mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-9-18

I wish to speak about the Defense bill, but before I do, I want to give the Senate a report. prgtoken Senator Rubio and I have been together quite a bit this past week, as Florida has not only encountered a hurricane, but this was quite unusual in that it basically affected almost all of the State of Florida. prgtoken Florida is a big State. If you went from Key West to Pensacola, it is as far as going from Pensacola all the way to Chicago. That is how big our State is. With almost 21 million people, it is the third largest State, with 75 percent of that a population along the coast. Of course, we know what happens when hurricanes start threatening those coasts. prgtoken This was an unusual one because it was first going to hit the east coast of Florida. That was the track. The National Hurricane Center has gotten quite good in their ability to project the path and the velocity of the winds. But once it took an unexpected turn, hitting the north coast of Cuba as a category 5, its velocity and forward motion were reduced, and it then took a more westerly path, making landfall in the Middle and Lower Keys of Florida, where the winds were category 3, approaching category 4. Residents were not even let back in to see their homes until Sunday morning. prgtoken As of now, although FEMA is present in the Lower Keys--Key West--and in the Upper Keys--Key Largo--individual assistance and disaster teams were still trying to get into the areas that had the biggest impact, the areas around Big Pine Key and Marathon. It is a painfully slow process. FEMA is having to deal with the problems in Texas and now the enormity of the storm affecting almost all of Florida. FEMA is stretched. But FEMA is supposed to bring emergency assistance to people, organizations, and local governments in the aftermath of a natural disaster. That will be a work in progress as we go on. prgtoken There are places where Senator Rubio and I have gotten personally involved in asking FEMA to come in, areas in Lee County and Collier County. Areas where FEMA had not visited, they now have come in--Lee County, east of Fort Myers, and Lehigh Acres. prgtoken The little farming community of Immokalee was exceptionally torn up. There is a great story there. The university president opened up the fieldhouse so that a lot of the poor people in Immokalee had a place to go if they didn't have another shelter. Indeed, they took in some 400 people. Elderly people in an apartment complex whose caregivers had left were picked up by the sheriff and taken to the university, and the students cared for them for 4 nights. This is a great example of Floridians helping Floridians, which we have seen throughout. prgtoken This Senator has been all over the State, much of it with my colleague, demonstrating that the two Senators, in a bipartisan way, actually get along and were there to try to help the people. prgtoken First, right after the storm in the Florida Keys
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-9-18

I want to thank Senator McCain and Senator Reed for their leadership in producing the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2018. Both veterans, they have a particular understanding of the sacrifices that members of our Armed Services make every day. prgtoken Every year, this authorization bill is drafted to reflect our commitment to the men and women serving in uniform, to authorize resources needed to maintain our national security, and to demonstrate the values and principles on which our country was founded. While I believe this bill reflects many sound defense policies, I regrettably cannot support its passage. prgtoken Yet again, this Defense authorization bill continues to include the shameful and counterproductive measures that block us from ending the terrorist recruitment tool that is the Guantanamo Bay detention mission, but the core reason for my opposition to this bill is the reckless price tag its implementation carries. This bill authorizes $700 billion in Defense spending, far above the caps currently established by the Budget Control Act and far more than the increase requested by the President in his budget proposal. If we met this authorization with real dollars, sequestration would take effect for Defense spending. Secretary Mattis has testified about the perils of sequestration. His message was clear: We must raise the budget caps. prgtoken What is more, this authorization relies on the same tired gimmick we have seen for years and includes $60 billion in overseas contingency operations funding. For fiscal hawks who call for us to reign in Federal spending to reduce the deficit, we cannot continue to treat OCO funds as privileged dollars--outside the scope of our budget caps--as a means to pay for what should be base spending. prgtoken Further, we cannot unilaterally boost Defense spending without similarly addressing other budgets that contribute to our national security. Earlier this year, in a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, Secretary Mattis clearly asserted that ``history is pretty clear, nations that did not keep their fiscal house in order and their economies strong lost their military power.'' We cannot simply raise spending for the Department of Defense without investing in programs that advance our diplomatic missions overseas and strengthen our domestic security through economic development, infrastructure improvements, environmental protections, and that meet the core needs of all Americans. Inflating our Defense spending at the cost of all other programs makes us neither stronger nor more secure. prgtoken I do want to thank Senator McCain and Senator Reed for including, through managers' packages, more than 100 amendments from both s and , including some that I filed. This kind of collaborative process is what has, in the past, yielded results in the Senate. I regret that the amendment process was
HEALTHCARE
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-9-18

it has been over 7 weeks since the Senate voted on three different versions of the bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Each of these terrible bills would have stripped healthcare coverage from tens of millions of Americans and raised costs for millions more. prgtoken During this 7 weeks that followed the last of those votes, no one has clamored for another try. Phones aren't ringing off the hook with calls for s to go one more round in their effort to rip up the Medicaid Program. Letters and emails aren't pouring in asking for legislation to jack up the costs for people with preexisting conditions. Tweets and Facebook posts don't demand that insurers get the chance to drop coverage for mental health issues and addiction treatment. prgtoken Instead, the families I have spoken with have told me, often through tears, that they are so relieved that s stepped back from the brink and came to their senses. They are breathing just a little bit easier knowing that Medicaid will be there for their elderly parent in a nursing home or the neighbor down the street who uses a wheelchair. That tight, anxious, terrifying feeling in their chests has eased up because they don't have to worry about losing the health insurance that helps pay for their asthma medication or their children's heart surgery. prgtoken Here we are again, back on the floor of the Senate, engaged in a terrible and familiar ritual: begging the s not to gut our health insurance system for the sake of political games. prgtoken If the American people want these cruel repeal bills to be thrown in the garbage, where they belong, then what are we doing here? Well, Senate s are pretty desperate. This month, they learned from the Senate Parliamentarian--the independent umpire here in the Senate who gets the final say on how the procedural rules work--that the legislative instructions they passed back in January to kick off their whole effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act will expire on September 30. Once that happens, s would have to start over with a new set of instructions if they want to be able to use the special Senate rules that allow them to jam this bill through without a single ic vote. So the s have dug through the trash and pulled out an old draft of a bill they think could get the job done. It is called the Cassidy-Graham proposal, named after the Senators who put it together. prgtoken You might think that after months and months of failed attempts, the s would have something new to offer. You might think that after their last three terrible repeal bills went up in flames, the s would propose something more reasonable this time around. You might think that--but no. This is just the same terrible set of policies with a fresh coat of paint and a new name. prgtoken The Cassidy-Graham proposal completely eliminates the parts
REMEMBERING GRACE SHU TSA0-WU
Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-9-18

today I wish to commemorate the life of Grace Shu Tsao-Wu, a dedicated entrepreneur and activist. prgtoken Ms. Tsao-Wu passed away on August 10, 2017. She is remembered for her entrepreneurial spirit and unyielding passion in her work. prgtoken As the founder of a successful company, Ms. Tsao-Wu brought her creative energy to Chicago. She was steadfast in her community leadership and always challenged others to be their best. prgtoken Ms. Tsao-Wu leaves behind not only a great legacy, but also a shining light that serves as an inspiration to many. prgtoken Thank you.
HEALTHCARE
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-9-18

. I know it is late, and I thank him for staying on the floor for a few moments. prgtoken You do not know what it is going to do to your own constituents. We do not have a CBO score telling us how many people will lose coverage, how high rates will go, what will happen to Medicaid. It is also another bill that has been written behind closed doors. Senator Cassidy and Senator Graham may have spent some time in thinking about what this legislation does, but virtually no one else has been let into the room. Patients have not been in that room. Doctors have not been in that room. Hospitals have not been in that room. Do you know why I am pretty confident of that? It is because all of the groups that represent those populations oppose this legislation. prgtoken Potentially, we are going to vote next week on a healthcare bill that massively, massively reorders the American healthcare system and that is opposed by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Osteopathic Association, and the American Psychiatric Association. Those are the physician groups. prgtoken By the way, it is kind of hard to know for these groups whether they are for it or against it, as there is no CBO analysis of this, but the patient groups have weighed in. Basically, every group that represents patients who are sick in this country is begging this Congress not to pass this bill. prgtoken Also included is the ALS Association, the Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, the Heart Association, the Lung Association, the Arthritis Foundation, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Juvenile Diagnosis Research Fund, the Lutheran Services of America, the March of Dimes, the National Health Council, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the National Organization of Rare Diseases. prgtoken How do you pass a bill that has no CBO score, that has had no hearings, that is opposed by every single group that s welcome into their office every year representing people with serious diseases? prgtoken There have been some really mean healthcare proposals, but Graham- Cassidy is the meanest version of Care yet. Let me walk you through why I say that. prgtoken Again, we don't have the numbers so we don't have a CBO analysis of how many million people are going to lose access to healthcare, but let me guarantee you it will be in the millions, likely in the tens of millions. prgtoken The bill radically--radically--trims the amount of money States will get in order to insure the population that has been insured by the Affordable Care Act. What this bill does is shrink the amount of money we are spending, then redistributes it out to States, and it will simply not be enough--not nearly enough money--in order to cover the 20 million people who have insurance today because
Healthcare (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-9-18

the Senate has spent a great deal of time over the last 6 or 7 months on healthcare in America. For years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Party--the House and Senate--has called for repeal of the bill. Yet, when the time came, with the majority of s in the House and the Senate and, of course, a President, and the task was immediately before them, they faltered because they didn't have a replacement. They didn't have something to propose that was better. As a consequence, their efforts stopped short--one vote short--on the floor of the Senate several weeks ago. prgtoken We still face some significant challenges. Some of those are very immediate. prgtoken Before the end of September, we will face the prospect of needing to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP. This program provides health insurance coverage for more than 9 million children and pregnant women across the country--350,000 in my State. This vital program, the CHIP program, has had two decades of broad bipartisan support, and it is going to expire in 12 days. prgtoken The good news is that the Finance Committee chairman, Orrin Hatch of Utah, and his ranking member, Ron Wyden of Oregon, have reached a bipartisan agreement on a 5-year reauthorization of the CHIP program. prgtoken The bad news is that instead of preserving healthcare for low-income children and pregnant women, the Senate leadership seems more interested in the next 12 days in calling a different issue--a different bill--altogether, the Graham-Cassidy bill, relating to health insurance across America. That bill would take health insurance coverage away from millions of Americans, including 1 million in the State of Illinois. prgtoken From where I am sitting, reauthorizing the CHIP program is a priority to not only serve the 9 million children and pregnant women across our country but 350,000 in my State. prgtoken There is another bill we need to reauthorize before the end of September: the funding of our Nation's community health centers. Like CHIP, funding for community health centers expires at the end of this month--in just a few days. Also like CHIP, community health centers have enjoyed decades of broad bipartisan support. We have 10,000 community health centers across our country. They serve 26 million Americans. Community health centers serve 1 out of every 10 children, 1 in 6 Americans living in rural areas, and more than 330,000 of our Nation's veterans. prgtoken Illinois' 52 health center organizations receive $150 million in Federal funding in order to provide care to the 1.3 million people in 360 locations in the State of Illinois. I have been to many of these locations, and I have said in real candor and honesty that if I had a medical issue or if there were one in my family, I would enter the community health centers in my State with confidence that I and my family wo
INTRODUCTION OF THE SAFE COMMUNITIES ACT OF 2017
Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-9-18

more than 10 years ago, following Hurricane Katrina, then-Rep. Curt Weldon and I introduced the bipartisan Safe Communities Act. Today, with wildfires burning in my state and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Jose ravaging the Southeast, the ability to prepare for, withstand, and quickly recover from disasters is an essential component of livable communities. That's why I am reintroducing the Safe Communities Act, which will give state and local governments the tools to help them plan for and reduce the impact of these events. prgtoken Federal investments in natural disasters should include prevention and mitigation as well as response and recovery. In fact, investment in prevention can save money in the long-term. Research by an independent group of experts in 2005 found that every dollar invested in actions to reduce disaster losses saves the nation about $4 in future costs. We all agree that by planning for the future communities can help prevent damage and save money, but rarely do we do it. prgtoken The Safe Communities Act will create a new grant program to support state, local and regional planning activities aimed at reducing threats posed by natural and human-caused disasters. Grant-eligible projects under this program include comprehensive risk assessments and inventories of critical infrastructure, land-use planning for natural hazards and terrorism security, updates to building codes and development of new urban design techniques for risk-reduction. The bill will also create a research program to investigate the best practices in comprehensive land use and community planning aimed at reducing threats posed by natural hazards and acts of tenor. prgtoken The number of people who live in harm's way is expanding dramatically, and more properties and more lives are at risk from both natural and human-caused disasters. The associated increases in rising disaster recovery costs impact us all. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure communities have the resources they need to help prepare for future natural disasters.
HEALTHCARE
Cory A. Booker (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-9-18

I have watched as this body has recently begun to really work in a bipartisan fashion on trying to stabilize the insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Under the leadership of Senator Murray, the ranking member of the HELP Committee, and Senator Alexander, the chairman of the HELP Committee, efforts have been going on, and a number of hearings have been held on what needs to be done to stabilize and strengthen the Affordable Care Act. This is coming about because of a crisis. prgtoken In January of this year, leading from December, we have had people-- like Standard & Poor's--talking about how stable these exchanges were. Over the last months, we have seen many actions--threatening cost- sharing, not advertising the markets--many actions taken by the administration that have weakened the markets and put the markets in crisis. But it is actually not the markets that are in crisis; it is fellow Americans. People want the same thing. Whether or , from the West, East, North, South, or the heart of our country, they want the same thing: They want quality, affordable care. prgtoken We have come a long way to where we are right now. Under the Affordable Care Act, we have increased the number of Americans with health insurance by over 20 million. We have been able to bend the cost curve. prgtoken The Affordable Care Act has taken us out of days that no American-- very few--wants us to go back to, the days where people could be denied coverage based on a preexisting condition. prgtoken The Affordable Care Act created an essential set of benefits, which Americans from both sides of the aisle think is very important. These essential benefits include such things as healthcare for women who are having children. They include things like putting parity between mental healthcare and what might be called physical healthcare. prgtoken There have been so many improvements because of the Affordable Care Act, and I have heard about them from constituents all over my State, as well as voices from around the United States of America, difficult stories about people who had lifetime caps; people who, because their child had an illness as a child--when that child became an adult, they couldn't find insurance; people who were being denied insurance because of a preexisting condition; people who were declaring bankruptcy in this country, at rates significantly higher than we are seeing now, because they could not afford their health insurance. In fact, personal bankruptcy in our Nation has been cut by about 50 percent. These are all gains we have achieved through the Affordable Care Act. There is the expansion of healthcare to millions more and the security of knowing that your health insurance won't be cut off because of a preexisting condition, knowing that when you pay for health coverage, it will carry essential benefits that every American should get. There are these gains and
ORDERS FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2017-9-18

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m Tuesday, September 19; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Francisco nomination, with the time until the cloture vote equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; further, that if cloture is invoked, all postcloture time expire at 12:15 p.m. and the Senate vote on confirmation of the Francisco nomination with no intervening action or debate; finally, that following disposition of the Francisco nomination, the Senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2017-9-18

on Thursday, September 14, 2017 I was absent due to Hurricane Irma relief efforts. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: prgtoken Roll Call No. 516 on the motion to recommit with instructions--Nay; Roll Call No. 517 on the passage of H.R. 3697--Aye; Roll Call No. 518 on the Palmer amendment to H.R. 3354--Aye; Roll Call No. 519 on the Gohmert amendment to H.R. 3354--Aye; Roll Call No. 520 on the Norton amendment to H.R. 3354--Nay; Roll Call No. 521 on the Ellison amendment to H.R. 3354--Nay; Roll Call No. 522 on the Ellison amendment to H.R. 3354--Nay; Roll Call No. 523 on the Ellison amendment to H.R. 3354-- Nay; Roll Call No. 524 on the Mitchell amendment to H.R. 3354--Aye; Roll Call No. 525 on the Huizenga amendment to H.R. 3354--Aye; Roll Call No. 526 on the Jackson Lee amendment to H.R. 3354--Nay; Roll Call No. 527 on the motion to recommit--Nay; Roll Call No. 528 on the passage of H.R. 3354--Aye; Roll Call No. 529 on the passage of H.R. 3284--Aye.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
John McCain (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2017-9-18

I ask unanimous consent that the following amendments to H.R. 2810, as amended, be considered and agreed to en bloc: Kaine No. 277, Tester No. 434, Heitkamp No. 574, Merkley No. 660, Whitehouse No. 750, Van Hollen No. 756, Murray No. 833, Brown No. 890, Cardin No. 900, Leahy No. 903, Baldwin No. 904, Peters No. 950, Heitkamp No. 976, Cantwell No. 995, Stabenow No. 1014, Whitehouse No. 1015, No. 1021, Sanders No. 1023, Cantwell No. 1065, Bennet No. 1087, Wyden No. 1088, Kaine No. 1089, Cortez-Masto No. 1094, Lee No. 470, Moran No. 601, Portman No. 712, Inhofe No. 780, Ernst No. 873, McCain No. 874, Johnson No. 879, Murkowski No. 908, Rubio No. 927, Isakson No. 943, Flake No. 945, Moran No. 1006, Tillis No. 1031, Perdue No. 1033, Strange No. 1034, Lankford No. 1038, Rounds No. 1039, Scott No. 1050, Portman No. 1055, Tillis No. 1063, Sullivan No. 1073, Strange No. 1086, Graham No. 1096, and Isakson No. 1032. prgtoken , I ask to add Durbin No. 1100. I intentionally omitted him the first time around in hopes that it wouldn't be noticed.