mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR EXCEPTION TO LIMITATION AGAINST APPOINTMENT OF PERSONS AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WITHIN SEVEN YEARS OF RELIEF FROM ACTIVE DUTY
Michael R. Turner (Republican, OH) \u2014 2017-1-13

the United States and our allies currently face some of the most complex security challenges in our recent history. ISIS continues to sweep across much of the Middle East. An expansionist China continues to develop its military prowess in order to counter the United States and its allies in the region. We continue to face a nuclear threat posed by countries such as North Korea and Iran; and an increasingly hostile Russia seeks to destabilize much of Europe. prgtoken It is imperative that the Department of Defense not lose continuity in leadership, administration, and governance. General Mattis must be confirmed expeditiously. Such a lapse would create vulnerabilities in our national security strategy and would be detrimental to the safety and security of our Armed Forces. prgtoken Civilian control of military is undoubtedly crucial to the success and health of our Defense Department. This candidate's military experience alone should not bar him from serving in a civilian role as the Secretary of Defense. It actually enhances the capabilities he brings to the job. This is a unique exception for a candidate whose exemplary leadership and experience would come at a crucial time for our country and for our men and women in uniform. prgtoken I understand that many of our colleagues across the aisle are choosing to vote against a waiver for General Mattis, despite the fact that they support General Mattis himself as an eminently qualified nominee for the Secretary of Defense. That is a mistake. To do so is self-defeating. prgtoken Under these circumstances, a vote against the process by which General Mattis is nominated is, in fact, a vote against General Mattis himself from becoming our next Secretary of Defense. prgtoken I thank Chairman Thornberry for his leadership throughout these important deliberations and for his work for obtaining this waiver for General Mattis and for the future of the service of General Mattis to our country. prgtoken I urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support S. 84.
PROVIDING FOR EXCEPTION TO LIMITATION AGAINST APPOINTMENT OF PERSONS AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WITHIN SEVEN YEARS OF RELIEF FROM ACTIVE DUTY
Ron DeSantis (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-1-13

I rise in support of this measure. prgtoken I think it is important to point out that when you talk about civilian control, General Mattis is, in fact, a civilian. He is not in command of any Marine divisions right now. I don't think prior military service should be held against him when he has the ability to offer additional service to the country. prgtoken I hear this argument that: Well, he is a retired general, he is subject to the UCMJ. That is not an argument that has much merit. If that were the case, you couldn't have retired military officers serve in the Congress. If they were still considered military officers, it would violate the incompatibility clause of the Constitution. prgtoken Now, this 7-year statutory restriction, I think it is understandable, but I don't think it is in any way sacrosanct. If you go back to the founding of our country, a 7-year restriction would have prevented George Washington from being the first civilian commander in chief because he had resigned his commission in 1784, he took prgtoken the oath of office as our first President in 1789. Nobody was under any illusions that he was a civilian, and he was somebody who was revered. prgtoken Now, it is true the Founders feared the civil being subordinate to the military, but that is because they thought government could be overrun by a military junta. We don't have that danger here. We have a civilian President of the United States, a civilian Congress that is charged under the Constitution with providing and maintaining our Navy, with raising and supporting our armies, and prescribing rules for the regulation of the Armed Forces, and we will have Jim Mattis, who is a civilian, as a Secretary of Defense. prgtoken This man, Jim Mattis, has been a faithful servant to our country. He is also a strategic thinker, who I think can do a great job in rebuilding our military and getting our national security policy on a firmer, stronger foundation.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2017-1-13

I rise today in support of today's resolution to repeal the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken As a physician, I have lived the nightmare of the ACA for the past 6 years. Because of Care, I know more physicians leaving their practice this year than any other year. With $12,000 deductibles and annual premium spikes of over 50 and many times over 100 percent, Care has made health care truly unaffordable and unattainable for many, many people. In fact, it would be irresponsible for Congress to sit back and watch the ACA continue its death spiral and bankrupt our country. prgtoken As we begin to replace Care, we want to reassure Americans we will not pull the rug out from anyone. If you are on a current exchange policy or have preexisting conditions, we will have a period of transition and high-risk pools that will provide you with quality, affordable alternatives. prgtoken Like many others, my district sent me here to fix health care, and we intend to do just that.
RECOGNIZING THE 95TH BIRTHDAY OF CLARENCE ``BUD'' ANDERSON
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-1-13

I rise today to recognize the 95th birthday of Clarence ``Bud'' Anderson. A Colonel in the United States Air Force, Bud is a veteran of both the Vietnam War and World War II, where he achieved the status of ``triple ace'' after shooting down a total of 16\1/4\ enemy planes and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by Congress. Born in Oakland, California, Bud grew up on a farm near Newcastle, California and joined the United States Army as an aviation cadet in 1942, where he soon received his commission as second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. In the Second World War, Bud flew with the 363rd Fighter Squadron of the 357th Fighter Group and tallied 116 missions in his P-51D Mustang, nicknamed Old Crow. In 1944 and at the young age of 22, Bud had already reached the rank of Major before returning home to the United States in 1945. He then became a fighter test pilot before serving as a Wing Commander on another tour of duty in Vietnam. Bud retired as a Colonel in 1972 and has been decorated 25 times for his service in the United States Air Force. In 2008, Bud Anderson was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame. I've been proud to call Bud a friend of mine for several years. He is a true patriot and someone who is more than deserving of the accolades he has received throughout his life and career. Our nation would be grateful to have more Americans like Bud Anderson.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017
John J. Faso (Republican, NY) \u2014 2017-1-13

I thank the new chairman of the Budget Committee for yielding. prgtoken , I have listened to the debate and I understand the difficulty that both sides have with fixing this system. prgtoken We clearly believe the system needs to be repealed and replaced. Moreover, the system needs to be reformed. And there is perhaps no better prominent in this country who has made the case for reforming this system. I quote former President Bill Clinton, who said just last October: So you have got this crazy system where, all of a sudden, 25 million more people have health care and then the people who are out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half. It's the craziest thing in the world. prgtoken President Bill Clinton. prgtoken , this is just the first step in terms of fixing this problem. The taxes, the premium increases, the loss of coverage, the small businesses who have been priced out of the market, the discouragement of employment in our country because of the costs that are imposed on the business sector through the ACA have to be fixed; they have to be addressed. Today is just the first step in addressing that. prgtoken Later, we will have regulatory changes that come from the Department of Health and Human Services. More importantly, we will all have to come back here to work out a new plan to fix it. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to vote for this resolution.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017
Paul D. Ryan (Republican, WI) \u2014 2017-1-13

. My colleagues, I rise to urge our colleagues in the House to support this resolution, and let me tell you why. prgtoken This provides Congress with the legislative tools that we need to repeal and replace Care. This is a critical first step toward delivering relief to Americans who are struggling under this law. prgtoken In the weeks ahead, several steps will be taken to provide relief. Some steps will be taken by this body. Some steps will be taken by the new administration, including, after he is confirmed as HHS Secretary, our own colleague from Georgia (Mr. Price). prgtoken Our goal is a truly patient-centered system, which means more options to choose from, lower costs, and greater control over your coverage. And as we work to get there, we will make sure that there is a stable transition period so that people don't have the rug pulled out from under them; so that this will be a thoughtful, step-by-step process, and we welcome ideas from both sides of the aisle. prgtoken But today, I can't help but think back to, when we were debating this law in 2010, what was said at the time. I was a member of the minority then. I stood right here and pleaded with the majority not to do this. Don't take something so personal like your health care and subject it to a Big Government experiment. Don't do something so arrogant and so contrary to our founding principles. prgtoken But they pushed it all the way through, making all kinds of promises. People were promised that their premiums would go down, but, instead, they are skyrocketing. Look at the new premium increases announced just this year: Kansas, 42 percent increase in their premiums; Illinois, 43 percent; Pennsylvania, 53 percent; Nebraska, 51 percent; Alabama, 58 percent; Minnesota, 59 percent; Tennessee, 63 percent increase in premiums; Oklahoma, 69 percent increase this year in premiums; Arizona, 116 percent increase in their premiums. prgtoken People were promised: if you like your plan, you can keep it. Well, guess what? That was rated the lie of the year that year. People lost their plans. prgtoken People were promised all sorts of choices. You will have all these great menus of choices to choose from. A third of all the counties in America today, you get one choice. Five whole States, one insurer. If you have one choice, that is not a choice, that is a monopoly. prgtoken My colleagues, this experiment has failed. This law is collapsing while we speak. We have to step in before things get worse. This is nothing short of a rescue mission. prgtoken By taking this step today, we are doing what is right. We are stepping in and stopping the collapse from doing more harm to the working families of America, to bring the kind of relief and bring the kind of solutions that we need to really achieve the noble goal here. prgtoken Everyone in America should have access to affordable health care, including people with preexisting conditions. This is what we want to achi
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2017-1-13

. from Tennessee for yielding time. prgtoken , today, we take the next step in the process of providing the American people a better way on health care. We have all heard from constituents and families who are struggling to get by as they suffer the consequences of the fatally flawed healthcare law. prgtoken In my home State of North Carolina, the average Care premium has increased by a staggering 40 percent. Terry from Advance, North Carolina, is a 70-year-old retiree, but now he is working part time just to help pay for his wife's healthcare premiums, which jumped from $300 a month to more than $887 a month. prgtoken On top of higher premiums, deductibles have skyrocketed, too. Patricia from Kernersville now has a whopping $6,550 deductible, and her premiums increased by 80 percent this year. Like so many Americans, Patricia is paying more for less coverage. prgtoken Despite being promised, ``if you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it,'' millions of Americans have been kicked off their plans. Scott from Hickory has had his health insurance canceled three times now; disrupting his continuity of care. prgtoken We have also heard from countless small-business owners who can no longer afford coverage for their employees because of limited resources and soaring costs. Facing similar challenges, school leaders and college administrators have spoken out about how Care is exacerbating tight budgets--hurting teachers, faculty members, and, ultimately, the students they serve. prgtoken The current situation is not sustainable; so s are here on a rescue mission by providing the American people relief. It is time to repeal President 's government takeover of health care. It is time to advance patient-centered reforms that lower costs, provide more choices, and put working families--not government bureaucrats--in control of their health care. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this budget resolution because it will move us one step closer to the patient-centered health care the American people desperately want and need.
John Shimkus (Republican, IL) \u2014 2017-1-13

I am on the Energy and Commerce Committee the healthcare bill came through. We can debate how many hearings, how many questions, and all of that. The public has rendered judgment on this healthcare law. prgtoken In 2010, s took back control of the House over two issues: Care and cap-and-trade. And then our base was saying to repeal Care, all the way back to 2010. prgtoken In 2014, the s took over the Senate. Our base is saying: You have got the House. You have got the Senate. Repeal Care. It is harmful. It is destructive--and I will tell you why in a minute. prgtoken So why should anybody not expect us, in 2016, when the public has rendered judgment again in a national election that we have to repeal Care? prgtoken So when I talk to my constituents and people talk to me, this is going to happen, and we know there is going to be a replacement. prgtoken There are two different ideologies of how to provide care. We believe in markets; you believe in centralized control. We believe in people choosing the best plan for them in the private markets; and those who need help and assistance to get in those markets, we are going to help them get in those markets. But to have our Federal Government say that you only have one of four choices--my constituents pay for health care that they can't use because they can't pay the deductibles, so they are forced to buy something that they can't use. prgtoken So this is timely. I am glad we are moving expeditiously, and we look forward to the year ahead.
Tom Cole (Republican, OK) \u2014 2017-1-13

I thank the gentleman for his kind words and for yielding. prgtoken , I rise in support of the rule and the underlying legislation. As has been made clear, we are actually talking about two different pieces of legislation here today. prgtoken The waiver for Secretary-designee James Mattis is, quite frankly, a no-brainer. The Senate voted 81-17 in favor of that waiver. I would suspect there will be similar bipartisan support here. prgtoken My friend is correct, of course; this is a serious matter whenever we grant exceptions to the law. But General Mattis is just uniformly and universally respected across the lines for his distinguished work in defense of this country, so I hope we move ahead on that. prgtoken The budget resolution that comes before us is another matter, and there will be a great deal of contention. Frankly, the resolution itself is not, as my good friend from California pointed out, and should not be seen as, a traditional budgetary item. It is, frankly, a projection of what will happen if we do absolutely nothing over the next decade and leave the current set of policies in place. prgtoken It is a sobering document to read in that regard because it shows rising deficits every single year for a decade, beginning at over $580 billion and then moving well north of $1 trillion. Frankly, in my view, it is something that we ought to look at and come to the realization that we are going to need to do entitlement reform in the next decade, something that people on both sides of the aisle seem to want to ignore. Absent that, we will, indeed, have extraordinary budget deficits, and they will be large enough to undercut and undermine our economy. prgtoken The budget resolution is also a vehicle, a tool, to begin to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This is necessary for, really, one simple reason. The Affordable Care Act, or Care as it is popularly known, is a failing system. It is unpopular. It has never been popular, never hit 50 percent of popularity. Frankly, in my view, it has cost our friends their majority in the House, then cost them their majority in the Senate, and may well have cost them the Presidency of the United States. The American people have spoken pretty emphatically: We don't like this product. And it is collapsing financially right now. This is not a system that is an operation that is really doing well. prgtoken Let me just talk about my own State. We have about 197,000 people that have gotten insurance under Care. This year, they will have exactly one choice as to what company they want to choose to provide them, and their rates will go up by 69 percent. Now, nationally, I think the average is over 25 percent. prgtoken Clearly, this is not a system that is working very well. Politically, the easy thing to do would be what our friends want us to do--let's just leave it alone. It will fall under its own weight, and it will be very clear who is responsible for that collapse
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017
Jason Lewis (Republican, MN) \u2014 2017-1-13

today, I join many of my colleagues in taking the first steps to repeal and replace Care. prgtoken My home State of Minnesota has been hit especially hard by this law. Minnesotans have seen their health insurance choices shrink, while their premiums, copays, and deductibles skyrocket. I should know. prgtoken For the last, in fact, over 5 years, I have been in the individual market and my own insurance premiums have nearly tripled, and I have gone through three insurers. prgtoken Minnesotans have seen a 50 to 67 percent increase in the premium costs this year alone. That is the fourth highest increase in the country. prgtoken As ic Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota stated: ``. . . the Affordable Care Act is no longer affordable. . . .'' prgtoken In fact, politicians in Minnesota are looking for waivers from the Affordable Care Act; not more of it. The other side likes to talk about healthcare access I would argue that the single biggest obstacle to healthcare access right now is the Affordable Care Act. It is not sustainable. prgtoken It is time to repeal this failed legislation and replace it with meaningful reforms that empower consumers, expand choice, and increase affordability. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, so all Minnesotans and all Americans can have access to affordable and portable health care.
TRIBUTE TO CYNDI MONROE
Ken Calvert (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-1-13

I rise today to honor and pay tribute to an individual whose dedication and contributions to the community of Corona in Riverside County, California are exceptional. On Thursday, January 19th, Cyndi Monroe will be honored as the Citizen of the Year by the Corona Chamber of Commerce. prgtoken Cyndi is the founder of Christian Arts and Theatre (CAT), a non- profit performing arts education program for children. For more than 17 years, thousands of children have participated in CAT's award-winning program. The CAT Ambassadors Program encourages young members of our community to share their incredible talents at community events, such as Chamber of Commerce gatherings, concerts in the park, and various holiday festivals. prgtoken In addition to giving back to the community through CAT, Cyndi is an active member and Past President of Soroptimist International of Corona. Cyndi is a tireless advocate for Corona and fostering partnerships that bring people together to better serve our community. As an author, playwright, and inspirational speaker, Cyndi has enriched the cultural opportunities for every Corona family. prgtoken In light of all that Cyndi has done for the community of Riverside County and the city of Corona, it is only fitting to honor her as Citizen of the Year. Cyndi has contributed immensely to the betterment of our region and I am proud to call her a fellow community member, American and a constituent of the 42nd Congressional District. I add my voice to the many who will be congratulating Cyndi Monroe on being named Citizen of the Year by the Corona Chamber of Commerce.
PROVIDING FOR EXCEPTION TO LIMITATION AGAINST APPOINTMENT OF PERSONS AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WITHIN SEVEN YEARS OF RELIEF FROM ACTIVE DUTY
Mac Thornberry (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-1-13

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , let me get right to the heart of the matter. We have to pass this legislation in order for James N. Mattis to be able to serve as Secretary of Defense. I know of no one more respected and more admired in the field of national security today than General Mattis. It is true that this is an extraordinary thing we are doing to pass a new law to provide a onetime exception to an underlying law so that a particular individual can serve. The last time we did this was 67 years ago. prgtoken Our predecessors then faced challenging times and believed it was appropriate to go through extraordinary lengths to allow an exceptional individual, George C. Marshall, to serve as Secretary of Defense. History reveals that it was fortuitous that they chose to do so. prgtoken We face challenging times today. We live in an increasingly dangerous world, and we confront it with a military that has been significantly damaged by budget cuts and other actions. I believe it is appropriate-- in fact, I believe it is necessary--for us to rise to meet the challenges of our time as our predecessors did in theirs and allow an exceptional leader to once again serve our country. prgtoken Now, there are legitimate complaints about the wording of the resolution, about various procedural flaws, and about not exempting General Mattis from the UCMJ. In that regard, let me correct something I said before the Rules Committee last night. A retired officer can be held accountable for acts after they retire, although never has that happened to someone in civilian office. But there are legitimate complaints about the President-elect's transition team refusing to allow General Mattis to come to a hearing and testify before the House even though he was very eager to do so himself. prgtoken I share all of those concerns. I think it was a mistake and shortsighted to deny the House the opportunity to question General Mattis on the issues related to this legislative exception. I think it was an opportunity to facilitate giving him a large, bipartisan vote out of this House which reflects the overwhelming bipartisan support that he has in this House. prgtoken But getting back to the bottom line, even with those concerns, we have a responsibility to the men and women who serve, and I think we have a responsibility for the safety and security of every American to see that there is a fully functional Secretary of Defense on day one of the new administration. The only way we can do that is to pass this legislation today. prgtoken , .