mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO MARSHALL WILLIAMS
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-1-10

this week I have the honor of recognizing Marshall Williams of Powder River County for his impact on the community of Broadus. prgtoken Marshall has spent the last 39 years educating students in the small southeast Montana community and ensuring their future success. Mr. Williams recently received the 2018 Montana Career and Technical Education Lifetime Achievement Award. The Association for Career and Technical Education is a nationwide organization who recognize career and technical educators for their professionalism and leadership in their field. They are one of the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education. This prestigious award is for dedicated educators who have spent an extended period of time in their respective fields. prgtoken Mr. Williams has selflessly given to each of his students, dedicating his time and efforts to ensure their success. Marshall is currently a teacher at Broadus High School, where he teaches ag education and shop. Mr. Williams is constantly looking for ways to improve student's education, as he works closely with teachers, administrators, and even local businesses as a means of open communication on how to progress their communities' education system. prgtoken I congratulate Marshall on being a selfless educator to the Broadus community. I look forward to seeing his success continue to grow as each of his students goes on to achieve their own success.
RECOGNIZING BILL SAMPLE
Brian K. Fitzpatrick (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-1-10

I rise today to recognize an individual in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, who recently accomplished a major feat in his industry. prgtoken Vincent Kabaso of Ambler has become the first Professional Golf Association member from his home nation of Zambia, a country of 17 million people. Vinny currently works as a golf professional at Talamore Country Club in Ambler. prgtoken Vinny's love of golf came at a very young age. After graduating from high school in 2004, he studied in England and Scotland before becoming a coach on the Zambia national golf team. He later came to the United States where he served as a golf professional in Connecticut before moving to Pennsylvania. prgtoken In addition to his golf talent, Vinny has also founded a nonprofit organization and he is also an author. He established the Raised by the World Foundation, which assists students at the University of Zambia and provides used equipment for young golfers. prgtoken , we applaud this major professional achievement of Vincent Kabaso, and wish his wife, Hannah, and daughter, JoAnna, all the best. Our community appreciates their service and their accomplishments.
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 21
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-1-10

colleagues on the ic side of prgtoken the aisle apparently pledged to oppose proceeding to other important bills--we have experienced that at least to this point--during the government shutdown even though there is no precedent for that. prgtoken All but four yesterday voted against the motion to proceed to S. 1, and I am assuming they will vote against it again this afternoon. S. 1--the bill they are preventing us from going to--has wide bipartisan support and is a critical step in supporting our allies in the Middle East and securing peace in Syria. prgtoken I have talked to many Americans who are intensely interested in the Israel issues. They don't understand why this important legislation would be stymied over a dispute over something entirely different. prgtoken Through the Chair, I ask Senator Cardin if this blockade against business on the floor is absolute.
HONORING THE UNITED STATES NAVY'S NEWEST LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP
Ron Estes (Republican, KS) \u2014 2019-1-10

. Madam , I rise to honor the U.S. Navy's latest littoral combat ship christened the USS Wichita. prgtoken On Saturday, the USS Wichita will be commissioned in Mayport, Florida, where she will begin her service to our country. As the third USS Wichita in U.S. Naval history, this ship will carry on the proud legacy of representing Kansas' largest city around the globe. prgtoken Wichita will be represented on board by Chief Petty Officer Isaac Davis, a graduate of Wichita Heights High School, who will serve as an operations specialist, and Chief Petty Officer Brian Tanner, a graduate of Derby High School, who will serve as an information systems technician. prgtoken I am grateful for Chief Petty Officers Davis and Tanner, as well as the entire crew of the USS Wichita. I am also thankful for the efforts of so many people in our community who have been supportive of the work of the USS Wichita Commissioning Committee. prgtoken Thanks in part to these efforts, I know the USS Wichita will serve our community and country with pride. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing the men and women of the USS Wichita fair winds and following seas.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-1-10

I want to talk for a few minutes today about America's foreign policy, I want to talk about interests, and I want to talk about values. prgtoken As you know, Congress is about to consider our foreign policy priorities in the Middle East. As we do that, I want to draw attention to some of our most vital allies in the Middle East. These allies have stood by America and we have stood by them for decades, through thick and thin. As a result, American interests in the Middle East have been protected, and their people have been protected as well. I am talking about the Syrian Kurds. I am talking about Israel. I am talking about Jordan. prgtoken In my judgment, America must now stand by the Syrian Kurds, Israel, and Jordan--all of whom have paid a heavy price for the destabilization in Syria over the past 5 years--to make sure that this fight stays won. prgtoken Once the Senate turns our attention to S. 1--and we will eventually-- I plan to offer an amendment to S. 1 that will allow the U.S military to defend the Kurds in Syria, if need be. It would give the President the authority to use the U.S. Armed Forces as he deems fit to keep our promise and to protect our allies. That is all my amendment would do. It wouldn't require anything, but it would give the President of the United States the authority to protect one of our allies in the Middle East--the Syrian Kurds--because, after all, the Kurds contributed mightily to the fight against ISIS, and we owe them. We owe them some peace of mind as we draw down our presence in the region. prgtoken The Kurdish-led Syrian ic Forces--better known as SDF--have been another set of boots on the ground in our fight against ISIS. In the words of former Secretary Mattis, Kurdish fighters ``shredded'' ISIS. We couldn't have done it without them. With the help of coalition supplies, weapons, and airstrikes, the SDF--the Syrian Kurds--have been able to recapture large parts of both northern Syria and eastern Syria from ISIS's iron grip. That is just a fact. Four years ago, there were nearly 100,000 ISIS fighters. Thanks to our Kurdish allies and others, including American blood and treasure, those numbers have now dwindled to just 5,000. prgtoken Today, ISIS has surrendered 99 percent of its territory. Let me say that again. Today, ISIS has surrendered 99 percent of its territory, including its former capital of Raqqa. To put that accomplishment in perspective, in January 2015, ISIS controlled more than 34,000 square miles of Syria and Iraq. Thirty-four thousand square miles of Syria and Iraq was ISIS-controlled territory. The world looks a lot different today. Less than 3 weeks ago, the so-called caliphate--the ISIS caliphate--withdrew from their last major urban stronghold in Syria. They are now being held to a small sliver of territory on the eastern border with Iraq, near the Euphrates River. prgtoken I think it is plain to see that the Syrian Kurds have bee
BORDER SECURITY
Brian Babin (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-1-10

. I certainly was. prgtoken , as a Representative from the 36th District of Texas, I made a promise to my constituents and the American people to secure the southern border, and I intend to keep my promise. prgtoken The last 2 months alone, Border Patrol agents have apprehended roughly 140,000 illegal aliens on the southwest border, which is a staggering 86 percent increase from this time last year alone. Without question, funding to build the wall is crucial, and now is our chance. prgtoken In December of 2018, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 27,000 members of family units, the highest monthly total on record, a number which has been on a steady incline for months. I have seen this with my own eyes. prgtoken , last month, I joined my colleagues here in the House and voted to fully fund the government and secure money for the border wall. Regrettably, the blocked this commonsense legislation and are now unwilling to negotiate with us or the President. prgtoken The crisis at our southern border is a dire national security and humanitarian concern, and a solution must not be delayed any longer. The border encompasses approximately 2,000 miles; but with too many of those miles left open, we are hurting our border States, and, quite frankly, the entire Nation is put at risk. It is past time for the to come to the table with a serious offer so that we can move forward toward meaningful border security. prgtoken Simply put, we have very little idea who is coming across the border, what their intentions are, and we have to get a handle on this. Criminal organizations, cartels, and others who wish to harm us are easily entering our country undetected. prgtoken Indeed, 500 Texans have died at the hands of illegal criminals in Texas alone. And Houston, which I represent part of, is the number one port of entry for sex trafficking in the United States, a very dubious, indeed, record there. prgtoken I am willing to fight for this, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. prgtoken I thank my friend, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler), for the time.
OUR COMMUNITIES NEED OUR HELP
Denver Riggleman (Republican, VA) \u2014 2019-1-10

. Madam , we have talked a lot about border security this week, but I rise today to talk about a lot more than what goes on at the border. prgtoken Tens of thousands of people die from opioid addiction every year, including hundreds in the Fifth District alone. prgtoken Yesterday, on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, I was reminded of the many heroes I have met in law enforcement who try to prevent some of these tragedies; heroes who help people at the end of their ropes, people who see no way out; heroes like Sheriffs Bob Mosier of Fauquier County and Mike Taylor of Pittsylvania County. prgtoken This issue is important for my district and close to my heart. My immediate family has been affected by opioids and its awful and persistent hold. Localities across my district have been ravaged by the crisis, from Fauquier County in the north, to Pittsylvania County in the south. prgtoken They need our help. Our law enforcement needs our help. Our communities need our help. I call on Congress to act.
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE FAIR TREATMENT ACT OF 2019
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-1-10

I am glad I had the opportunity to vote with my colleagues, the majority leader, and my colleagues from Virginia and Maryland on the bill we just passed here on the Senate floor to ensure the backpay for Federal workers who will be without pay, and I hope we can get to a resolution soon on this partial government shutdown that gets all elements of the government open and fully funds the border and the significant amounts requested by the White House that I think most Americans and most Alaskans need and want. Tribute to Urban Rahoi prgtoken , I hope that you and all the pages here--we have some new pages in the staff here--had a great holiday season and that everybody listening back home and watching back home in Alaska around the country also had a wonderful holiday. I certainly did. It is always great to be home in my State--spending time with family and my wife, my daughters, and with friends--which to me is the greatest State in the greatest country in the world. prgtoken Winter is a special time in Alaska. The sun may be low or in some places it may not rise above the horizon at all, but there is a certain glow that comes with the snow. With that glow and the Northern Lights dancing in the sky, particularly in the interior--the place I am going to talk about in a minute--it is magical. We want to assure anyone watching to come to Alaska and you are going to have the trip of a lifetime. prgtoken As I have said so many times on the floor of the Senate, it is the people who make my State so special--tough, hearty, resilient people who have lived some of the most amazing, meaningful, purposeful lives and who have the wisdom, the character, the toughness, and, yes, even the scars to prove it. Stories of character, stories of lives well- traveled, and stories of lives well-lived abound my State. prgtoken Last Saturday, in the great city of Fairbanks, AK, I had the great opportunity and the honor to attend the 100th birthday party--I am looking at the pages, who all just said ``wow''--of a legend in Alaska, a man, certainly, of great stories but also of heart, of patriotism, and of everything that makes Alaska and America great. prgtoken As you know, , I come to the floor nearly every week, while we are in session, to honor someone that I refer to as the Alaskan of the Week, someone who makes our State and our country very special. I want America right now--if you are watching on C-SPAN, in the Gallery, or the press--to meet Urban Rahoi, our Alaskan of the Week--a husband, a father, a veteran, a pilot, a hunting guide, a developer, and a builder, just to name a few of his defining characteristics. prgtoken Urban has lived a dozen lives, all in only one century--100 years old. He helped to save America, and he helped to build Alaska--to save this great Nation of ours and to build one of our greatest States. He is our Alaskan of the Week. prgtoken
LET'S PUT A BARRIER WHERE WE NEED IT
Louie Gohmert (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-1-10

the refuse to open the government. They won't provide more than a dollar. The said she would give a dollar for a border barrier. That is outrageous. prgtoken How many people in this body have walls around their homes and live in gated communities. How many people in this body at night check to make sure their door is locked, not because a burglar can't get around it, but because they love the people in their home and they don't want burglars having it too easy getting in, even though they could, but it slows people down. That is what a border barrier does. prgtoken And for the little girl that was killed by an illegal alien in my district and thrown in a well, this is not a charade. This is life or death for many people. prgtoken Let's put a barrier where we need it, and then we can have everybody getting paid.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-1-10

I rise today, again, to discuss S. 1 and to urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this. prgtoken We had a vote just the other day on this, and it has been reconsidered. All s voted for it. Four of our friends on the other side of the aisle also voted with us on this, and I would urge a few more to do so. If that happens, we will actually pass this package of bills, which is so important. prgtoken These have been kicked around for some time. The substance of these bills have near--although not complete--unanimous approval of this body. Indeed, Members of this body have voted for these, both in committee and on the floor, individually in the past, but they have not gotten across the finish line because we ran out of time in the last Congress. prgtoken Essentially, it is a package of three bills that support our friends. One, of course, supports Israel. One supports Jordan, one of our best friends in the Middle East. And, lastly, one of the bills refreshes and strengthens the sanctions against Bashar al-Assad and his government in Syria. prgtoken These should pass. You might ask yourself: Well, what is going on here? Why are we having these party-line votes on this? Well, my friends on the other side of the aisle have said: We are not going to vote on anything while the government is shut down, and we should be focused on this. I would remind my friends that there are a lot of us around here who are veterans of the 2013 -Harry Reid shutdown. prgtoken During that shutdown, the U.S. Senate continued to do its job, continued to consider resolutions, continued to pass bills, and continued to do confirmations, as it was required to do. prgtoken That is what we have here today--something that we should be doing that reinforces our friends in the Middle East. Particularly with times being somewhat tumultuous there, it is important that we support our friends in the Middle East, and it is important that we put these sanctions on the people of Syria. prgtoken I would also remind my friends on the other side of the aisle that they are forcing a vote on the Treasury regulations surrounding Mr. Deripaska, the Russian person who has had sanctions placed on him and who has gone through the process of getting them removed. My friends on the other side are requiring that we debate and then vote on those, which is a good thing to do. First of all, there are some issues that need to be aired there, and, secondly, it is important that we have the process for reviewing actions by the Treasury Department under the sanctions legislation in the past. It is good that we do that. But to say ``We can't do this, but we can do that'' because they want to do it really doesn't make sense. They also want to do this. I think if we had a straight-up vote on this, I would suspect the would vote unanimously to do this. prgtoken This is just the wrong way to do business. We are the U.S. Senate. We are open for
RECOGNIZING OCEANA COFFEE ROASTERS
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-1-10

I wish to recognize the first Small Business of the Week of the 116th Congress. Each week this Congress, I will honor a small business that exemplifies the hard work and perseverance of the American entrepreneur. The great State of Florida is home to businesses of all types, from family-run farms in Ocala to aerospace machinists in Cape Canaveral. Today, it is my distinct pleasure to honor a small business with a strong commitment to the quality of its products and a desire to give back to its community. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, it is my pleasure to recognize Oceana Coffee Roasters as this year's first Small Business of the Week. prgtoken Amy and Scott Angelo founded Oceana Coffee Roasters in 2009 with only a $35 coffee roaster, converted from a popcorn machine, and the goal of bringing freshly roasted coffee to their area. Located in Tequesta, FL, Amy and Scott founded the company after they were unable to find a local coffee roaster that produced fresh, small-batch coffee. Seeing an opportunity, the Angelos began by roasting just a quarter-cup of coffee at a time, experimenting with different types of beans and roasting techniques. prgtoken From a popcorn popper in their kitchen, to roasting 50,000 pounds of beans a year, the Angelos have remained focused on the details of producing high-quality, small-batch, whole bean and ground coffee. In order to meet their high standards, Scott and Amy learned all they could about how coffee beans are grown, where the best beans originate, and how to bring out the best flavor in each type of bean. They also researched the fair trade coffee process, how coffee is harvested and transported, and the logistics of importing beans to their Florida small business. Through their diligent study and a trial and error process, the Angelos harnessed their entrepreneurial spirit to understand their customers' desires and make a product they are proud of. In 2016, the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce recognized Oceana Coffee as the Small Business of the Year and SCORE of Palm Beach County recognized them for entrepreneurial excellence. Also in 2016, they were the overall winner for the Golden Bean North America Award, which is the world's largest coffee roaster competition. prgtoken As the business has grown, the company has periodically added new coffee prgtoken varieties from around the world to its product line. Instead of focusing on large production runs of one type of coffee, Oceana produces small batches of shade-grown, Guatemalan, Ethiopian, and Costa Rican coffee for all types of coffee consumers. Their success has also led to expansion, with Amy and Scott adding a second location in Palm Beach County while increasing e-commerce sales and direct shipments to reach approximately 100 wholesale customers. prgtoken The Angelos are committed to their community and doing right by the people they do business wi
BORDER SECURITY
Mike Bost (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-1-10

I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri for yielding and for putting this on tonight. prgtoken , if you have listened to this debate tonight, the colleagues that I serve with are explaining that there truly is a crisis. Unfortunately, there are those who claim that it is a manufactured crisis. Despite what the colleagues from the other side of the aisle say, it is not a manufactured crisis. It is not a new crisis, but it is an ever-growing crisis. prgtoken Let me tell you that I have had experience and understand the border from many years ago. While stationed in the United States Marine Corps in Yuma, Arizona, I actually worked at a site called P111 that was 3 miles off the Mexican border in Arizona. Every night, people would come across. Thinking they were seeing a border fence, they would climb into the compound. Every night, we would have to call border security, and they would pick them up and take them back. prgtoken We talked about the crisis of drugs coming across. Let me tell you about the crisis that occurred at that time. Some very evil people would watch the desert, and they would kill these people trying to come across the border, who would then just be left because there was no ID for them. prgtoken But we can secure our border. It is an argument that has been going on in this House and in this Nation for some time. prgtoken Many of you who are older will remember that Ronald Reagan actually argued and put forth the idea with Tip O'Neill, the idea that they would do immigration reform, which Tip wanted, as long as they could secure the border, which the President wanted. Tip O'Neill got what he wanted. The President didn't get what he wanted, because the House didn't pass the funding. prgtoken , it is time we passed the funding. We have to end this shutdown, and we have to secure our border. But it takes a good-faith effort on both sides to negotiate. When Pelosi says she offered $1 toward the physical barrier, she is not negotiating in good faith. prgtoken It is very sad, because I am concerned about those people who work for us in this government who are not receiving a paycheck. Everybody who is speaking on this floor tonight is. But they are also concerned about the pictures that we see here and the problems that we see. prgtoken In this House last year, we worked on legislation dealing with the opioid crisis, but our largest supplier of opioids is at that southern border. Over 90 percent of the opioids and heroin that comes in and that kills the people of the United States is coming across because we don't have the ability to secure that border with a physical barrier. prgtoken There is one difference right now between when Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer supported a barrier along that border. The only difference is who is sitting in the White House. You can like him; you can hate him; but the reality is this issue is not about him. It is about the citizens of this United States. It is about