mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Nominations of Jeff Sessions and Tom Price (Executive Calendar)
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2017-1-31

I wish to congratulate the current Presiding Officer for his ascension to the prgtoken chair of the Indian Affairs Committee in the U.S. Senate. It is a committee with a great history of bipartisan efforts working together. It is a committee on which I was privileged to serve and still serve and of which I have been the chairman in the past. I am looking forward to the distinguished Senator from North Dakota taking over the mantle of responsibility, and I know he will continue to work hard, as he has since joining the Senate, in the efforts on behalf of so many Americans. prgtoken I also come to the floor about what is going on in the Senate with regard to confirming nominations in a Cabinet that I believe is truly an all-star Cabinet--truly an all-star Cabinet. I think it gets better as we keep confirming one nominee after another. Last week I spoke on the floor about what a great job I believe Scott Pruitt is going to do as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Today I wish to talk about two more examples. prgtoken First, there is the nomination of our friend and colleague, Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama, to be Attorney General. Those of us who have served with Senator Sessions over the years know he is a man of uncommon decency, of fairness, and of integrity. We know his dedication to the law is absolute. prgtoken In 1999, Senator Sessions came to the floor to speak in support of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks. In that speech, he said: ``Equal treatment under the law is a fundamental pillar upon which our republic rests.'' We saw Senator Sessions' devotion to this idea again and again and again. He introduced legislation to reduce the differences in the kinds of sentences that could be handed out to people convicted of similar drug crimes. He teamed up with Senator Ted Kennedy to pass legislation protecting prisoners from sexual assault behind bars. prgtoken The job of Attorney General is to be America's top law enforcement officer and attorney. Jeff Sessions has shown himself to be an outstanding attorney. He worked as a frontline prosecutor. He spent 12 years as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. He was attorney general of the State of Alabama, and he has spent 20 years here as a U.S. Senator. prgtoken If confirmed as Attorney General, he will be one of the most qualified people ever to hold this job. These qualifications include an exceptional knowledge of how the Justice Department works and the priorities of the people who work there. prgtoken The Attorney General oversees the work of more than 100,000 people. Most of them are law enforcement, working for agencies like the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. I think these men and women are going to find that Jeff Sessions is their greatest champion, and I think they are going to greet his arrival at the Justice Department with a wonderful ovation. National law enforcement gro
DECLARATION OF FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2017, AS HARMONY HOUSE DAY
Billy Long (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-1-31

I rise today to recognize Harmony House of Springfield, Missouri, for all the work the organization does on behalf of survivors of domestic violence and declare that Friday, February 10, 2017, be Harmony House Day. prgtoken Since 1976, Harmony House has been an active force for good in the Springfield-Greene County community. What started out as an all- volunteer grassroots network sheltering survivors of abuse in their own homes, has over the past 41 years answered more than 76,000 SAFEline calls, served over 450,000 meals and provided over 408,000 safe bed nights to more than 16,000 women and children from around Greene County, Missouri. prgtoken February 10, 2017, will mark the beginning of a new era for Harmony House. Going forward, Harmony House will continue to serve those in need and continue to change lives but in a new location with both enhanced and expanded capabilities. Harmony House's empowering work, as the only domestic violence shelter in the area, will reach more people and help more families operating from a newly renovated, top of the line, facility. prgtoken I am honored to recognize Harmony House and commend the organization for its service and hard work over the years. On behalf of Missouri's Seventh Congressional District, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in honoring Harmony House and observing Friday, February 10, 2017, as Harmony House Day.
Priorities of the Republican-Led Congress (Executive Calendar)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2017-1-31

every year around this time, House and Senate s get together for a joint conference to share ideas and develop our action plan for the year. Last week, we gathered in Philadelphia for this year's conference, and we had a very productive session. All of us came back energized and ready to achieve big things for the American people. prgtoken In November, the American people elected majorities in the House and Senate and a President. That was a tremendous show of trust, and s know it. We are committed to living up to that trust by delivering on the promises we have made. prgtoken The last few years have been tough for American workers. Job creation has been sluggish. Wages have been stagnant. Economic growth has lagged far behind the pace of other recoveries, and opportunities for workers have been few and far between. It is no surprise that so many hard- working Americans feel as if they have been left behind. For millions of American workers discouraged over the past 8 years, I want to say this: We hear you. s hear you, and we are going to act. prgtoken s have outlined an agenda focused on growing our economy, creating jobs, increasing wages, and lifting the burdens that the administration has placed on the American people. prgtoken One big issue that we will tackle this year is repealing and replacing Care. Seven years ago, Care was sold to the American people with a lot of promises. The law was going to reduce premiums for families. It was going to fix problems with our health care system without hurting anyone who was happy with their health coverage. If you like your health plan, you will be able to keep it, people were told. If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, people were told. Well, as everyone knows, every one of these promises was broken. prgtoken Premiums for families continue to rise. Millions of Americans lost the coverage that they liked. Americans regularly discovered they couldn't keep their doctors, and their choice of replacement was often limited. These broken promises were just the tip of the iceberg. The law hasn't just failed to live up to its promises; it is actively collapsing, and the status quo is unsustainable. Premiums on the exchanges are soaring. Deductibles regularly run into the thousands of dollars. In fact, for 2017, the average deductible for a bronze level Care plan is rising from $5,731 to $6,092. With deductibles like that, it is no wonder that some Americans can't actually afford to use their Care insurance. prgtoken The problems on the exchanges are not limited to soaring costs. Insurers are pulling out of the exchanges right and left, and health care choices are rapidly dwindling. Narrow provider networks are the order of the day. One-third of American counties have just one choice of health insurer on the exchange. One-third of American counties
REMEMBERING SARAH ROOT (Executive Calendar)
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2017-1-31

I rise today on the 1-year anniversary of the tragic death of a fellow Iowan, Sarah Root. On January 31, 2016-- the very same day as her college graduation--Sarah was killed by an illegal immigrant named Edwin Mejia, who was allegedly drag racing with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. Sadly, despite requests by local law enforcement, ICE failed to detain Mejia. He then posted bond, was released, and now a year later remains a fugitive, denying Sarah's loved ones any sense of closure or Justice. prgtoken As a mother and grandmother, I cannot fathom the grief her family and friends continue to feel after such a devastating loss. Just 21 years old, Sarah was bright, gifted, full of life, and ready to take on the world. Having just graduated from Bellevue University with a 4.0 grade point average, she was dedicated to her community and wanted to pursue a career in criminal justice. Sarah had a remarkably bright future ahead of her, but her opportunity to make a mark on the world was tragically cut short 1 year ago today. Yet, even in death, she touched the lives of others, saving six different individuals through organ donation. Although nothing can bring Sarah back to her family, we can ensure that ICE never makes that same mistake again. prgtoken I was encouraged to see the administration take action toward addressing this issue last week by implementing parts of Sarah's Law-- legislation I introduced with my Iowa and Nebraska colleagues in honor of Sarah. I remain committed to continuing to work with my colleagues to fulfill the promise I made to Sarah's loving parents: that I will do everything I can to ensure that no other parents have to go through what the Root family has faced. prgtoken .
WELCOMING THE GUEST CHAPLAIN
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2017-1-31

Senator Cotton and I would like to welcome Rabbi Barry Block and thank him for delivering the opening prayer to the Senate today. I am proud that he accepted our invitation to lead the Senate with his spiritual guidance. prgtoken Rabbi Block is the leader of B'nai Israel--Arkansas's largest Jewish congregation--a position he has held since 2013. I have gotten to know Rabbi Block and his dedication to his congregants through his annual visits to Washington with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. He has served Reform Judaism as a member of the Board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and chair of its Resolutions and Nominating Committee and as president of the Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis. prgtoken Serving as the guest Chaplain is an incredible honor. Today he is joined by his sons Robert and Daniel. He wished to share this experience with his congregants as well. I enjoyed meeting yesterday with him and his confirmation students to hear about their concerns on a wide variety of social issues. I appreciate his prayer for our country and its leaders. prgtoken .
FILLING THE SUPREME COURT VACANCY
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-1-31

yesterday the Senate voted to advance President 's nominee for Secretary of State. I look forward to confirming him and the rest of the President's slate of well-qualified nominees. We need them to get to work as soon as possible. prgtoken We will have more opportunities to advance nominees starting this afternoon, and later tonight, we expect the President to send us another nominee. The President said he will announce his choice for the Supreme Court shortly from a list of about 20 well-qualified Americans. It is a list he shared publicly months ago. As I said yesterday, each of those potential nominees has a distinguished background, whether on the appellate courts or trial courts, whether at the State level or the Federal level. prgtoken We look forward to the announcement of this nominee tonight, and we look forward to doing our job to fairly consider that nominee here in the Senate. Our friends across the aisle should treat this President's nominee in the same manner as previous nominees of newly elected Presidents. This is not the time for our friends to embark on another partisan crusade. prgtoken We have just been through a contentious election. It is time to bring our country together. It is disappointing prgtoken that we have already started hearing some of the same tired rhetoric from the left. This is before the President even announces the nominee--disappointing but not surprising. The left has been doing this for decades. It does not matter if the President is George H.W. or Gerald Ford. It does not matter if the nominee is David Souter or John Paul Stevens. They will warn of impending doom. They will claim the end is nigh. They will run through the required list of attacks: extreme this, anti that, herald the apocalypse. And then, miraculously, the Sun will rise again in the East, and the world will still keep on turning. I hope we can skip past the left's hyperbole this time. prgtoken Unfortunately, we have heard our friend the ic leader talk about fighting the President's nominee tooth and nail. We have heard that others in his party are preparing to mount a filibuster of this nominee. Of course, we do not even know who it is yet. That is not productive. That is not what our country needs right now. prgtoken We understand that some on the left will never be pleased with any nominee this President--or any President, for that matter-- puts forward. We know some will continue to refuse to accept the results of the election. But our ic colleagues should not follow the far left down that harmful path for our country. prgtoken We need to all remember that the Supreme Court seat does not belong to any President or any political party. I have been clear all along that the next President, regardless of party--regardless of party-- would name the next nominee for this seat. It is a decision I stood by even when it seemed likely we would have a
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 38, DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bill Johnson (Republican, OH) \u2014 2017-1-31

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken It is interesting to me that my colleagues on the other side take offense to this being referred to as a midnight rule. This is actually a midnight rule twice. Let's look at how this thing started. prgtoken In 2005, during the administration, 5 years of effort went into codifying how coal mining operations should take place around streams. The last President announced, during his campaign, that he was going to make coal-fired energy financially, economically impossible, thereby launching his war on coal. There was a lawsuit with the -era rule. The Interior Department and the administration settled, paying that settlement out of taxpayer dollars and then launching an effort to rewrite that rule. prgtoken In 2011 when we came in, they were planning to release that rule in April of 2011. What took 5 years to codify, they wanted to redo in just 4 months. Not only that, but they left the States out of the equation. The States complained about that. No one in the administration was listening. prgtoken When the contractors then told the truth about how many tens of thousands of jobs were going to be lost as a result of this rule, the administration fired the contractor that was doing the work. Not only that, they paid them in full. Now, go figure. prgtoken We have been back and forth with the administration asking that the States be involved, asking that the rulemaking process be transparent, asking, if it really had to do with stream protection, why was it talking about and why was it going to be negatively impacting underground coal mining that takes place hundreds, if not thousands, of feet below the surface of the Earth. You answer me that. prgtoken So, here we are today, and now we have the Congressional Review Act. I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to set the record straight and to do away with this rule now and forever. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support H.J. Res. 38 when it comes to the floor this week.
Affordable Care Act (Executive Calendar)
Tom Cotton (Republican, AR) \u2014 2017-1-31

I want to express my support for Rex Tillerson to be our next Secretary of State. Mr. Tillerson is one of the most distinguished businessmen in the world. His reputation precedes him. I don't have to recount for all of you his remarkable career--rising from an entry-level production engineer to CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest oil company in the world. Mr. Tillerson's story should be an inspiration to kids across this country: Through hard work, discipline, and striving, you can achieve your dreams, even if you weren't born into wealth, power, or privilege. Like the Boy Scouts he has mentored, like the Eagle Scout he was, Mr. Tillerson inspires by his example. prgtoken No one can doubt Mr. Tillerson has acquired a wide range of skills throughout his notable life, as well as a gold-plated reputation. I think it goes without saying that a man of such varied experiences will bring a well-informed and shrewd perspective to the post. In fact, I would suggest that it is the very perspective which recommends him most for the job. prgtoken I met with him in December, and we had a wide-ranging conversation about Russia, the Middle East, human rights, and the many other geopolitical challenges and opportunities facing our country. I was impressed by the breadth of his knowledge, his familiarity with so many world leaders, and his understanding of their peoples. The one thing that really stood out to me was his clear-eyed, hard-nosed prudence. It is little wonder that Mr. Tillerson comes highly recommended by and Bob Gates, seasoned statesmen with no illusions about the world and no doubts about America's role in it. I am confident that as Secretary of State, he will protect the interests of the American people just as he protected the interests of ExxonMobil's shareholders as their CEO. prgtoken I have heard some Senators wonder whether a businessman can really walk away from a company and its financial interests--as if it were the money that made the man, instead of the man who made the money. Their concern reminds me of similar questions raised about one of the best Secretaries of State in the modern era, George Shultz. When President Reagan nominated him, Secretary Shultz was president and director of the Bechtel Group, a large construction concern with business across the Arab world. People asked whether Secretary Shultz would therefore tilt U.S. policy toward those countries. I think anyone looking back today on his record would marvel at those fears. prgtoken In 2015, the World Jewish Congress awarded Secretary Shultz its prestigious Theodor Herzl Award on behalf of his work with America's good friend Israel. Yes, Secretary Shultz went on to lead a very successful tenure, working with different countries all over the world and always putting America's interests front and center. prgtoken If anything, Rex Tillerson's business experience will only enhance his ability to provide the Presid
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
James M. Inhofe (Republican, OK) \u2014 2017-1-31

I rise today in strong support of the Honorable Elaine Chao to serve as the next Secretary of Transportation. She has proven she has the experience and the drive to help her accomplish President 's goals to address our nation's infrastructure needs heads on. I have known Elaine for many decades as a dedicated civil servant and a talented negotiator and have no doubt she will again prove to be a highly effective asset to the Executive branch. Elaine Chao was born in Taiwan and, at the age of 8, came with her family to America by cargo ship where, at the age of 19, she became a U.S. citizen. prgtoken From those humble beginnings, she went on to receive degrees from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and Harvard Business School. prgtoken Elaine Chao began her executive career at the U.S. Department of Transportation in 1986, as Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration, then as Deputy Secretary from 1989 to 1991. She served as the Director of the Peace Corps, in 1991, where she brought the Peace Corp programs to the liberated countries of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania; and as president and CEO of the United Way of America where she helped restore fiscal responsibility to an organization that had been damaged by mismanagement. prgtoken In 2001, she become the 24th U.S. Secretary of Labor, the first Asian Pacific American woman to be appointed to the President's cabinet in American history, in President 's cabinet. During her 8- year tenure at the Department of Labor Department, she proved she has the skills to manage large multifaceted organizations as well as to initiate needed reforms and new programs that help create jobs and competiveness in the workforce. Quite frankly, she was the best Secretary of Labor the United States has ever had. prgtoken During her tenure, the Department updated the white collar overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which has been on the agenda of every administration since 1977. The most significant regulatory tort reform of President 's first term, the new regulations provided millions of low-wage vulnerable workers with strengthened overtime protection. prgtoken In 2003, under her leadership, the Department achieved the first major update of union financial disclosure regulations in more than 40 years, giving rank and file members enhanced information on how their hard-earned dues are spent. The Department set new worker protection enforcement records, including recovering record back wages for vulnerable low-wage immigrant workers. The Department also launched comprehensive reform of the Nation's publicly funded worker training programs, to better serve dislocated and unemployed workers. prgtoken I have complete confidence in her abilities and look forward to working with her in her new capacity as the 18th U.S. Secretary of Transportation.