mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMEMBERING AND HONORING THE LIFE OF CONOR IRWIN
Joe Courtney (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-1-6

I rise today to mourn the loss and honor the life of Conor Irwin. prgtoken The child of Whit and Holly Irwin, Conor was a resident of Ledyard, CT. He graduated from St. Bernard School and was a freshman at Ledyard High School. He was just 14 years old. prgtoken In 2013, I had the honor of meeting Conor when he visited me to discuss the quality of food served in local schools. He had been a youth representative to the New London County Food Policy Council and was seriously concerned about the effect of poor food quality on health. Wonderfully precocious, he was full of good ideas that might help address this problem. prgtoken Like many 14 year-old boys, he loved soccer, playing outdoors, and listening to music. Just this past year, he even earned his first varsity letter for cross country. But those who knew Conor acknowledge something special about him. Even at so young an age, he was already a gentleman and true renaissance man. It may have been his voracious appetite for knowledge, his signature bow ties, or his love of travel and exploration. But mostly, it was his thoughtfulness that set him apart. He was always looking out for the younger kids, helping his mom with groceries, and holding the door for whomever may be passing by. prgtoken My thoughts and prayers are with Conor's family and friends as they mourn this terrible loss I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing my condolences and honoring a truly special soul, Conor Irwin.
HONORING CLIFFORD A. SCHULMAN
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-1-6

it is my privilege to honor South Florida philanthropist, business leader and prominent attorney, Cliff Schulman. prgtoken Mr. Schulman has 45 years of wide-ranging legal experience in the environmental and land use field from both the government and private sectors and is well known for his involvement in the community and commitment to charitable causes. prgtoken For 13 years, he has served as Chair of the Board of the Aventura Marketing Council and it is on this occasion that we celebrate his retirement from this position. prgtoken Under Mr. Schulman's leadership, the Aventura Marketing Council has thrived and grown to be recognized as one of the most respected organizations in Chambers of Commerce representing more than 400 businesses and non-profit organizations, supporting countless educational and regional events in South Florida. prgtoken Cliff had the unique ability to blend his sense of humor with his keen business acumen and Marketing Council members will certainly miss his ``Cliff's Notes'' at the opening of each meeting. prgtoken Cliff has also served as Vice Chairman of the Anchors Away Foundation, an Aventura Marketing Council program in cooperation with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, that provides sailing programs for physically and mentally challenged children from schools throughout the County. This program has literally changed the lives of so many kids who gain a sense of pride, independence and accomplishment. prgtoken Throughout his career, Mr. Schulman has been honored by the Anti- Defamation League, South Florida Business Leader Magazine, the South Florida Shomrim Society and countless organizations that have recognized his contributions to bettering our community for all those who call South Florida home. prgtoken I am proud to have Mr. Schulman and his wife Lauren as my constituents and am grateful for his years of dedication to Aventura and to South Florida. prgtoken It is my honor to pay tribute to his distinguished career and extend my heartfelt congratulations to him on this occasion.
OBAMACARE
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-1-9

I am very pleased to be able to join Senator Donnelly, Senator Hirono, and Senator Blumenthal on this extraordinarily important issue that goes right to the heart of what we want health care to be in this country. I have always felt that the really big issues, the really important issues, need to be bipartisan. You need to find a path to some common ground. prgtoken As Senator Donnelly and our colleagues have pointed out, what is being discussed now is an inherently partisan process for dealing with one of the most sensitive and most important issues of our time; that is, Medicare and what it represents. I had a chance to listen to Senator Donnelly and Senator Hirono discuss this issue. It made me recall my days when I was director of the Oregon Gray Panthers, the senior citizens group. I was director of the group for almost 7 years before I was elected to Congress. This was back in the days when I had a full head of hair and rugged good looks. prgtoken We always talked about Medicare being a promise. It was a promise of guaranteed benefits. They were going to be there. They were going to be secure. They were going to be defined. In effect, all who supported Medicare said they would oppose unraveling that promise, unraveling that pledge of guaranteed benefits. It seems to me, without strong legislation, the kind of legislation my colleagues are advocating, we are putting that promise at risk. prgtoken I think when you look back at the history of what was available for older people before Medicare, you would see why this promise and this pledge is so important. For so many older people, there was, essentially, what amounted to poor farms. We had one not far from where we lived at home in Oregon. When Medicare was being debated, people brought out those pictures. They talked about what it meant, in a country as strong and good and rich as ours, for older people not to have a life of dignity and security and decent health care. prgtoken When Medicare was adopted in 1965, it was all about the promise. It was all about the guarantee. That is what Senator Donnelly and Senator Hirono are standing up for as part of this debate. I know that some who don't share our view are going to say: Well, there are tremendous challenges with respect to Medicare. There is no question about that-- 10,000 people turning 65 every day for years and years--but there is so much that can be done, and s, if you want to reject something that is partisan like reconciliation and come together. You can come together around updating the Medicare guarantee. I say this to my friends Senator Donnelly and Senator Hirono, who have done such good work on this. prgtoken We are not saying there aren't any challenges. The fact is that Medicare today in 2017 is very different than Medicare when it began in 1965. It is dominated by chronic illness: cancer, diabetes, heart disease. But we can come up with fresh, pract
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017--Continued
Cory A. Booker (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-1-9

the hour is late, even though you look like you have a lot of work there to do, sir. I think I am going to be merciful and keep this short. I want to thank the Senator from Hawaii, the senior Senator from Hawaii, for his remarks. prgtoken I just want to wrap up. We have had multiple speakers now driving home a number of points. Two of them I just want to reiterate, which is the fact that as I look at a lot of more moderate and conservative outlets, from the American Enterprise Institute all the way to the American Medical Association, that did not support Care in the first place, you have this chorus growing of responsible, thoughtful people who said: Hey, we may want to repeal Care, but to do it without putting up a plan and showing the American public what you are going to replace it with is not only contrary, obviously, to a lot of the political rhetoric we heard during the campaign season, but it is against the logic, it is not prudent, it is actually reckless, and it is going to hurt a lot of people. prgtoken This is what we have to understand. I say it is akin to pushing someone off a ledge and telling them, as they are falling down, that, hey, we are going to get a plan, don't worry. The problem is, people are going to get hurt in the interim. The cost of medical care, not having that kind of business certainty that you need, it is going to spike markets and make things very difficult. prgtoken I just want to say that this body, which I respect--and I am happy to hear voices like Senator Rand Paul and others on the side begin to come out and say that we should not be repealing this without replacing it. I want to offer my gratitude to them because I think there are a lot of people--I even heard Chuck prgtoken Schumer say himself that he is ready to roll up his sleeves and talk about ways to improve this. prgtoken We have heard from the President-elect, saying that he is going to have a health care system that is better and that costs less. I think he used the word ``terrific'' to describe what he is going to bring to the American people. prgtoken Well, where is it? Where is the plan? What is the idea? Because there are too many people right now in our country who are fearful of what might happen. When I say ``fearful,'' it is a base fear; for example, some people from my State of New Jersey. This is Martha, who lives in a town called Montclair--not quite the same town that the Senator from Hawaii was speaking of before, which I cannot pronounce yet. I hope he will help me with that. Mahalo; is that right? I am doing all right. prgtoken But this young lady from Montclair very dramatically writes: I want to take a moment to thank you for fighting as hard as you have to protect those of us who are disabled and vulnerable to financial ruin, medical crisis, and debt if the ACA is repealed. I am a psychotherapist in private practice for over 20 yea
IMPACT OF CABINET NOMINATIONS
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2017-1-9

I thank Mr. Veasey for helping organize this Special Order on a topic that is of great concern to me and many of my constituents. prgtoken The Attorney General, as we know, serves as the United States' chief law enforcement official. He or she does not serve certain States, certain classes of people, nor is their service limited to a particular party. The Attorney General is there to serve all of us. prgtoken With that in mind, I stand here on the floor of the House concerned with Senator Sessions' nomination to become the next Attorney General. Based on his record, there are a number of reasons why I believe that Senator Sessions is unfit to lead the Department of Justice. prgtoken First, at his 1986 confirmation hearing to serve as a Federal judge for the Southern District of Alabama, it was revealed that Senator Sessions had called the NAACP and the ACLU un-American and communist inspired. I am a life member of the NAACP and a participating member in the ACLU. Neither one of those organizations are un-American or communist inspired. prgtoken A Department of Justice attorney also testified that Sessions said he believed that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Operation PUSH, and the NAACP taught anti-American values. Well, if being free, if being able to exercise your right to vote, being able to not determine one's color as a condition for participation, then I am not certain what Mr. Sessions was talking about; but I do know that he has called a Black attorney ``boy,'' and he also talked about a White civil rights attorney as a ``race traitor.'' prgtoken Also, what I am more concerned about is, in the aftermath of the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, he opposed taking down the Confederate battle flag. Now, if there is one symbol that we all understand that represents hate, it is the confederate prgtoken battle flag. I am concerned that Senator Sessions continued to try to defend that symbol. I can't imagine someone being the Attorney General having that kind of attitude and that operation. prgtoken , I join the chorus of other members of the Congressional Black Caucus who raise their voice in opposition to what would be a travesty to the Department of Justice if Senator Jeff Sessions is confirmed.
IMPACT OF CABINET NOMINATIONS
Maxine Waters (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-1-9

I rise today to encourage opposition to the nomination of Jeff Sessions to the Attorney General's Office by this President-elect. prgtoken We have been asked and we are constantly asked: Are you saying he is a racist? He defined himself. He defined himself long ago when he was denied a Federal judgeship in 1986 after having been appointed by Ronald Reagan. He was denied because his colleagues said they heard him use the N-word. prgtoken Also, it was very well documented that after two of the members of the KKK killed an African American man, he said: Oh, I thought the KKK was okay until I learned they smoked marijuana. This is the same man that said, again, that the NAACP and the SCLC were un-American, that they were communist inspired, and it goes on and on and on. And it is not whether or not we are calling him or we think of him as a racist; he defined himself in that manner. He was denied the appointment to the Federal judgeship, including by s who voted against him. prgtoken So here we have a man who is going to be considered for the Attorney General's Office where we have the Civil Rights Division. Should we be worried about that? You bet your bottom dollar we should be worried about that. Not only has he defined himself as a racist, but this is a throwback. This is a man who is a setback. This is a man who does not agree with his colleagues on criminal justice reform. This is a man who loves mandatory minimum sentences. This is a man who does not want the Justice Department to work with local police departments who are in trouble, like what happened in Ferguson. This is a man who is against voting rights. This is a man who has shown himself to be against women. This is a man who does not support the LGBT community. Why would we want him to have this very important, prestigious position as the Attorney General overseeing civil rights? I don't think so. prgtoken I advise everybody who is listening and all of our colleagues to support him not being appointed to that position and to get the word over to the Senators that they should not support him, they should not vote for him.
OBAMACARE
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-1-9

I am honored to be here tonight with my very eloquent colleague Senator Franken from Minnesota and also with two colleagues who will follow me shortly, Senator Schatz and Senator Markey, all of them great champions of better, more affordable health care for all the people who live in this great country. prgtoken This is the greatest country in the history of the world because we care about each other and we care about the common good. That is what the Affordable Care Act represents. It is not perfect. No great social reform ever is the first time around, including Social Security, but it can be repaired and improved without completely repealing it. prgtoken So repeal without a replacement is the height of irresponsibility. The first order of business for the leadership during this session of Congress is to tear down and rip apart the Affordable Care Act, not to deal with job creation or economic growth. In fact, the Affordable Care Act provides 3 million jobs in our country, and repealing it would eliminate those jobs. No, it is to destroy and decimate a program that has literally saved lives, opened new futures, transformed the existences of millions and millions of Americans who would lose health care coverage if this measure is just repealed. prgtoken In fact, 22 million people across the country and more than 100,000 in Connecticut would lose that critical insurance. Preexisting conditions would become, again, an excuse for the health care industry and insurance companies to deny coverage. Women would be charged more simply because they are women. And young people would be denied access to their parents' health care coverage up to the age of 26. prgtoken Those kinds of losses just begin the list, but among the most egregious of the profound defects to this approach is the effect on the Prevention and Public Health Fund. I know it isn't a household term: Prevention and Public Health Fund. It is not exactly on everyone's tongue, but it is a measure that is profoundly important to the future of this Nation if you care about lives and dollars. And if you care about dollars, the $931 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund is allocated to provide funding for things like diabetes prevention, preventing healthcare-associated infections, chronic disease management, smoking prevention, lead poisoning, suicide prevention, and Alzheimer's disease prevention. prgtoken You may not consider these kinds of challenges--smoking prevention, lead poisoning, Alzheimer's disease, hospital-acquired infections--as the most glamorous, but treating them costs millions and millions and millions of dollars--in fact, billions of dollars. prgtoken Just to give you one example, the Tips From Former Smokers campaign, which the Prevention and Public Health Fund supports, has led to an estimated 1.6 million smokers attempting to quit smoking and has helped 100,000 Americans quit smoking. Tobacco use is
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017--Continued
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2017-1-9

I rise to join my colleagues in raising the alarm about the possible impact for all of us in America and, in particular, for my constituents in my home State of Delaware should we indeed as a body proceed with barreling forward and repealing the Affordable Care Act without a plan to replace it, as seems to be the intention of the majority. prgtoken When I was first elected to the Senate back in 2010, the Affordable Care Act wasn't even a year old. Yet s were already trying to repeal it, without offering any comprehensive plan with which to replace it. Now, more than 6 years and 60 repeal attempts later, it is truly disheartening to see that when it comes to plans for the American health care system, seemingly nothing has changed. Instead of working across the aisle to find constructive fixes to this Affordable Care Act that could win bipartisan support, instead of finding new ways to invest in infrastructure or strengthen American manufacturing or coming together to respond to the Russian attack on American democracy or even waiting a week to take this upcoming vote so we Senators can give our full focus to vetting the President-elect's Cabinet nominees, instead of pursuing any of these priorities, it seems we are once again spending--even wasting--the American people's time to fulfill a misguided and, in my view, mean-spirited promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act at all costs, without a clear plan to replace it. Sadly, in that sense, nothing has changed since I first came here in 2010, not so for the American people, as plenty has changed for them and for my home State of Delaware. prgtoken More than 20 million Americans now have gained access to high-quality health insurance across our whole country, including 38,000 more Delawareans. Now, 38,000 is not a big number of people, but in my little State of 900,000, 38,000 more people who couldn't get access to health insurance before and can now is a big deal. Across the whole country, the rate of uninsured Americans is at a record low of just 11 percent, and in Delaware fewer than 8 percent, and this is well down below pre-ACA levels. prgtoken Let me focus on what I think is the biggest, broadest, and most important benefit of the Affordable Care Act, not just those tens of thousands in my State who have gotten coverage on the exchanges, but in my little State of 900,000, 560,000 Delawareans get their health insurance through their employer, as the vast majority of Americans do. For those half a million or more Delawareans, they have gained lifetime improvements to the quality of the health insurance they have through the ACA: no discrimination against preexisting conditions, young people can stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn 26, free preventive care, no lifetime limits on coverage and recovery, and a requirement that insurance companies spend 80 cents of every dollar on health care versus overhead. Thes
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017--Continued
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-1-9

once again, congratulations on your election. I haven't gotten a chance to talk with the Presiding Officer in detail about his path to the U.S. Senate, but I have had a chance to talk to a lot of my colleagues about how they got here, and I think we can all agree it is not often a real pleasant experience. You get your name dragged through the mud. You get called all sorts of names. You have to call lots of friends and strangers and ask them for money. It is no walk in the park to run for political office or to put your name out there and be the subject of both praise and a lot of ridicule. prgtoken It is not surprising the reason that people do this. The reason that the 100 of us have decided to run for office and to put ourselves out there in the public spotlight is because we deeply care about our neighbors, about the people who live in our States. We are doing this job, to a man and woman, because we want to make life better for people; in particular, people who have been just thrown big curveballs by life. prgtoken I grew up in a pretty economically secure house, but I understand a lot of kids don't have that opportunity, and I feel like both s and are here because we want to lift those kids up. I have had a pretty healthy life, a few bumps and bruises along the way, but I feel like both s and are here because we get that other people aren't as fortunate. They got sick. They got diagnosed with something terrible. Our role should be to try to help get them some cures or some treatments. prgtoken We are here not because we think it is fun to run elections, we are not here because we like the look of our name on the door, we are here because we care desperately about people. I think this is what Senator King was getting at in his remarks. All of the tabloids and the TV news shows, they spend 80 percent of their time focusing on politics, and we end up chasing our tail off in here because if the daily political rags and the cable news shows are talking about politics, then maybe we should be talking and thinking about politics as well, but that is not why we decided to do this. We decided to run for the Senate because we care about people. prgtoken Why we are here tonight is pretty simple. Ultimately, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, with no replacement, with no plan for what comes next, will hurt millions of real people in very real ways. In the end, I don't believe that my colleagues want to cast a vote that will do that. prgtoken This tall guy right here is Josh Scussell. He lives in Connecticut. He is from Guilford. He is standing next to his bone marrow donor and her boyfriend. This is Josh's wife. Josh was diagnosed with stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2012. prgtoken Here is what Josh says. He will tell you the unvarnished truth. Josh says: ``The ACA is entirely responsible for me still being alive.'' prgtoken He relapsed after an