mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018--Continued
Heidi Heitkamp (Democrat, ND) \u2014 2018-6-28

I come to the floor this afternoon to talk about the Nation's first line of defense against hunger--the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. prgtoken Since day one in the Senate, I have fought to pass a farm bill that stands up for North Dakota's farmers, ranchers, and low-income families. In 2014 we passed a strong farm bill, which I helped to write, negotiate, and pass. Since then, I have been working on the next farm bill. prgtoken Now the Senate is incredibly close to passing the next farm bill, which we crafted with strong support from and s. This important bill shows that the Senate can work to find compromise and support the American people. prgtoken A key component of any farm bill is the safety net for farmers and ranchers during tough times, like crop insurance. It also includes a safety net for families who fall on hard times. prgtoken Our Nation is one of the most prosperous nations in the world. Yet, despite our great wealth, more than one out of seven Americans live below the poverty line. SNAP provides the critical safety net for these Americans who are food-insecure. prgtoken In my own State of North Dakota, about 54,000 North Dakotans participate in SNAP on any given day. SNAP plays a critical role in helping these families put food on the table in what is oftentimes one of the most stressful periods in a person's life. Of those 54,000 North Dakotans, 43 percent are children, 28 percent are seniors, and about 4 percent are veterans. prgtoken Families can find themselves needing this assistance for a number of reasons. First, their hours may have been reduced at work, they may have been laid off, their places of employment may have gone out of business, or an individual may be unable to work due to a disability or serious illness. Additionally, nearly 9 percent of seniors prgtoken live below the poverty level. SNAP helps those seniors with their basic needs, many of whom live on fixed incomes. prgtoken Not one of us can predict when an unexpected life event will happen to us. Thankfully, SNAP is available to provide at-risk families with the safety net they need. prgtoken Other than those with disabilities, the elderly, or others who cannot work, very few people stay on SNAP for more than 3 months in a 36-month period. Half of those new to the SNAP program will leave it within 9 months once they become financially stable. prgtoken Yesterday, I stood here to talk about the critical, bipartisan work of the chairman and ranking member on the Senate Ag Committee and what they have done for ranchers and farmers. prgtoken This bipartisan farm bill includes a number of provisions that work to improve employment and job-training opportunities and programs that help parents find new jobs or obtain new skills so that they can qualify for higher paying jobs. This includes expanding SNAP employment and training demonstration pilots that were authorized under the 2
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H. RES. 970, INSISTING DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMPLY WITH REQUESTS AND SUBPOENAS
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-6-28

the balance of my time. prgtoken , as I said at the outset, there are lots of things that we should be doing oversight on and that they we are not. prgtoken The Oversight Committee has chosen not to look into all the scandals in this White House. They have chosen instead to look the other way. prgtoken I mentioned EPA Administrator Pruitt. He has demonstrated over and over that he has no regard for taxpayer money. He is living a lifestyle of the rich and famous at EPA. He has no respect for his position and no desire to follow our ethics law. His many abuses of his position demand that we fully investigate his actions. prgtoken For example--I love this--he spent $43,000 on installing a soundproof booth in his office. Who does that? GAO stated that he was required to notify Congress before spending more than $5,000 on office improvements, but he goes ahead and spends $43,000 on a soundproof booth, I guess to make private phone calls. He racked up nearly $200,000 flying first class and luxury aircraft on the taxpayers' dime. One of those trips was to Italy. It cost $30,000. He rented an apartment from an energy lobbyist for $50 a night here in Washington. He enlisted an aide to help find his wife a job. prgtoken You can't make this stuff up. And crickets from the Oversight Committee and my friends in Congress. prgtoken Congress needs to investigate the alarming drug price trends in this country. This is an emergency, a life or death issue for our constituents. Because of high drug prices, one in four Americans cannot afford to fill a prescription. These high drug prices are not due to foreign markets, but they are due to our unfair pricing system. prgtoken We issue patents to drug companies, allowing them to have exclusive rights on drugs. Make no mistake, patents are important for incentivizing and rewarding innovation. However, drug companies found ways to game the system by prolonging their patents and continuing their tight hold on lifesaving medications. prgtoken A study by UCLA found that 74 percent of new patents from 2005 to 2015 prgtoken went to drugs that already existed. Patents allow these drug companies to charge patients unfair prices without facing competition. That is just unacceptable. prgtoken But I guess we shouldn't be surprised that there is no investigation, because my friends are working with this White House to undue patient protections in the Affordable Care Act. They are even trying to take away preexisting condition protections. prgtoken Right now, because of the law, if you have a preexisting condition, an insurance company cannot discriminate against you and demand that you pay more. They have to give you the insurance. They want to take that away. This is unbelievable. We should be investigating this stuff. prgtoken I could go on and on and on, but we are not doing that. What we are doing is, we are bringing a resolution that has been put forward by s
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Martin Heinrich (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2018-6-28

s Senator Tom Udall and Senator Richard Blumenthal for joining me to visit the southwest border last week. We went to the border to seek answers and to demand accountability for the very real human impacts of President 's cruel and unnecessary policy of separating children from their parents. prgtoken The permanent trauma these policies are inflicting on parents and their innocent children, many of whom are refugees who are fleeing violence and seeking asylum, is inhumane and horrific. Taking thousands of children--some as young as infants and toddlers--away from their parents and detaining them as a form of punishment or deterrence is ineffective and morally indefensible. prgtoken After all, under the rule of law, refugees who flee violence have a right to request asylum. As of now, only about 500 children of the over 2,000 children in custody have been reunited with their families since President signed an Executive order last Wednesday that ended his family separation policy. There is still no clear plan from the White House that ensures all children will be reunited with their families. This is simply unacceptable. prgtoken This crisis was born from malice, and, frankly, it has been inflamed by incompetence. As an American and as a father, I will not just sit by. What we saw last Friday along the border, which has been ground zero for President 's so-called zero tolerance policies, has had a profound impact on me. prgtoken We learned that there are over 250 teenagers who are being housed in a temporary tent city detention facility in Tornillo, TX. We met with families who are being held at a Border Patrol station in El Paso who told us about their difficult journeys and the violence they experienced in their home countries that they are desperately trying to escape. Let me share the story of just one of these families who was in the Border Patrol's custody. prgtoken I met a father who is in his midtwenties who came here with his, roughly, 2-year-old daughter, named Gabriella. He told us they fled here, seeking asylum, because his home country of Honduras was violent and unstable, and he wanted a better future for his daughter. prgtoken If he had arrived before President 's Executive order last week, just a few days earlier, his little girl would have been, literally, torn from his arms. I can't tell you whether Gabriella and her father will be granted asylum. I suspect that will be decided by an immigration judge, but at least we know he will be able to keep his daughter by his side through this difficult process. It is unforgiveable that thousands of families facing similar circumstances are still separated, with no knowledge of where their children are, with no knowledge of if or when they will be reunited--all because of the administration. prgtoken During our visit we also learned troubling details about the process facing asylum seekers who
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-6-28

today, I am joining with Senator Murray in introducing the Border Zone Reasonableness Restoration Act of 2018. This legislation, if enacted, will establish critical privacy protections for Americans by limiting the unjustifiably wide ``border zone'' within which Department of Homeland Security officers may-- without a warrant--stop vehicles and search private land for the purpose of patrolling the border. prgtoken The current 100 mile ``border zone'' was established through regulatory fiat. While the Fourth Amendment allows limited exceptions to the warrant requirement at or close to the border, this 100 mile zone is neither limited nor reasonable. It includes marine borders. At present, it encompasses almost two-thirds of the population of the United States. This includes major cities such as New York, Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, and Los Angeles, even the ``border town'' of Richmond, Virginia, as well as entire states such as Maine, Delaware, and Florida. prgtoken The need for this legislation has never been clearer. The administration's aggressive yet wasteful use of immigration enforcement resources has subjected law-abiding citizens to needless and intrusive searches at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) checkpoints far from the border. Not only do these searches produce minimal value to border enforcement, they violate the constitutionally protected privacy of citizens and residents of border regions, including in my home State of Vermont. Recently, CBP agents in Vermont have boarded Greyhound buses in Burlington without a warrant and inquired about the citizenship of passengers. They have targeted international college students for questioning about their legal status. In the nearby States of Maine and New Hampshire, they have shut down interstate highways with immigration checkpoints. In Montana, a CBP agent even stopped an American citizen simply for speaking Spanish. prgtoken This should not be a partisan issue. This is about ensuring that every person in this Nation receives the constitutional protections to which they are entitled. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the Cato Institute have sharply criticized these practices as problematic under the Fourth Amendment. Vermonters have rightly been concerned about these expanded border zone searches. They believe, as I do, that once inside our country the phrase `show me your papers' does not belong inside the United States of America. prgtoken The Border Zone Reasonableness Restoration Act is based on an amendment that Senator Murray and I successfully attached to immigration reform legislation in 2013 during the Administration. The 100 mile ``border zone''--and the similar 25 mile zone where many types of warrantless property searches are permitted--predates this current administration, but the actions of this administration have shown just how much we need legislation like this today. prgtoken The Fourth Amen
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-6-28

if I might just take one more moment, I just want to underscore what Chairman Roberts had said earlier. We have 500 different organizations in support of this, from every piece of the 12 titles, every part of the country, every agricultural group, every conservation--we have hunting and fishing groups. We have folks who care about international trade, folks who care about trading at home with their neighbors, and people who care about food access. There are 500 organizations that have come together around this bill with a sense of urgency to get it done, so I am very hopeful we can do that today. prgtoken .
INSISTING DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMPLY WITH REQUESTS AND SUBPOENAS
Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-6-28

I thank the gentleman for yielding and I thank him for his extraordinary leadership in articulating what is right, what honors our oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, the separation of power contained therein, and the integrity of our judicial system. prgtoken I also thank our distinguished ranking member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Mr. Schiff, for his leadership, his courage, and his beautiful and inspirational statement this morning, full of facts, but also full of values. prgtoken , I rise today not only as leader, but also as one who has served on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as a member, as a ranking member, and as an ex officio since the early 1990s. And I can say, while I have seen a lot in that time, I have never seen anything that has stooped so low on the part of the s as what they are doing today. prgtoken It is just as if they have said, you take an oath of office to the Constitution. We took an oath of office to . It is shocking. And many of these are lawyers. I don't know how they justify or reconcile that. prgtoken And so it is with great dismay that I see them doing violence to this body, to this Constitution, to this judiciary system, and to this country. prgtoken They are so curious about prying into a legal case, but they don't have the faintest interest in looking into what the Russians did to disrupt our elections. Not one hearing, nothing. No oversight, nothing. prgtoken Why is that? Why is that? prgtoken Now they are saying they must, they have a right to know this, that, and the other thing. They have no right to do that. So I am not going to take up any more time. I said my piece on this. prgtoken But I do want to acknowledge that Mr. Schumer and I, as well as Mr. Schiff and Senator Warner, the ranking member on the Senate side, sent a letter to the Honorable Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General, and to Christopher Wray, the Director of the FBI, saying to them: Please, please, do not yield on any of this. Your role in preserving the integrity and, most importantly, our justice system has become ever more vital. prgtoken First of all, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I hope that some s will do what is right and urge a ``no'' vote on this. This is taking us into very dangerous territory. If the wanted power, I would say the same thing. We wouldn't want to have this access. You shouldn't have this access. This is wrong. prgtoken Again, if you are honoring your salute and your oath of office to , then vote ``yes.'' If you are honoring your oath of office to the Constitution of the United States, then vote ``no.'' Congress of the United States, Washington, DC, June 27, 2018. [Unclassified] Hon. Rod J. Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General of the United State
REMEMBERING CHARLES MARTIN ``C.M.'' NEWTON
Doug Jones (Democrat, AL) \u2014 2018-6-28

today with deep sadness, but also with reverence, I wish to remember Charles Martin ``C.M.'' Newton, who died on Monday, June 4, 2018. C.M. Newton was one of the most influential coaches in college sports, whose skills I was fortunate to witness firsthand during my time as an undergraduate student at the University of Alabama. Coach Newton integrated the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team in 1969 and led them to three Southeastern Conference, SEC, titles from 1974-1976. He also led the Vanderbilt University Commodores to the Sweet Sixteen in the 1988 NCAA Tournament before leaving to lead the athletic department at the University of Kentucky, his alma mater. At Kentucky, he not only continued the Wildcat tradition of winning NCAA men's basketball championships, he once again broke down barriers by hiring the first Black women's and men's coaches in UK history. prgtoken C.M. Newton was born in Rockwood, TN, on February 2, 1930. As a student at the University of Kentucky, he played on the baseball team, as well as the 1951 championship-winning men's basketball team. He began his coaching career at Transylvania University before moving to Alabama and, later, Vanderbilt. In addition to coaching, he served as an assistant SEC commissioner. After leading Alabama to three conference titles and six postseason visits, he headed to Vanderbilt in 1981, before returning to Kentucky in 1989. His success as a basketball coach and as an athletic director led him to oversee the 1992 and 1996 Olympic men's basketball team rosters, which included the famous 1992 ``Dream Team'' led by Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, as well as Charles Barkley, an Alabama native. prgtoken On a personal note, I have looked up to Coach Newton since before I ever set foot on campus at the University of Alabama. In May 1972, he spoke at a Birmingham Kiwanis Club luncheon where I received the Youth of the Year Award during my senior year of high school. He spoke of leadership, of integrity, and of the need to fulfill the promise of America. He challenged all of the students in attendance that day to be the best we could be for ourselves, our families, and our communities. prgtoken Forty-six years later, I can remember his advice just as clearly as the day he gave it. I hope, in some way, we have each lived up to his challenge. prgtoken Years later, Coach Newton went on to receive the John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997, an annual award given to an individual who has contributed significantly to the sport of basketball, and was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. prgtoken My wife, Louise, and I extend our sincerest condolences to Coach Newton's wife, Nancy, his three children, and the entire extended community of athletes and fans on whom he made a positive impact. His legacy lives on in each of us.
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018--Continued
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2018-6-28

if this week has shown us anything, it is that courts matter. In three important decisions over 2 days, the Supreme Court majority endorsed 's bigotry and handed him the power to exclude any group of people for any reason, as long as he couches it as a national security matter. prgtoken Justice Alito led a narrow majority in a concerted effort to destroy unions--in this case, public sector unions--and Justice Thomas told States that they cannot tell women what reproductive services are available to them. prgtoken We have also seen a Federal trial court judge in San Diego, who combined his understanding of the law with his capacity for human kindness, order that children who were separated from their parents at the southern border be reunited with them in short order. prgtoken We have seen the Third Circuit Court of Appeals rule in favor of transgender public school students being able to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity. prgtoken The work that judges do affects the real lives of people living and working in this country--people who are trying to care for their families, to serve their country, to earn a living; people who count on us here in Congress to make sure that they are safe and that their rights are protected. In the Judiciary Committee on which I sit, that responsibility is normally never greater than when we consider a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken These are not normal times. When we have a President who avows that the Supreme Court should always be , ignoring the independent role of the Court, the Senate's advice and consent process is even more crucial. prgtoken Take a look at the President's tweet. He believes the Supreme Court is an extension of his political party. Last March, he reiterated: ``We need more s in 2018,'' he said, ``and must ALWAYS''--he likes to capitalize--``ALWAYS hold the Supreme Court!'' Any nominee from this President comes to us with this taint attached. prgtoken The President is not the only one to politicize the courts. Neil Gorsuch would never have made it to the Supreme Court if not for the majority leader, whose proudest achievement, according to him, is Neil Gorsuch's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken There is no question that the majority leader wants to ensure a conservative majority on the Supreme Court to upend the fundamental rights of millions of Americans. It started in 2016 when he refused to even meet with the President's Supreme Court nominee and would not grant him a hearing. The majority leader held this seat hostage precisely because he wanted someone who would serve as a rubberstamp for his radical conservative agenda. prgtoken Here is what Mitch McConnell said when he did this. He said that the American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Court Justice. Under the McConnell rule, this vacancy created by Justice Kennedy's resignation and ret