mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DACA
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2017-9-5

tonight I rise to address another issue-- the administration's decision to end the program known as DACA. prgtoken DACA provided deportation relief to nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants who came to this country as children. Those kids grew up in America alongside America's children, playing on our Little League teams, running for student government, marching in the school band. Just like America's kids, they showed up to class, they did their homework, and they pushed forward with every expectation of building a future for themselves and for their communities. The only difference between them is that the kids covered by DACA came to America as undocumented immigrants. prgtoken Many of these kids didn't even know they didn't have legal status. I know this firsthand because I used to be the Superintendent of the Denver Public Schools. It was about ninth grade that children would realize--children who had no country other than the United States as their home--that they didn't have legal status because they had come here through no fault of their own without documented status. prgtoken A lot of these kids found out the hard way, applying for jobs that asked for papers they didn't have, applying for financial aid they were ineligible to receive, and coping with the possibility of being ripped away from friends and family at any time. DACA ended that. It stopped it. Nationwide, it protected nearly 800,000 young adults from deportation and gave them lawful presence in the only country they knew to build a future. That is precisely what they have done. prgtoken Since DACA was enacted, the young people who enrolled in the program have grown into young adults. They have found jobs. They pay taxes. They have started businesses. They have bought homes. They are raising families. prgtoken In Colorado, over 17,000 young people came forward to take the government at its word, to share their information, and to apply for deferred action. Each one of them placed their faith in us to protect them and their families until we came to a long-term solution about their status. Today, President has betrayed that trust. Worse, his decision to rescind DACA betrays the very character of our country. prgtoken America does not strip parents from their children. We do not strip brothers from sisters. America does not round up neighbors to send them to places they have not known since they were 2 years old or 6 months old, if they knew them at all. We do not use kids and families as some kind of bargaining chip for legislation. That is not who we are. This decision will not only hurt families and communities, but it will hurt our economy, as 90 percent of DACA recipients work, and 7 in 10 have bachelor's degrees or higher. They pay taxes. Over the next 2 years, ending DACA could force hundreds of thousands of people to lose their jobs. Colorado alone stands to lose over $850 million in economic activity every
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-9-5

today I offer private immigration relief legislation to provide an immigrant visa or lawful permanent resident status to Maria Mendoza Sanchez, Eusebio Sanchez, and Vianney Sanchez. The family represents the essence of the American dream. I believe they merit Congress' special consideration for this relief. prgtoken In August 2014, my office assisted Maria and Eusebio with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during their request for a stay of removal. Under the previous administration, ICE found that their case was worthy of a favorable exercise of discretion. This was an acknowledgement that they posed no public safety risk, had no criminal records, and therefore should not be priorities for deportation. prgtoken Despite this, in 2017, the administration, told Maria and Eusebio that they were no longer eligible for a stay of removal and that they should prepare for deportation Mario and Eusebio pled with ICE to reconsider this sudden change in policy and I supported their request--believing it would be senseless and callous to remove them from our Country. However, all possible avenues to delay their deportation were denied by immigration. officials. prgtoken In August 2017, after living productive lives in this Country for 23 years, Maria and Eusebio were deported back to Mexico. Their deportation was truly heartbreaking for me, their family, and their community. I personally met Maria and Eusebio and can attest that they are the kind of people we should welcome into the United States with open arms. They are hardworking, law-abiding people who have been self- supporting, have paid their taxes, and owned a home in East Oakland. prgtoken Prior to her deportation, Maria worked as a registered nurse in a local hospital in Oakland, CA. She provided care to patients afflicted with conditions such as trauma, stroke, and cancer. Her supervisor said that her ``genuine compassion, appreciation for her work, and deep knowledge of nursing practices made her an excellent addition to [our hospital].'' Another letter of support said that Maria ``is a great asset to our hospital, community, and country. She is the epitome of what Americans should be.'' Maria's bilingual skills made her a strategic asset in assisting patients at work, which serves uninsured, underserved, and low-income populations. Her deportation is a great loss to many of the patients that relied on her critical assistance as they went through medical treatment. prgtoken Similar to Maria, Eusebio was a hardworking contributor to their community. He was a truck driver for a San Francisco-based company, and his employer has described him as ``very reliable, trustworthy, [a] team player, and exceptional worker.'' His friends describe him as someone who ``is a good person, responsible at work, willing to help when we need assistance.'' prgtoken Together, Eusebio and Maria have raised four children--three of whom are U.S. citizens. Th
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
James R. Langevin (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-9-6

I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. prgtoken , once again we are on the House floor debating ocean planning. The reality is that comprehensive ocean planning works. We have done it in Rhode Island, and we have done it throughout the Northeast region. Ocean planning is a success because it brings everyone to the table. Everyone is part of the dialogue and the conversation. prgtoken The process forces cooperation and compromise by, again, opening dialogue among fishermen, scientists, boaters, and others. prgtoken There is an impression, by the way, from some of my colleagues that ocean planning is a Federal land grab of the oceans. Well, it is anything but. It is about local control done at the regional level-- something many of my colleagues across the aisle often like to support. prgtoken , we can't turn back the clock on our oceans by allowing this rider to remain in the bill. We have come too far. I want to commend the work of the sponsors of this amendment. I also want to commend my colleague, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, across the aisle, who has done so much work to preserve the oceans, including creating the National Endowment for the Oceans Act. prgtoken , in the past we have driven species to the point of extension, destroyed natural habitat, and driven our oceans to the brink. I implore my colleagues not to take us back to that era. Please support this amendment and support ocean planning.
SAFELY ENSURING LIVES FUTURE DEPLOYMENT AND RESEARCH IN VEHICLE EVOLUTION ACT
Anna G. Eshoo (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-9-6

I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois for yielding and for her leadership and work on the great Energy and Commerce Committee in the House. prgtoken My congressional district is home to the engineers, innovators, and developers who are pioneering the technologies that are transitioning us to a driverless world. That is why I support H.R. 3388, and it is my hope that the regulatory framework established by this bill is going to ensure that the United States of America is the leader in the world's next great revolution in transportation. I believe that we are, that we will be, and that this bill boosts the effort. prgtoken Throughout committee consideration of this bill, I stressed the need for bipartisanship on this issue so that the American people would have confidence in the steps that we were taking. And so it is. It is, I think, in the spirit of the original Federal automotive safety standards that passed Congress nearly unanimously in 1966. prgtoken This bill was improved significantly in the committee, and the final bill, very importantly, preserves the role that States have played to regulate matters such as vehicle registration, licensing, insurance, and liability, while, at the Federal level, ensuring that manufacturers submit safety certifications to NHTSA, placing the agency on the path toward issuing full safety standards for autonomous vehicles. prgtoken The bill also includes my language to require a study of the environmental impacts of autonomous vehicles, as well as the intersection between autonomous and electric vehicles. The AV prgtoken revolution is happening on top of the ongoing electrification revolution, and I think the AV advisory council can provide important insight to Congress, States, and localities about how to support growing these fleets. prgtoken For all these reasons and more, , I urge all House Members to support H.R. 3388. I think it deserves unanimous support, as it did in our committee, and that this will be good for America and keep us in a leadership position on the all-important issues that are established by this bill.
DACA
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-9-6

first, I thank my friend and colleague from Connecticut for his thoughtful words and thank all of my other colleagues who come to the floor to speak up for young people who need our voices right now. ``Through no fault of their own'' has been repeated over and over again. These young people, oftentimes babies, were brought to this country without documentation, but they were brought here. They didn't know what was happening to them, a 1-year-old, 2-year-old, 5-year-old, 7- or 8-year-old. It wasn't their choice and yet they are paying the price for what happened. prgtoken There is no question, we need immigration reform--no question at all. I was very proud and pleased to support a major effort a few years ago, a bipartisan effort in the Senate to do comprehensive immigration reform. It is something we need because our system is broken. There is no question. It hurts families, workers, businesses, and farmers in Michigan every single day, but targeting these almost 800,000 young people does nothing to solve that problem. prgtoken I am anxious to work with colleagues across the aisle to address comprehensive reform so we have a legal system that works, but we have, again, about 800,000 young people right now who stepped forward and are covered by something called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, or DACA, who were told, if they would step forward, provide the government all of their personal information, information about their families, that they--as long as they were following the rules, they were going to school, they were going to college, they were serving in the military, they were doing the right thing--would be allowed to stay and be successful in our country. prgtoken In Michigan alone, 10,000 young people have been approved for DACA. Those are some of the numbers, but we are not talking about numbers, as we know. We are talking about people's lives. prgtoken We are talking about 10,000 young people in Michigan who are attending college, who are working as nurses or doctors and buying homes and building their own businesses. Maybe they are reaching out in some other way to be successful in the economy. They are serving in our military right now. Somebody serving in our military right this minute could lose their life for our country, the country they love, at the same time the President--and his administration--has turned his back on them. These are people raising American children of their own, with American family members around them. These children aren't numbers. Frankly, they are our neighbors. prgtoken In Michigan, we care about our neighbors. One of our neighbors is named Wilfredo. He is a Dreamer who was brought to the United States when he was only 9 years old. Wilfredo works hard. He is a restaurant supply salesman. He owns a home. He is crazy about soccer, and he says he is crazy about his girlfriend. He told Michigan Bridge Magazine that they hope to get
DACA
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-9-6

I am here to speak about President 's decision to shut down the DACA Program, the so-called Dream program that allows children who were brought here by their parents, often at a very young age, and who grew up here and are now, as far as they know, full Americans--this is their home--to not be thrown out of their adopted country and sent home to a place that they do not know, all because of what prgtoken their parents did when they were still children. We don't even hold children accountable for contracts they enter into. You have to be an adult to be held accountable for a contract you enter into. Yet, apparently, this President is willing to take these children, break up their families, and send them to a country they do not know, all because of a decision that was made by their parents, in some cases when these kids were infants. prgtoken I have spoken to these kids, who are generally called Dreamers, who have no memory of living anyplace other than this country. I don't know about the Presiding Officer, but it is hard for me to scroll back and come up with any concrete memories of when I was 1 or 2 or 3 years old. These are kids who grew up in American schools. They grew up in American families. They grew up playing American sports. They grew up as a part of our culture. But now, for reasons that really defy humane explanation, the President wants to cast a cloud over about 800,000 children--now turned into young adults in many cases and many more who are right behind them in the program--who were looking forward to this as something they could do when they came of age to get their full-on DACA permit. prgtoken We have over 1,000 people who are approved under the DACA Program in Rhode Island. We are pretty proud of them. They have served in the military. They have had jobs around the country. prgtoken Ninety-one percent of DACA recipients are employed, pay taxes, and contribute to Social Security. When we had the immigration debate, that is what we said we wanted people to do: Pay your taxes, get a job, pay into Social Security, support yourself, and support the system around you. Well, they have done that. But because of a decision they did not even make--a decision that under American law they would be incapable of making because they were not adults--this shadow of punishment and family disruption has been put over them by perhaps the least humane person ever to hold the office of President of the United States. And if this doesn't prove that proposition, there are plenty more that do. prgtoken I understand that our leader has urged Ryan and Majority Leader McConnell to get Senator Durbin's and Senator Graham's Dream Act up for a vote. I think it will pass. I think it will pass with more than 60 votes. I think we, at least--the decent Members of the Senate-- can lift that cloud of fear, threat, and anxiety. I think we should. I think we should do it soon. And if Majority Leader Mc
DACA
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-9-6

I want to thank my colleague Senator Whitehouse for his kind words. prgtoken I come to the floor to join in with a dozen or more of my colleagues who were here earlier to talk about the situation we now face. Senator Whitehouse is correct--this is an issue that is very personal to me. It is one that dates back to the year 2001, 16 years ago. It was a time when we received a call in my office in the city of Chicago, and the person on the other end was with a program called the Merit music program. She said: I have a problem with one of my students, and I need your help. prgtoken The Merit music program is a special opportunity for young people in Chicago's public schools, particularly from low-income families, to be trained on a musical instrument, free of charge, and some amazing things happen. Every student who is part of the Merit music program goes to college--every single one of them. They learn self-esteem, they learn a musical instrument, and it shows. Their lives are transformed. prgtoken She told us the story of one of these students. Her name is Tereza Lee. Tereza Lee was born in Korea and brought to the United States by her mom and dad when she was 2 years old. They came through Brazil before they came to Chicago, but they settled in Chicago. Her mom and dad raised her and her brother and sister. They were not well-off at all. In fact, they were poor. prgtoken Mom worked in a dry cleaner establishment, which is fairly common in Chicago; Korean Americans probably work there more than any other group. Her father was an aspiring preacher who wanted to open a church for the Korean population, but it never seemed to materialize. Mom worked extra hard, and the kids went to public schools. prgtoken At age 12, Tereza Lee heard about the Merit music program, signed up for it, went in, and fell in love with playing the piano. She turned out to be a prodigy. She was extraordinary. prgtoken By the time she was ready to graduate from high school, they said: You have to apply to a music school. prgtoken Well, she wasn't sure. Nobody she knew had gone to college. But she started to fill out the application and ran into the question about her Social Security number. She turned to her mother and said: What am I supposed to do about this? prgtoken Her mother said: I don't know. After we brought you to the United States at the age of 2, we didn't file any papers. prgtoken What could they do? They reached out to the Merit music program, and the Merit music program said: Let's call Durbin's office. prgtoken They called my office and contacted my caseworker, whose name is Clarisol Duque. She is now my chief of staff, but back then she was a caseworker. She looked up the law. She called the INS, and they said: The law is very clear. Tereza Lee from Korea is undocumented. She is in the United States. Although she is now 17 or 18 years old, she never filed the appropriate papers, and under the laws of the United Sta
DACA
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-9-6

I join with the Senator from Illinois, and I thank him for his great leadership on this issue. He has been doing this for a long time. His partnership with Senator Lindsey Graham is inspiring. prgtoken I want to begin by thanking Senator Durbin and Senator Graham for leading this effort and making it bipartisan and making it possible for us to talk about an issue as Americans and not as and s and having a discussion about who falls into the category of being an American who is entitled to the benefits of being in this country. prgtoken For the last 5 years, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals--or DACA--Program has created security and opportunity for young immigrants across this country. Now, the futures of some 800,000 young people-- 7,900 of them in Massachusetts--have been needlessly put in jeopardy because President feels the need to keep an ill-considered campaign promise made to his base and to break another one made to the best and brightest of our young people by repealing DACA. And because the House of Representatives has refused to debate and hold a vote on comprehensive immigration reform legislation, our immigration system remains tragically broken. prgtoken Yesterday, I met one of these Dreamers, Diana Ortiz. Her mother brought her to the United States nearly 20 years ago. Diana studied history at Pomona College in California, and she recently received a master's degree of divinity from the Harvard Divinity School. She hopes to become a U.S. citizen. Diana literally wants to do God's work here on Earth. prgtoken DACA has provided Diana and more than a million other young immigrants safety, security, dignity, respect, and opportunity. These are young people who play, study, work, and live next door to us each and every day. prgtoken What will the repeal of DACA mean for the Dreamers and for our country? It will mean bad news for our economy. Many of these Dreamers have started their own businesses and are beginning their careers. Over the course of the past 5 years of the program, 91 percent of the Dreamers have found gainful employment. Removing DACA recipients from the workforce would reduce our gross domestic product by more than $460 billion over a decade and would cut contributions to Medicare and Social Security by more than $24 billion over that same 10-year period. prgtoken It will mean misplaced criminal justice priorities, with law enforcement focusing not on targeting drug dealers, human traffickers, and the real criminals in our society, but on the Dreamers instead. These young people are not the so-called ``bad hombres'' that President said would be the focus of his administration. prgtoken Most tragically, it will mean unnecessary pain and suffering for countless young people and families across Massachusetts and across the United States whose futures will be uncertain. Instead of going to sleep tonight knowing they will be
MAKING SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR DISASTER RELIEF
Stacey E. Plaskett (Democrat, VI) \u2014 2017-9-6

I thank the gentlewoman for the time. prgtoken , at the end of this summer the people in the Virgin Islands, in every place of worship, say the hurricane prayer at the end of their service. And part of that prayer says at the end: But, Lord, if a hurricane should come, and You loosen the gale and the winds open on us, Your will be done. prgtoken Right now, the people of the Virgin Islands, and the people of Puerto Rico are fervently saying that prayer because God's will is being done on those islands as Hurricane Irma is impacting and crashing against the shores of St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, and Water Island. prgtoken This $7.8 billion in emergency supplemental funds is a crucial initial installment to address the effects of not only Hurricane Harvey, but the effect expected in my district of the Virgin Islands today as we stand in the potentially catastrophic path of Hurricane Irma, which is currently, at worst-case scenario, a Category 5 hurricane, the worst hurricane in the Atlantic's history. prgtoken This will need assistance from FEMA to perform emergency protective measures, the removal of debris, activities performed by other Federal agencies as assigned by FEMA, and to aid small businesses and homeowners in rebuilding their lives. Right now, the people of the Virgin Islands are praying for the lives of themselves, their families, and especially for the roof over their head. prgtoken This funding for initial response efforts is critical, and s for the expeditious manner in which this legislation was brought to us for swift passage. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to approve this much-needed lifeline, and we are covetous for your prayers right now.