mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PASSAGE OF H.R. 6535, THE COVERAGE FOR URBAN INDIAN HEALTH PROVIDERS ACT
Ruben Gallego (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2020-12-20

. Madam , I am grateful for my colleagues' support of my bill, prgtoken H.R. 6535, the Coverage for Urban Indian Health Providers Act, when it passed this House on Thursday, December 17, 2020. Enactment of H.R. 6535 will address the lack of parity under the Federal Tort Claims Act within the Indian Health Service for urban Indian health programs, and by sending this bill to the Senate, and hopefully to the President, we arc making a necessary correction that will support delivery of health care to Native communities across the country. prgtoken However, while I am proud of the passage of this measure, we must not forget that the same lack of parity under FTCA continues to persist for the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems funded through the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. I am therefore committed to standing with Native Hawaiians and their representatives in Congress, including Congressman Case and Senator Schatz, to ensure that Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems are not left behind, and will work with them, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee, and the Senate Committee for Indian Affairs to address the inequitable access to Federal Torts Claims Act coverage among Native health systems in the next Congress. Together, we will continue to fight for the trust and treaty rights and access to benefits for all of our country's Native peoples.
EXTENSION OF CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021
Nita M. Lowey (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-12-20

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , on Friday, I informed the House that we were very close to agreement on a year-end funding package. prgtoken I am pleased to say that we have now reached agreement, but logistics of assembling such a comprehensive bill require additional time. This continuing resolution provides that additional time and will allow this Congress to complete our work on government funding and coronavirus relief. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this clean extension of funding. prgtoken , .
GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE ACT OF 2019
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-12-20

I want to take one other moment just to also speak and thank everybody that is involved at this point in getting us to where we are on this very important survival package. prgtoken I have never felt this was a COVID stimulus. It is about helping people survive over the next several months, whether that is making sure they have a roof over their head and food on the table, can pay the bills, keep the heat on. In places like North Dakota and places like Ohio, it is going to get pretty cold this winter. Our small businesses, our farmers, our schools that need help to be able to succeed, all the support we need to provide for vaccine distribution and healthcare, and all of the other areas--this has been a tough negotiation. prgtoken I do want to say, on a couple of points where I have been deeply involved, I want to thank the Presiding Officer for his support and help on our nutrition and agriculture pieces. We have come together in a very important step. It is going to allow more people to get help to feed their families over the next several months--no small thing. prgtoken We have a hunger crisis in our country. We have people who have donated to the food bank, worked for the food bank, and are now sitting for hours in cars, waiting to drive up and get a box of food, in the United States of America. prgtoken And so what we are doing as part of this package is going to be significant to help people be able to purchase food in the grocery store, as well as to get help in other ways--to help our seniors with Meals on Wheels, to help our children who aren't able to eat in school right now, and our college students who don't have the opportunity to be on campus and get support. prgtoken So we have very significant food access and nutrition, very positive efforts in this legislation. And for our farmers, as well, across the country, there is significant support, as well as help in our food chain and supply chain areas, where we have all been concerned as we have watched those involved in the supply chain lose their markets in restaurants and so on but not have the support and the capacity to take that milk or take those other commodities and be able to move them over and package them differently for consumers to go to the food bank. We make some headway in supporting that, as well, in this legislation. prgtoken So I want to thank my colleagues. This is really the last negotiation that Senator Roberts and I have led, as he retires this year. And it has been, as I have said before, a great pleasure to work with him and to be able to achieve this effort--bipartisan effort. prgtoken The one thank-you I just want to give is in a whole other area that has been a passion of mine that I have been proud to lead with a colleague from Missouri, Senator Roy Blunt. We have very significant support, as well, for behavioral health services, mental health, substance abuse services that are desperately needed and have b
TRIBUTE TO DEPARTING SENATORS
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2020-12-20

the end of a Congress is a bittersweet time. We reflect with pride on our accomplishments but have a sense of wistfulness with respect to the things we have been unable to do. We look forward to the holidays, spending more time with our families, and having a bit of a respite. But we have to say good-bye to several colleagues. I would like to take a few moments to pay tribute to Senators who will not be returning when the 117th Congress convenes. They are my friends as well as my colleagues and I will miss them and the unique attributes, skill, and devotion to public service they have brought to the Senate. prgtoken Senator Cory Gardner is a fifth generation Coloradan firmly rooted in the State's Eastern Plains whose family has been in the farm implement business for over one century. He received his undergraduate degree from Colorado State University, where he graduated summa cum laude, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado at Boulder. prgtoken While Senator Gardner has only been in the Senate since 2015, the expression ``got it in one'' certainly applies to him. Perhaps that is because he previously worked in the Senate for then-Senator Wayne Allard, quickly rising to become Senator Allard's legislative director. He served for 6 years in the Colorado House of Representatives and another 4 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 2014. prgtoken Here in the Senate, Senator Gardner has been a serious legislator but with a cheerful and affable and civil manner. He has worked to bridge partisan divides, particularly on energy policy, where he has been one of the s' leading advocates of renewable energy. This year, the esteemed Lugar Center ranked Senator Gardner as the third most bipartisan Senator. prgtoken I have had the opportunity to work with Senator Gardner on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as he led the effort to impose sanctions against North Korea in his role as chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy. Through the committee, we also worked together to introduce legislation to enhance American maritime capacity and leadership and increase support to our allies in the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia- Pacific Maritime Security Initiative Act of 2016. I was also pleased to work with Senator Gardner in 2019 to introduce the Wildlife Refuge System Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to provide legal authority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--USFWS--to seek damages for injury or harm on National Wildlife Refuges, National Fish Hatcheries, and other USFWS lands and waters. prgtoken My wife Myrna and I have traveled with Senator Gardner and his wife Jaime to promote human rights abroad. His commitment to global human rights was crystal clear to Myrna and me. I will miss Senator Gardner and his pleasant demeanor, but he is still a young man so I a
HONORING BOB HANDY FOR HIS PUBLIC SERVICE
Salud O. Carbajal (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-12-20

. Madam , today, l celebrate the service of one of my constituents and good friend, Robert ``Bob'' Handy, who is a staunch advocate for veterans and had a prodigious 22-year career in the U.S. Navy as a Medical Corpsman. prgtoken Bob is the founder and Chairman of Veterans United for Truth, Inc. (VUFT), a veterans' support non-profit that played a critical role in addressing the Veterans Administration's (VA) mishandling or veterans' medical services, particularly of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) cases, and restrictive policies within the VA that prevented veterans with PTSD from appealing negative findings in their cases. prgtoken Bob led VUFT as the principal plaintiff in VCS et al. v. Nicholson et al a 2007 class action lawsuit that challenged the federal government's compliance with the First and Fifth Amendments to the United States Constitution, and with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 794, as it related to veterans' PTSD cases. prgtoken While the suit was initially successful in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, after being referred there by a District Court, a subsequent revised finding by a full panel of the court rejected it. The case was supported by millions of dollars of pro bona legal support and lasted into 2009. prgtoken Bob Handy's tireless pursuit of this case in the public realm brought new attention to the serious health issue of PTSD. His work resulted in important changes to the VA's approach on this issue. prgtoken I am honored to celebrate Bob Handy's distinguished service, exemplary advocacy, leadership, and commitment on behalf of veterans.
CORONAVIRUS
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-12-21

here we are, the 21st of December, 4 days till Christmas, and Congress is finally getting around to doing its duty on COVID-19 relief, as well as the Omnibus appropriations bill, which will keep the government open and keep the lights on through the end of the fiscal year next September. prgtoken I have to editorialize here that I think this is a terrible process. It is a terrible process. I just saw one of the Texas delegation House Members saying: I am expected to review thousands of pages of an appropriations bill and COVID-19 relief bill in the next couple of hours and then vote on it this evening? prgtoken Well, we will be in the same posture. As terrible as this process is, it was intentionally created. I am sure that the Appropriations chairman, Richard Shelby, and Leader McConnell would have loved to have had a regular appropriations process to vote out each of the subcommittee appropriations and pass them using regular order, giving the Members of the Congress a chance to offer amendments and maybe improve the bill, but we weren't provided that opportunity because, essentially, the ic leader and the of the House of Representatives understand that this kind of broken process empowers them to the detriment of individual Members of the Congress and to the detriment of the people we represent. It empowers them, not the rank- and-file Members. prgtoken So, I believe this is a--and the same thing is true on COVID-19, of course. We passed the CARES Act in March. We tried to come back and replenish some of those funds. We were successful in doing so, for example, in the Paycheck Protection Program, but it was obvious there was more need, and on at least three occasions--maybe four, but at least three--we offered another half trillion dollars in relief, only to be blocked by here in the Senate. prgtoken Pelosi was candid. She basically said: Well, this is about politics. We don't want President to get credit for Congress stepping up in a bipartisan way to provide relief to the American people in the runup to the election. prgtoken So this is where we are. We know what we have to do. We have to prevent the government from shutting down. We know that there is genuine need across the country for more COVID-19 relief, so we need to do that. But I would also point out, we are going to do roughly $900 billion of an additional COVID-19 relief bill when Pelosi and the ic leader in the Senate, Senator Schumer, turned down a $1.8 trillion offer from Secretary of the Treasury Mnuchin. So, rather than accept twice as much earlier because it didn't fit their political playbook, now they are accepting half when they realized they have run out of runway. prgtoken Well, the monthslong stalemate has finally broken. Yesterday evening, the so-called ``four corners''--the , the leader in the House, the ic minority leader here in the Senate, and Senator McCo
RECOGNIZING THE REPUBLICAN STUDY COMMITTEE NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS TASK FORCE AND OMAR HOSSINO
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2020-12-21

. Madam , I rise today to express my gratitude to serve as the Chairman of the Study Committee's National Security and Foreign Affairs Task Force this Congress. In June, the Task Force issued its National Security Strategy report after convening a number of meetings with top policy experts and engaging in complex discussions on the foreign policy challenges we face. The RSC's National Security Strategy spans over 120 pages and includes over 100 detailed policy recommendations on tackling the Chinese Communist Party, Russia, Iran, and the Salafi-jihadi movement, and for standing up for democracy and human rights. The report boldly stood up for a foreign policy of American leadership through the principle of peace through strength. It was also noticed and condemned by adversaries such as the Chinese Communist Party, the Kremlin, and the Chief of Staff of the President of the Iranian regime. In only a few months a number of the report's ideas have already been implemented by the Administration, or have been introduced as legislation. For example just last week Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party would be sanctioned, something first proposed by the RSC Task Force report. This month also, RSC members introduced six bills taking on China for it's IP theft, Rep. Jack Bergman introduced a bill to audit U.S. contributions to the United Nations, and I was grateful to introduce the Badr Organization Designation Act, and the Stop the Killing in Syria Act, both based upon the National Security Strategy report. prgtoken I am grateful for the leadership of my colleagues on the Task Force including RSC Chairman Rep. Mike Johnson, Rep. Rob Whitman, Rep. Don Bacon, Rep. Ann Wagner, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Rep. Ralph Norman, Rep. Bryan Steil, Rep. Alex Mooney, Rep. Jack Bergman, Rep. Neal Dunn, Rep. Clay Higgins, and Rep. Michael Waltz. prgtoken I appreciate the hard work of Omar Hossino of the RSC staff in managing the Task Force's meetings, developing policy recommendations, and writing the report. I am grateful for Omar Hossino's dedication and service to the Task Force. Omar Hossino has been a key advisor and invaluable asset on foreign policy issues not only to members of the Task Force but also to the broader RSC. His vast knowledge of the intricacies of both complex foreign policy issues as well as the intricacies of legislation, especially economic sanctions has been invaluable to me and Task Force members. Omar Hossino's passion and tireless work ethic has also been a driving force behind turning the report into legislative initiatives. Finally, I would like to recognize my Legislative Director Oren Adaki of my staff for his deep dedication and important contributions to this project as well.
CORONAVIRUS
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2020-12-21

I would like to thank, first of all, the preceding speaker, Senator Klobuchar, for her efforts to help those venues in those entertainment areas that at this point have been left out. We certainly have some of those in West Virginia, and I am pleased to say that the coronavirus package we are putting together today will help those folks and hopefully get them over the hump. prgtoken Before I begin, I would like to wish everybody, as much as they can, a happy holiday and a joyful new year. Turning the page of 2020 is something I think we are all pretty anxious to do. Sometimes it seems like the longest year, and sometimes it seems like the shortest year, but it definitely seems like ``Groundhog Day'' a lot of the year. prgtoken I am very pleased that we have this relief package in front of us. While I am glad an agreement has been reached, we certainly should have done this earlier and could have done this earlier. We have been working since July to deliver targeted additional relief through efforts such as we put forward in the CARES Act, and it has been voted down twice--once in September and once in October. prgtoken To date, we, the s, have offered targeted relief legislation, voted in favor of enhanced employment benefits, more money for our schools, which would have been great to have had in early September and should have had in early September. We voted in favor of stand-alone emergency funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, which we know is exceedingly important, and more dollars for vaccines and testing so that we could get the great news of the vaccine that we see coming forward out to everybody in this country. We offered all kinds of ideas to the other side, but they blocked it--all of it. I am glad to say that after all this, we have finally joined together, realizing that, yes, a deal is better than no deal. prgtoken Last week, unfortunately, a very good friend of mine passed away after battling coronavirus. At one point in her life, she was a small business owner. I thought so much about her over the last several weeks. I thought, what would she say if she knew that months ago, as a small business owner, we could have delivered the same help to her that we are delivering today. prgtoken We have to do better by the people we represent. It is disappointing that politics has gotten in the way. It is disappointing and, quite frankly, insulting, in my view, when I see the of the House admitting to holding out on this relief because she thought it would be beneficial politically in the end. We can do much better than this. prgtoken I am also a proud member of the Appropriations Committee. We have prgtoken worked hard to get these funds and resources where they are most needed, especially in a year like this one. But due to delays, critically needed resources to combat the opioid epidemic have had to wait; investments to improve broadband have had to wait; research dollar
Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar (Executive Calendar)
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2020-12-21

reserving the right to object, first of all, let me say to my dear friend from New Jersey, I fully agree with the five nominees he has put in front of the Senate. Indeed, we had good confirmation hearings on all five of those, and none of these five--other than the one I am going to the talk about in a second--are political appointments. These are career people who have had long and distinguished service with the Secretary of State, and they are all very legitimate appointees to the places they are appointed to, which I am going to reiterate here in just a minute. prgtoken In any event, one was left off the list. I know Senator Booker had some issues with that, but I think, in the spirit of cooperation and in the spirit of bipartisanship, he offers five, and I will offer a compromise of one more. I think that is absolutely fair--five for one. prgtoken But I object, and indeed I would ask unanimous consent that we do as suggested by Senator Booker, and that is discharge from the committee and approve the following six nominations: PN1938, Mr. Kevin Blackstone, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador to the ic Republic of Timor-Leste; PN2024, Ms. Cynthia Kierscht, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania; PN2101, Mr. Brian D. McFeeters, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador to Malaysia; PN2025, the Honorable Geeta Pasi, Class of Career Minister, to be Ambassador to the Federal ic Republic of Ethiopia; PN2030, the Honorable David Reimer, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone; and finally, William E. Todd, PN1598, to be Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. prgtoken As I said, none of these are political. They have all had long and distinguished careers with the State Department. They all have great backgrounds to be Ambassadors, and I appreciate Senator Booker helping me move all six of these forward. prgtoken With that, I ask unanimous consent that all six of those be discharged and be considered and passed.
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-12-21

with the Senate poised to complete some major business for the country and wrap up a most unusual year, I want to express some gratitude to the men and women behind the scenes who make our work possible. prgtoken Passing a historic rescue package and a full-year funding bill would be a serious undertaking even in ordinary circumstances. And, of course, this pandemic year has brought anything but ordinary circumstances to the Senate, just like everywhere else. prgtoken For about 10 months and counting, COVID-19 has imposed new challenges on hundreds of people who are already plenty busy enough. prgtoken After much of the Senate worked remotely in April, we came back to work in early May--like the essential institution that we are. Month after month, we have taken smart and careful precautions and remained an exemplary safe workplace. All along, we have not just continued to govern but completed landmark confirmations and historic legislation for the American people. None of this would have been possible without many people beyond the 100 of us with our names on these desks. prgtoken I want to thank the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, led by Julie Adams and Mary Suit Jones. This team encompasses everyone from the talented professionals who sit on the dais to the Official Reporters of Debate, to Disbursing and many other offices. prgtoken Thanks to our Parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who faithfully calls the balls and strikes. She won the admiration of our temporary presider, Chief Justice Roberts, before we reclaimed her as the Senate's own. prgtoken Thanks also to Senate Sergeant At Arms--Mike Stenger and Jennifer prgtoken Hemingway and their whole team, from the doorkeepers to the IT team that stood up enormous telework capabilities almost overnight, to the workers who clean offices, move furniture, and keep this place running in hundreds of ways. prgtoken Our Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, assumed his role just before the pandemic hit. He never missed a beat. His team tackled cleaning in a way that exceeded industry standards, reconceived the food services, and, again, physically kept the Capitol functioning. prgtoken Of course, very special thanks are due to our Attending Physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, and the entire team he leads. Believe me, they already had a full-time job caring for Members of Congress and the Supreme Court. We have leaned on Dr. Monahan in countless ways all year long. His expertise and wise counsel have been a credit to the Senate throughout the pandemic. prgtoken Here in the Chamber, I want to thank our cloakroom teams, led by Gary Myrick on the ic side and Robert Duncan on ours. Duncan had only just stepped into his current role when the crisis began to unfold. He navigated about 10 years' worth of big challenges in his first 10 months in the top job. Thanks to him and his capable deputy, Chris Tuck. prgtoken Another key group these past months h