mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CONSUMERS FIRST ACT
Ed Case (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 1500 which would ensure at least one member of the Consumer Advisory Board be an expert in privacy. prgtoken Over a decade ago, predatory lending and lax regulation led to one of the most devastating financial crises in our lifetime or any lifetime. The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, or CFPB, was established by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in response to this crisis. The CFPB is tasked with implementing and enforcing federal consumer financial laws while ensuring consumer access to fair, transparent, and competitive financial products and services. prgtoken Under former Director Richard Cordray, the CFPB returned roughly $12 billion to over 30 million consumers who fell victim to deceptive financial practices, handled over 1.2 million consumer complaints about financial firms, reined in payday lenders, examined mortgage and student loan servicers, combated discrimination in lending, and held a number of bad actors accountable. prgtoken Under this administration, the CFPB's leadership ordered a number of changes that weakened its ability to protect consumers. This included firing members of the Consumer Advisory Board and reducing the size of the board. This hurt the CFPB's ability to help and protect consumers. prgtoken The board's experts help inform the CFPB about emerging practices and trends in the consumer finance industry and share analysis and recommendations. It helps ensure the government fully leverages expertise of those from outside of government. prgtoken H.R. 1500, the Consumers First Act, would reverse anticonsumer changes taken by the administration and strengthen the Consumer Advisory Board. The bill would require the CFPB director to appoint at least 25 members, at least two-thirds of which would have to represent consumers, including fair lending and civil rights experts and representatives of communities affected by high-priced mortgages. My amendment would require at least one member of that board to be a demonstrated expert in privacy. prgtoken My amendment is needed because the interplay of privacy and technology in the financial landscape has changed dramatically since 2008. As internet connectivity increases, Americans now transmit more of their personal and financial information on the internet at exponentially higher rates than in the past, and their data is at risk. prgtoken Since 2013 there have been at least 10 major data breaches compromising billions of consumers. A number of these breaches exposed consumers' financial information. For example, Marriott International's 2018 breach compromised the personal information of some 500 million customers, including credit card numbers of more than 100 million. In 2017 Equifax was breached, exposing the personal information of 143 million consumers, including Social Security numbers. In 2014 the Nation's largest bank, JPMorgan Chase, was
RECOGNIZING STOP THE BLEED DAY
Mike Thompson (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Madam , I rise to recognize today as Stop the Bleed Day. For four years, the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma has been leading the way on training folks in our communities about how to safely stop traumatic bleeding. prgtoken I was honored to host a Stop the Bleed training here on Capitol Hill where we trained almost 100 people on how to save the lives of others and themselves. Because of this training, these folks are equipped and empowered to assist someone before a trained medical professional can take over. prgtoken Whether as a result of a gunshot, traffic accident, or other injury, traumatic bleeding can be life threatening. Like with CPR training, the hope is that the training will never be put into use. However, should a tragedy occur, those who have taken the Stop the Bleed training just might save a life. prgtoken I hope all of my colleagues here today will join me in recognizing Stop the Bleed Day, commending the American College of Surgeons, and think about hosting training sessions in their communities.
CONSUMERS FIRST ACT
David Scott (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Madam Chair, this is a terrible amendment, and I want to take my time to go through it so the American people can see how terrible this amendment is. prgtoken The gentleman is a fine gentleman and a good friend, and we work together. The amendment is what is terrible, not the gentleman. Let me tell you why. prgtoken This amendment would, number one, do away with the important findings on the failures of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Mick Mulvaney that every American should know about. I am going to take a few minutes so the American people will know about them. prgtoken The amendment, which also removes the direction from Congress to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to reverse its recent anticonsumer activities, was rejected by all in our committee markup. prgtoken This amendment is trying to hide from public view how Acting Director Mulvaney stopped payments from the Civil Penalty Fund to consumers who were harmed, tried to reduce the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding and staffing, politicized the work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by making unusual efforts to fill the independent agency with political appointees, and reduced the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement actions by 75 percent compared to the average annual number of enforcement actions from the previous 3 years. prgtoken I mean, that is why it is terrible. That is why it is dangerous. Of particular concern, this amendment strikes a direction to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to resume exams for compliance with the Military Lending Act, for our veterans, to ensure that they are not ripped off by unscrupulous lenders. That practice is heavy. prgtoken We just passed a bill in committee to deal with mortgages that were churning, where predatory lenders were going in and churning, churning over and over again, making our veterans pay the same bill over and over again. That is what your amendment would take protections from. prgtoken In January of this year, the Consumer Office of Servicemember Affairs, our veterans, reported that servicemember complaints and requests for assistance have continued to increase over time. In fact, from 2016 to 2017, there was a 47 percent increase in complaints received from servicemembers. prgtoken Nevertheless, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under its current director, Ms. Kathy Kraninger, is ignoring its own legal counsel and refuses to supervise banks for MLA compliance. prgtoken During our March 7 hearing on the Bureau, veteran Jennifer Davis from the National Military Family Association stated: ``We have become alarmed by the CFPB's decision to no longer supervise lenders for compliance with the MLA. Current leadership has expressed the opinion that the agency does not explicitly have the authority to do supervisory examinations to ensure MLA compliance. We disagree.' prgtoken As Ms. Davis noted, Dodd-Frank grants the Bureau exec
Healthcare (Executive Session)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-5-22

I am proud to be here on the floor today to join with Senator Baldwin and Senator Jones on their resolution with Senator Murphy. I have to say to Senator Murphy, before he puts that down, I have to look at that list and tell you that, before the Affordable Care Act, I would get calls like this, and I am sure you did, too. prgtoken Someone calls me and would say: I paid into healthcare all my life and never gotten sick, and then I finally needed surgery. What do you mean it only pays for 1 day in the hospital? Well, it never paid for more than 1 day in the hospital, but they didn't know it because they didn't get sick. prgtoken So folks buy the junk plans--and thank you for the list--but they buy the junk plan being healthy and then will never know that it doesn't cover those things unless they get sick. When they find out, it will be too late. prgtoken So that is why we are here because we know that healthcare isn't political. It shouldn't be political. It is personal for every one of us. It is personal for ourselves and our families. It affects all of us, whether we are , s, Independents, vote, don't vote, urban, rural from any State in the Union. prgtoken In fact, when people tell me their healthcare stories, they don't start by telling me their political affiliation. They talk to me about what has happened to them, what has happened to their mom and dad, what has happened to their children. Political affiliation doesn't matter. prgtoken People in Michigan simply want to know that the healthcare they depend on will be there for them and be affordable for them and their family today and into the future, and that is the fight that we have as . We will continue that fight. prgtoken Unfortunately, they have reason to be worried about the rise of short-term, limited duration insurance plans. They should be worried about what these plans don't cover--junk plans, as we are calling them. As Senator Baldwin said so well, they are junk. They don't really cover anything. They make you feel good, as long as you are healthy, that you have got insurance, but then you find out, when you get sick, that your child is not covered or you are not covered. prgtoken The fact many of these plans are medically underwritten, which means that the insurance company--by the way, junk plans are about putting decisions back in the hands of the insurance company, instead of you knowing that you and your doctor can decide what you need and that it will be covered. The insurance companies can charge whatever they want based on somebody's health, gender, age, or other status. prgtoken Remember when being a woman was considered a preexisting condition? I do. These plans are bringing that back. One recent study found that none of these plans that have been approved by the administration so far cover maternity care--none of them. We fought hard--I fought hard--as a member of the Finance Committee to
CONSUMERS FIRST ACT
Al Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Madam Chair, such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam Chair, this is a consumer's dream come true because it gives the consumer choice. prgtoken It does not deny the business owner, the credit card company, or the bank the opportunity to have arbitration. What it does is it allows the consumer to have the choice to either elect to have arbitration or to go to litigation, and when litigating, the consumer can litigate as an individual. prgtoken When I was a judge of a small claims court, I had many persons who were litigating their cases before me. I also understand that there are times when people believe that they should have lawyers to represent them. It is not unusual for businesses to have lawyers to represent them. In fact, businesses have lawyers on call to represent them 24 hours a day. prgtoken Why can consumers not have the same opportunity to litigate that businesses have to litigate? That is what this is all about. My colleague, on the other side, would simply have consumers have no choice, go to arbitration only, and then, possibly, gain some emolument. prgtoken My belief is that consumers ought to have choice. That is what this amendment is about. prgtoken Madam Chair, this is part of the reason why consumers are so angry with this Congress. We deny them their constitutional rights, the right to a trial and the right to make a determination for themselves as to whether or not they will engage in arbitration or litigation. prgtoken Consumers should have choices. Businesses have choices. Consumers should have no less than what businesses have. prgtoken Madam Chair, .
Abortion (Executive Session)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-5-22

I rise to express my deep concern over the constant attacks on women's health we are seeing all across America. From this administration's policies, to 's judicial nominees, to Governors and legislators in States like Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri under leadership--they are denying women their constitutional right to make their own personal and healthcare decisions. prgtoken Women and their healthcare should not be under constant threat. We as a nation have made great efforts to promote equal rights for women and men. In this Congress, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage. It took a long time for women to get the right to vote, and we continue to make progress on equality. Yet, in the 21st century, the administration continues to push and adopt policies that are setting this country and women in a wrong direction. prgtoken The Supreme Court made it clear in Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade that there is a constitutional right to privacy that includes making healthcare decisions such as the use of contraception and the right to access abortion. prgtoken Through advancements in women's health and access to contraception and education, the number of unintended pregnancies has significantly been reduced, with a corresponding reduction in abortion. Yet we see leaders trying to reverse the advancements our Nation has made in women's health, access to contraception, and education. prgtoken For nearly 50 years, the Supreme Court has upheld the legal precedent of Roe v. Wade, including its affirmation in Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992. In that case, the Supreme Court held that ``our law affords constitutional protection to personal decisions relating to marriage . . . contraception, family relationships, child rearing, and education. . . . These matters, involving the most intimate and personal choices a person may make in a lifetime, choices central to personal dignity and autonomy, are central to the liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.'' prgtoken The Court prohibited States from passing statutes that placed undue burdens on a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions. Yet leaders continue to introduce and pass laws that interfere with a women's autonomy over her health and well-being. prgtoken Last week, for instance, the Governor of Alabama signed a bill into law banning almost all abortions in that State, with no exceptions for the cases of rape or incest. The law not only prosecutes women, but it also includes unprecedented criminal penalties against doctors, threatening them with life in prison for treating women. The Alabama law exposes doctors to felony charges punishable by up to 99 years in prison for providing or attempting to provide an abortion, making this the most extreme ban of its kind to pass in nearly 30 years. prgtoken Since the beginning of 2019, bills attempting to re
CONSUMERS FIRST ACT
Al Lawson, Jr. (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Madam Chair, I rise to support the Consumers First Act and my amendment that would provide transparency in the number of fair lending cases that are opened and closed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. prgtoken This Bureau was created under Dodd-Frank to provide consumer protection from unfair lending practices. These individuals include our Nation's veterans, students, those who have mortgages, and individuals with auto loans, which is very prevalent. prgtoken Since the creation of the CFPB, it has helped over 31 million harmed consumers with over $12 billion in relief. That is pretty substantial. prgtoken In addition, the CFPB has received and taken action on nearly 1 million complaints. prgtoken Today, the CFPB's ability to continue protecting our Nation's borrowers has been severely limited by the administration. The administration has weakened the supervision and enforcement of fair lending, blocked payday loan cases, dismantled protections for servicemembers, and has reduced transparency and accountability. prgtoken The Consumers First Act fights back. prgtoken The bill, along with the amendment, specifically requires transparency in fair lending investigations, requires interagency cooperation, and demands diversity and inclusion efforts. prgtoken My home State of Florida has one of the highest rates of consumer complaints in the Nation. Some of it might be due to the elderly population that we have or the high number of just regular citizens who need protection. prgtoken What would these consumers do without the CFPB? What would be their recourse for Federal action? prgtoken Madam Chair, it is time that we put consumers first. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and to support the underlying bill. prgtoken Madam Chair, .
CONSUMERS FIRST ACT
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Mr. Chair, I thank the chair for her strong support and leadership on the Consumers First Act, H.R. 1500. I urge everyone to vote ``yes'' on this if they care about protecting consumers from abuse. prgtoken Putting Mick Mulvaney in charge of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was the epitome of a fox guarding the henhouse. We have to undo all of the damage he did while he was Acting Director of the CFPB. prgtoken The CFPB was supposed to, and did, protect consumers and returned a great deal of money to consumers. All of these protections, or many of them, he deleted. What this bill does is restore these protections to consumers. prgtoken Let me remind my colleagues of why the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created. It was after the worst financial crisis in our history, where our people lost over $15 trillion in household wealth. They lost their homes, or they lost their jobs. It was completely preventable because those were abuses to the financial system. prgtoken The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was a Bureau that was directed to protect consumers. Consumers were an afterthought, a secondary thought, a third thought, or not thought about at all in financial regulation. The whole system exists for consumers, and they certainly are entitled to be protected from unfair, abusive practices. prgtoken To give an example, I was particularly concerned about his hostility to data. Decisions should be based on data. Under Director Cordray, the Bureau published a report on the effects of the Credit CARD Act, which I authored. They would publish it every 2 years. prgtoken , this is an incredibly important bill, and I urge a ``yes'' vote. prgtoken , I include in the Record an article I wrote for The Hill about the CARD Act. [From The Hill, May 22, 2019] CARD Act Turns 10: Changes Have Kept Money in Consumers' Pockets (By Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.)) Ten years ago, on May 22, 2009, credit card customers got some needed relief when the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act became law. Since then, the law has saved consumers an estimated $12 billion a year, which translates into well over $100 billion in total savings over the past decade. As The New York Times reported, the CARD Act proved so effective that it led economists studying the law to a single conclusion: ``The regulation worked.'' Before the CARD Act, some credit card companies took advantage of their customers by raising interest rates or changing the terms of their contracts without notice. Hidden terms and fees were lucrative for credit card companies but they were extremely costly to consumers. However, the new law was revolutionary, establishing strict rules for how credit card companies must treat their customers, barring many unfair practices. On
The Federalist Society (Executive Session)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-5-22

on Tuesday, the Washington Post published an important piece of investigative journalism. The journalists looked into a very narrow, very wealthy group of special interests seeking to control our Federal judiciary. It was a revealing story, one that matters a great deal to the Senate and to the people we serve. I come to the floor today to discuss that tightening special interest grip on our courts. prgtoken The central operative in this court-fixing scheme is Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society, the organization at the center of this effort. As I described here on the Senate floor several weeks ago, there are three incarnations of the Federalist Society. prgtoken The first is a debating society for conservatives at law schools. They convene panels and forums for like-minded, aspiring lawyers to talk about conservative ideas and judicial doctrine. That is all fine. prgtoken The second is a flashy Washington, DC, think tank. They attract big- name lawyers, scholars, and politicians--even Supreme Court Justices-- to their events. They publish and podcast. They hold black tie galas. I don't agree with the work they do, but I don't question their right to do it. prgtoken The third Federalist Society is what was exposed in the Post article. It is something much, much darker, both in its funding and in its function. It is a vehicle for powerful interests seeking to ``reorder'' the judiciary under their control so as to benefit their corporate rightwing purposes. It seeks to accomplish by judicial power grab what the Party has been unable to accomplish through the open ic process. prgtoken This third, dark Federalist Society understands the fundamental power through the Federal judiciary to rig the system in favor of special interests. prgtoken So what did the Post find out about how our judges on the most important courts in the country are selected? It found a network of front groups. It found shell entities with no employees. It found shared post office mail drops, common contractors and officers across nominally separate entities, even common presidents of nominally separate entities. In these characteristics, it has some resemblance to money laundering and crime syndicates. prgtoken What else did they find? They found dark money funders, anonymous advertising, enormous pay packages for the operatives, and judicial lists prepared secretly. It found $250 million in dark money flowing through this apparatus. prgtoken The story turns up familiar dark money political funders like the Mercers and the National Rifle Association, but it also exposes groups that are harder to spot, which may not have garnered much attention before but serve central functions in Leonard Leo's court-fixing apparatus. prgtoken A few weeks ago I delivered remarks on the Senate floor about the sweeping influence of Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society court- fixing scheme. I touched on one Federalist Society pr