, that is one fewer piece that we need to collect and risk our lives for. prgtoken Most importantly, working in coalition keeps the American homeland safer than it would be simply if it were up to us to defend. In an era of globalized threats that can come from anywhere, we need
RECOGNIZING CHIEF DAVE SPILLER
Eric Swalwell (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-11-14

. Madam , I rise to recognize the dutiful work of my constituent, Police Chief Dave Spiller, on the occasion his retirement from the Pleasanton Police Department after 17 years of service. prgtoken Chief Spiller joined the Pleasanton Police Department in 2002 after more than a decade serving the San Diego and Mountain View Police Departments. In 2011, Chief Spiller was appointed to be Pleasanton's sixth police chief. He has served in every sworn rank of the police profession--from officer to chief. prgtoken Chief Spiller's colleagues can attest not only to his professionalism but to his commitment to safety and quality of life in Pleasanton. His leadership as police chief was characterized by compassion, integrity and responsiveness to the city. prgtoken Chief Spiller's commitment to law enforcement has left an immeasurable impact that extends far beyond his own department. In his time as chief he has modernized the department's training, technology, and equipment. He has fostered lasting partnerships that have shaped the future of his community and local law enforcement. prgtoken Chief Spiller's passion for public service is reflected by his pursuit of higher education which culminated in his master's degree in public leadership from St. Mary's College. Through his service as an advisory board member on the Administration of Justice Board and an adjunct faculty member at Las Positas College, Chief Spiller is cultivating a future police force that will reflect the same integrity and commitment that he has brought to the law enforcement community. prgtoken In addition, Chief Spiller serves as a member of the International Criminal Justice Board at the University of San Francisco, a member of the Board of Directors for the California Police Chiefs Association, and he is an independent contract trainer and group facilitator serving non-profit organizations and municipal governments. prgtoken I want to thank Chief Spiller for the contributions he has made to the Pleasanton Police department and community. Your extraordinary vision and leadership will be missed, and we wish you a fulfilling retirement.
WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS
Madeleine Dean (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2019-11-14

this week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments surrounding DACA. Now 800,000 lives hang in the balance. prgtoken , 800,000 is a big number, and in the face of abstract figures it is easy to lose touch with the human reality. prgtoken So let's think of, maybe, just one person, one young woman who has lived virtually her entire life in this country; whose friends, family, and community are here; who attends school and plays on the soccer team and volunteers at a food bank; who speaks English and no other language. prgtoken Which one of us would take that child to the border and send her across alone? prgtoken Which one of us would banish her to a place she has never been? prgtoken Which one of us would force her to build a life and a language she does not even know? prgtoken Which one of us could abandon that child with a clear conscience? prgtoken I suspect the answer is very few of us. And, if that is right, if in our hearts we would not permit us to behave with such coldness and cruelty, then we cannot allow our government to do so either. prgtoken As our dear colleague Mr. Cummings said, we are better than this.
RECOGNIZING K. NEAL TRUCK AND BUS CENTER
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-11-14

it is with great pride that I name K. Neal Truck and Bus Center the United States Senate Small Business of the Week. prgtoken K. Neal Truck and Bus Center is a family-owned business based in Hyattsville, MD. Following a decades-long career in the grocery business, Stephen Neal purchased a trucking business and renamed it after his son, Korey Neal. prgtoken Together, the father-son team has turned K. Neal into the second largest minority-owned truck and bus supplier in the country, with more than $100 million in annual revenue and just under 100 employees. prgtoken On the Senate Small Business Committee, we often speak of small businesses as drivers of economic growth and innovation, but they are often also pillars in their communities, and K. Neal is no exception. prgtoken I had the privilege of meeting with Stephen, Korey, and several K. Neal executives last month, and I was impressed by the company's commitment to empowering all its employees and investing in its community. prgtoken Half of the executives at K. Neal are women, and for the past 5 years, the company has partnered with the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation to train workers from underserved communities to become diesel technicians. I am proud to share that 14 individuals have completed the program, and 8 of them are currently employed by the company. The company also voluntarily banned prgtoken the box for returning citizens convicted of nonviolent crimes. prgtoken Thanks to K. Neal's history of business success and commitment to investing in their community and their neighbors, the U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce presented its 2019 Emerging Leaders & Influencers Award to the company. prgtoken I applaud Stephen and Korey for building a successful company and using their company to make a positive difference in the lives of so many. They have truly made Prince George's proud.