mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE OF DR. SUDIP BOSE
K. Michael Conaway (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-3-2

I rise today to recognize Dr. Sudip Bose for his service to our country and our nation's veterans. On the afternoon of March 2, 2004, al-Qaeda insurgents launched coordinated attacks on innocent civilians who were observing the Muslim holiday, the Day of Ashura. These bombings killed over 178 and injured another 500 people. Dr. Bose, a Captain in the United States Army deployed in Baghdad at the time, was serving as the only emergency physician at the scene of the massacre. Captain Bose and his team of medics from the First Cavalry Division provided immediate medical attention to the injured while simultaneously under attack from the chaotic crowd. For his actions that day, Dr. Bose was awarded the Combat Medical Badge. Dr. Bose went on to serve one of the longest continuous combat tours by a military physician since World War II. During this tour, he saved countless lives, was selected as the physician to treat Saddam Hussein following his capture, and served as a shining example to his peers. For these efforts, Dr. Bose was awarded the Bronze Star and promoted to the rank of Major. After his time in the Army, Dr. Bose continued serving his country by establishing The Battle Continues, a nonprofit that advocates and mobilizes resources for military veterans. Through The Battle Continues, Dr. Bose has used his experiences and knowledge to educate the public on the medical struggles veterans face when coming home. In addition, this organization assists in connecting veterans with physicians that can best address their specific medical needs at no cost to the veteran. Looking ahead, Dr. Bose wants to continue to be a strong advocate for public health and veterans issues. Though March 2, 2004 was a tragic day, I am honored to recognize the anniversary of the actions of Dr. Bose and his team. I thank him for his service to our country.
RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF SHERIFF EDWARD N. BONNER
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-3-2

I rise today to recognize the retirement of Placer County prgtoken Sheriff Ed Bonner after 42 dedicated years of service to Northern California with the Placer County Sheriff's Department. I have been fortunate enough to call Ed a friend for some time, and I know firsthand that he has long been considered one of the most respected members of the community since becoming Sheriff in 1995. What truly makes him special is the praise and admiration he receives from his peers. According to those who have worked for him, he set a high standard for taking care of his own and is a man of great integrity and honor. In his 22 year career as Sheriff, he has earned the respect and admiration of Placer County and many others throughout the state of California. Many talk about creating a family atmosphere at work, but few truly achieve it. As Sheriff, Ed Bonner made the families of his officers and staff a priority. He is with them from the best of times to the worst, from the births of their children to family tragedies. Ed cares about all of those who he worked with, and it showed. Under Ed Bonner's leadership, he made the Placer County Sheriff's office a close knit family and that is a rare achievement. Ed has earned many professional certificates related to law enforcement, proof that he is truly dedicated to his craft, and he furthers that knowledge by teaching classes at Sierra College and the California Command College. He graduated from California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology in 1973, then returned to school to earn a Master's Degree in Management Science at Cal Poly, Pomona, in 1992. Before his law enforcement days, Ed Bonner was a gifted athlete who excelled at track and field, where he still holds multiple state high school records and was inducted into the Del Oro High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. At the University of California, he became the first four year letterman for track and field in the school's history. As an elected official and an outstanding community member, Ed Bonner is active in all things Placer County. He and his family are very active in the Loomis community, as well as the entire county. He helped found and lead Explorer Post 901, a co-ed youth program teaching vocational skills with an emphasis on law enforcement. He is the liaison between Scout Troop 12, where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 1965, and their chartering organization, the Loomis Lions Club. He also serves on advisory boards including Sutter Health, PRIDE Industries and the Boys and Girls Club of Auburn. After a distinguished career which included serving as President of the California State Sheriff's Association in 2008, Sheriff Bonner's skills as a law enforcement administrator will be greatly missed by his community. His resume as a law enforcement officer is extensive, but more impressive is Ed Bonner as a man, a husband and a father. While the community he has pr
THE CHABAD ORGANIZATION
Orrin G. Hatch (Republican, UT) \u2014 2017-3-2

with all the division and conflict in politics today, it would take something truly compelling to unite all 100 Senators, including s and , conservatives and liberals. Well, it has happened. This week I sent to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson a letter, signed by all 100 Senators, asking that it be conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The letter supports the decades-long quest by Agudas Chasidei Chabad of the United States to recover from Russia its collection of sacred religious texts and manuscripts. prgtoken Chabad was established in the 18th century in Russia and is today the largest Hasidic Jewish organization in the world. The organization's past leaders, or rebbes, accumulated this collection of sacred texts, which includes a library and an archive and is central to Chabad's religious life. The Soviets took control of the library in 1920 and in 1927 arrested the sixth rebbe and sentenced him to death. He was allowed to leave Russia later that year but had to leave the library behind. In 1933, the sixth rebbe and the archive moved to Poland. prgtoken In 1940, after both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, the sixth rebbe fled to the United States without the archive. It was confiscated, first by the Nazis and then by the Soviets. Chabad has since worked to reclaim both the library and the archive. prgtoken It is important to place the letter we sent this week in its full context because this is only the latest in a long series of actions by all three branches of the U.S. Government to support Chabad's quest. Members of Congress, for example, began calling for the return of these works in the 1930s. Just weeks before the Soviet Union dissolved on Christmas Day 1991, both President Mikhail Gorbachev and a state arbitration panel ordered that the library be returned to Chabad. On January 24, 1992, the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe wrote President Boris Yeltsin, urging him to carry out the court's order and return the collection. prgtoken Unfortunately, both President Gorbachev's directive and the court's order were effectively nullified when the Russian Federation replaced the Soviet Union. Within a few months, however, the U.S. State Department expressed ``strong support'' for returning the full collection to Chabad. On May 31, 1992, all 100 Senators signed a letter to President Boris Yeltsin urging the collection's ``quick release.'' prgtoken On February 20, 2005, all 100 Senators signed a letter to President Putin, again urging that the collection be returned to Chabad. The letter said this: ``The religious texts that Chabad seeks to retrieve consist of rare and irreplaceable books, archives and manuscripts on Chabad philosophy, Jewish religious law, prayer and tradition. . . . We urge you to return these sacred religious texts, archives, and manuscripts to Chabad, which would be a significant example of your government's commi
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE TO SHERIFF'S DEPUTY WES HARPER
Trey Hollingsworth (Republican, IN) \u2014 2017-3-2

I rise today to recognize the actions of Clark County, Indiana, Sheriff's Deputy Wes Harper. prgtoken On the evening of February 21, Deputy Harper was dispatched to a call for an unconscious person. While en route, Deputy Harper's dispatcher advised him that this individual was, in fact, a 9-month-old child, and it was possible that the child had drowned. prgtoken Wasting no time, Deputy Harper arrived on scene, scooped the infant up into his arms, and dove back into the patrol vehicle with an ambulance still minutes away. As his fellow officer drove to Kosair Children's Hospital, Deputy Harper provided CPR to the unconscious infant. As they pulled into prgtoken the hospital, the infant regained consciousness and began to breathe on its own. The infant was released from the hospital the following day. prgtoken When asked about how this call had affected his mindset for the rest of his shift, Deputy Harper was, as he always is, humble and expressed how glad and thankful he was that the young child would be all right. prgtoken Deputy Wes Harper's quick thinking and selfless action speak volumes of the training of Clark County's first responders, as well as their devotion to Hoosiers all the way across Clark County. His actions are a prime example of the high standards and traditions of law enforcement officers everywhere across this country. prgtoken , on behalf of Indiana's Ninth District, I would like to express our gratitude to Clark County Sheriff's Deputy Wes Harper for his lifesaving actions.
REGULATORY INTEGRITY ACT OF 2017
Blake Farenthold (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-3-2

. Mr. Chair, I think the utmost clarity is in the First Amendment. I am going to read it here. ``Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.'' prgtoken That applies to everything we do, every law we make. This amendment is unnecessary, and I urge opposition. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
TRIBUTE TO ROBERT ``BOB'' G. SMITH
Tim Scott (Republican, SC) \u2014 2017-3-2

I would like to congratulate and honor Robert ``Bob'' G. Smith, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina--GWILSC--for 35 years of serving our great State. prgtoken Bob's dedication and passion has been a true testament to GWILSC's mission to ``helping people reach their full potential through the dignity and power of work.'' He has inspired and instilled confidence by promoting essential job training programs that have encouraged individuals to meet their goals. prgtoken His service has touched many people all over the South Carolina community, and his initiative to orchestrate a collaborative environment has helped to expand services that has transformed lives. prgtoken For more than three decades, Bob has worked tirelessly to serve others, and his contributions will continue to live on in the generations of South Carolinians he has been able to positively impact, and we are grateful for everything Bob has done to assist our communities. Therefore, I would like to recognize Robert ``Bob'' G. Smith for epitomizing the very best of the Palmetto State.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Kevin McCarthy (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-3-2

. That is very accurate. This is a bipartisan, bicameral agreement based upon the 2017 NDAA bill, which, if you watched, had 375 votes in the House, 92 in the Senate. prgtoken As you know as well as I do, and we have talked many times together about this, we cannot continue to have our military continue further with just the CR. If you have a continuing resolution, you now are saying that you have to fund what was last year. You can't go through with what the future needs without putting together the appropriations process. And this is what we are going through right now.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Ron Johnson (Republican, WI) \u2014 2017-3-2

I rise today to ask my colleagues to support H.J. Res. 37, a resolution disapproving of the Federal Acquisition Regulation issued by the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. prgtoken As is the case in so many of these rules and regulations, it has a really nice name. It sounds really good--the fair pay and safe workplaces rule--but the bottom line is, because of the substance of this rule, it has become commonly known as ``the blacklisting rule.'' Had it been up to me, I would have called it ``the blackmailing rule.'' Let me explain why. prgtoken It requires contractors and subcontractors submitting bids on Federal Government contracts to disclose any proven or alleged violations within the last 3 years of 14 different labor laws, plus ``equivalent State laws.'' prgtoken Now, that may sound reasonable, but it is not. And it is entirely unnecessary. Any competent purchasing manager--again, I come from the private sector, and there are a lot of competent purchasing managers-- could readily obtain the information required by this regulation. And, of course, any competent purchasing manager should also always be evaluating the qualifications, integrity, and the past performance record of any kind of potential suppliers. prgtoken This rule also has the very real potential of subjecting perfectly innocent contractors to blackmail and extortion tactics during union contract negotiations. prgtoken In case anyone thinks I am overstating this threat, listen carefully to the following quote from one union describing an ``ideal message'' their union president should convey to a general manager of a business negotiating a union contract: Putting it plainly: unless you settle this strike within the next few days, and the union withdraws its charges-- prgtoken Those would be those allegations; unless the union withdraws those charges-- you are likely to be marked as a ``repeat labor law offender,'' one of the highest categories of wrongdoing under the President's Order. Check this out with your hotshot legal team. prgtoken This union message goes on: Counting all of its divisions, this corporation has federal contracts in the hundreds of millions. Do you really want to jeopardize this pot of gold to save a few hundred thousand dollars to the union contract? prgtoken This is the kind of negotiating tactic that illustrates exactly how this regulation would be used as a form of federally sanctioned blackmail. There would be no due process for contractors wrongly accused. There would be no way for them to defend themselves or avoid being blacklisted. prgtoken As if the blackmail potential of the rule isn't bad enough, the administration admitted that the final rule would cost at least $398 million to comply with every single year. And except for the benefit that extortion leve
NOMINATIONS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-3-2

on yet another matter, the Senate has been working to put the President's Cabinet in place with several important agencies that serve the American people. I am pleased to share that, by the end of the week, we will have confirmed even more nominees, including Representative Zinke, whom we approved yesterday, as well as Dr. Ben Carson and Gov. Rick Perry. Both Carson and Perry received bipartisan support in committee, and I expect to see the same when the Senate votes to confirm them. Once we do, Dr. Carson can begin bringing much needed reforms to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, while Governor Perry can begin leading on smarter policies at the Energy Department. prgtoken I also look forward to confirming another important nomination before the Senate. Judge Neil Gorsuch continues to earn praise from both sides of the aisle, including many on the political left. President 's legal mentor calls Gorsuch ``brilliant.'' prgtoken His former Solicitor General praises Gorsuch for his ``fairness.'' prgtoken Alan Dershowitz says Gorsuch is ``highly credentialed'' and ``hard to oppose on the merits.'' prgtoken Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently had praise for the judge, too, complimenting his collegiality and excellent writing abilities. prgtoken Judge Gorsuch has received wide support in his local community as well, with more than 200 Colorado lawyers from across the political spectrum voicing their support for his nomination. Here is what they said in a letter to Colorado's Senators just last week. They wrote: We know Judge Gorsuch to be a person of utmost character. He is fair, decent, and honest, both as a judge and a person. His record shows that he believes strongly in the independence of the judiciary. Judge Gorsuch has a well- earned reputation as an excellent jurist. He voted with the majority in 98 percent of the cases he heard on the Tenth Circuit, a great portion of which were joined by judges appointed by ic presidents. We all agree that Judge Gorsuch is exceptionally well- qualified to join the Supreme Court. He deserves an up or down vote. prgtoken That is from 200 Colorado lawyers. prgtoken It is praise that has been reiterated by other Coloradans as well. Here is how the Colorado Springs Gazette put it this week in an editorial supporting the nomination. The paper said: To vote against Judge Gorsuch would favor . . . party over someone who clearly ranks among the top-qualified nominees in the court's history. prgtoken The considerable praise we have heard regarding Judge Gorsuch is not surprising when we consider the reputation he has earned across his State, in the Federal judiciary, and among those who have worked with him through the years. That includes Judge John Kane, a senior district court judge in Colorado appointed by President Carter. He also shared his view this week on wha
CALLING FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A SPECIAL COUNSEL
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-3-2

I want to talk a few minutes about the challenges so many of our Cabinet members face trying to restore our infrastructure, to maintain our park system, and to create the public- private partnerships the President mentioned earlier this week in his vision for infrastructure reform. prgtoken Certainly Governor Perry, whose nomination we are debating right now, will have many opportunities in Energy to do that, in the research components of Energy and the partnership components that can be there. prgtoken We just confirmed a new Secretary of Interior, Ryan Zinke. One of our great assets as a nation is the Federal park system. We are now entering the second hundred years of that Federal park system, and that second hundred years is going to be defined by partnerships in ways the first hundred years weren't. prgtoken The park system is a great way to enjoy the blessings we have and the rich geography, the scenic beauty--some of these parks really reflect the great challenges people faced as they settled the country--and also there are historic parks that reflect the history. Sometimes our parks do both of those things. prgtoken I think all of my colleagues are aware of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, one of the most visited national parks, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial there celebrating President Jefferson, celebrating the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and really celebrating that long movement as people moved west--eventually really west and really northwest, , where you live in Alaska. But the Gateway Arch is visited often. It opened in 1967, and so now we are 50 years into that particular part of our system. The original park itself needed a lot of restoration, but 50 years later, you look at that park and you look at how it has been used and decide how it could be better used. prgtoken What most of my colleagues probably aren't aware of is that right now, it is the biggest investment the National Park Service is making in the system at this moment, trying to connect the Gateway Arch to the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, the Federal courthouse where the Dred Scott case was tried--they are trying to connect that park to prgtoken the rest of the city in ways that--when it was built, it was separated by an interstate highway, so you would go see the park, but you wouldn't get to the rest of the national park side there very often. prgtoken Rethinking that is important, but what is maybe even more important is this is the biggest park project in the history of the country where private donors provided more of the money than the government did. This is not easily done. If for 100 years you have been doing something one way, it is not easy to immediately begin to say: We are going to do it another way from now on. prgtoken If you are in charge, like Secretary Jewell was put in charge of this project--and by the way, I think she has done a good job, as has her regional director, understan
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Roger F. Wicker (Republican, MS) \u2014 2017-3-2

earlier today, during his opening remarks, the distinguished majority leader paid tribute to my senior Senator, Thad Cochran, upon the occasion of his becoming the 10th longest serving Senator in the history of our Republic. prgtoken If you think about this--I just checked with the cloakroom--the Senate first convened in March of 1789 in New York City. In the 228 years of the United States Senate, Thad Cochran, of Mississippi, now becomes the 10th longest serving Senator in history. Quite a milestone. prgtoken I was chairing a subcommittee hearing this morning and was not able to be on the floor during the majority leader's remarks, and so I take a moment to now pay tribute to Senator Cochran at this milestone in his career and in the history of the Senate. prgtoken Most Senators do not know Senator Cochran and I were born in the same small town. We are both natives of Pontotoc, MS. We are alumni of the same university. We are both Ole Miss Rebels. We also share the same political lineage in Mississippi of being early pioneers in the development of the Party. I was the first Member of the House of Representatives in my congressional district, the First District of Mississippi, back in 1994. Senator Cochran prgtoken blazed an even more significant trail by becoming the first popularly elected Senator from Mississippi back in 1978--in over a century. He succeeded former President pro tempore Jim Eastland, of Mississippi. prgtoken I have been able to watch him and be somewhat of a teammate over the decades, and I just want to pay tribute to Thad Cochran as being a trailblazer for quite some time. This is a milestone, and it is a testament to the proven record that Senator Cochran has built over 38 years in this Chamber. He served for 6 years in the House prior to that, so he has been around a long time. He has always been a good public servant. He has always been a strong American. He has always been a good member of the troop. prgtoken He is chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and a lot of funds are distributed through that committee. He is part of the team, and his committee is part of the team. Again, a lot of our colleagues do not realize this, but we set budget numbers--the House and Senate. We come to an agreement, and we set those spending levels. Then the Appropriations Committee, under the leadership of Thad Cochran, does the hard work of figuring out how to abide by those budget caps, and they do it year in and year out. With leadership like Senator Thad Cochran's, usually, the numbers are crunched, and they make it work on a bipartisan basis. Many of the votes in the Appropriations Committee last year, under the leadership of Chairman Cochran, were unanimous votes or virtually unanimous votes. prgtoken At the same time, he has been able to, within the constraints of those budget caps, take care of the needs of our country and certainly the needs of