mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
COUNTERING IRAN'S DESTABILIZING ACTIVITIES ACT OF 2017--MOTION TO PROCEED
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-6-8

I think we all know that former FBI Director Comey just completed his public testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. He testified about how President asked him to pledge his loyalty to him personally and how the President asked the FBI to drop the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. prgtoken We know that last December, Michael Flynn had a discussion with the Russian Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Kislyak, about dropping some of the economic sanctions that the United States has imposed on Russia. We know that Michael Flynn subsequently lied about that conversation. prgtoken We also know--and former FBI Director Comey discussed it today--that he was fired by President after he refused to pledge his loyalty to the prgtoken President and did not drop the investigation into Michael Flynn. prgtoken All of that has led to the appointment of a special counsel, Bob Mueller, who has now taken over the executive branch portion of the investigation--an investigation which will likely go on for some time. It is essential for the good of the country that we get to the truth of what happened and get a full accounting and report. prgtoken As that investigation proceeds, there is one thing that should not wait, which is really what I want to talk about today. It is the need to take action against Russia for interfering in our democratic process and in our elections. There is no excuse for inaction on that front. prgtoken We know that starting in 2015, Russia launched an unprecedented and multifaceted campaign to undermine our elections--a view shared by our entire intelligence community. The Kremlin, according to former Director of National Intelligence Clapper, wanted to ``undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process.'' This was and remains the unanimous verdict of the intelligence community. prgtoken We know that as part of this effort, Russia hacked the ic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. We know that Russia's military intelligence unit, the GRU, then released those emails to the public in increments which were timed to cause turmoil in the American electorate. prgtoken Russia paid more than 1,000 people--human trolls--to work out of a facility in Saint Petersburg, Russia. These trolls spent their waking hours creating anti-Clinton fake news reports and disseminating these stories in key states and districts. Russia also used thousands of botnets to echo and amplify these fake news stories. prgtoken Russia also targeted the election boards of nearly half the states in our country, successfully infiltrating at least four voter registration databases and gaining access to hundreds of thousands of voter records. They even attempted to infiltrate the Maryland State Board of Elections but were not successful. prgtoken My point here today is not to debate the extent to which those Russian actions impacted or did not impact ou
FINANCIAL CHOICE ACT OF 2017
Peter A. DeFazio (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-6-8

. Mr. Chair, In 2008, Wall Street's criminal behavior drove the economy into the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, creating the grossly unbalanced playing field that is our economy today. In response, Congress passed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) in 2010. While Dodd-Frank fell short on major banking reforms, I supported it because it was better than no reforms at all. prgtoken I am appalled that House s pushed through the Financial CHOICE Act, which would gut major provisions of Dodd-Frank and allow Wall Street to return to the same reckless practices that occurred before the law was passed. The Financial CHOICE Act removes the watchdog from Wall Street, opening the door to destructive trading at the expense of pension funds, value investors, and average Americans. prgtoken Additionally, those on Wall Street who broke the law and used Americans' investments as a casino should be held accountable for their deceptive actions, including jail time. Yet, to this day, no Wall Street executive has seen jail time for the damage they did on our financial system. Instead, Wall Street executives are being rewarded with powerful jobs in the administration. prgtoken It is outrageous that s want to allow the banking sector to return to ``business as usual'' with dangerous financial products and high-speed speculation. We need stronger, not weaker, financial reforms, which is why I'm taking on reckless Wall Street trading with my `Putting Main Street FIRST Act' legislation to discourage speculative trading by imposing a tax of a fraction of a percent on stock, bond, and derivative trades. Congress should be fighting for the interests of the American people, not Wall Street.
MICKAYLA CUNNINGHAM
Ed Perlmutter (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2017-6-8

I rise today to recognize and applaud Mickayla Cunningham for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Mickayla Cunningham is a student at Arvada K-8 School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Mickayla Cunningham is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations to Mickayla Cunningham for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character in all of her future accomplishments.
TWO IMPORTANT ISSUES
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-6-8

. Madam , I rise to discuss two issues and to speak on their impact to the American people. prgtoken The first one is the Financial CHOICE Act, which we just debated. I oppose it for the very reason that we passed Dodd-Frank. We passed it to respond to the greatest recession in 80 years, which saw a financial crisis that caused working men and women to lose the greatest amount of wealth they have ever lost. Yet, our colleagues here believe that it is important to choose large corporate interests over working men and women. prgtoken At the same time, today we heard the testimony of Director Comey under oath. He gave a list of very troublesome acts and words offered by the President of the United States. Shortly thereafter, the President's lawyer, who was not under oath, came forward to deny, disparage, and suggest that Director Comey was not telling the truth. prgtoken That is clearly an indication that the Judiciary Committee should begin an inquiry. That is our jurisdictional duty: to begin an inquiry to discern who is telling the truth. The FBI is under our jurisdiction. prgtoken It is time for the House to hold hearings now. The truth must be known by the American people.
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
Ted Lieu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-6-8

. Madam , as a former prosecutor, I rise to state the obvious: President committed obstruction of justice. prgtoken We have direct evidence that the President asked the FBI Director for loyalty. He demanded it. He asked the FBI Director to drop an investigation into Michael Flynn. prgtoken The President fired the FBI Director. Then, on national TV, he said he did it because of the Russian probe. Then he told the Russians in the Oval Office that he did it to relieve great pressure because of the FBI investigation. That is classic obstruction of justice. prgtoken The Washington Post today has a quote from one of the prosecutors of Watergate. He says: ``I helped prosecute Watergate. Comey's statement is sufficient evidence for an obstruction of justice case.'' prgtoken I call on Special Counsel Mueller to investigate the President of the United States for violating the obstruction of justice statute, which is a felony.
TRIBUTE TO DOCTORS WILLIAM DESTLER AND REBECCA JOHNSON OF THE ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Louise McIntosh Slaughter (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-6-8

I rise today to commemorate the service of two members of the Rochester, New York community, Rochester Institute of Technology President William Destler and his wife Doctor Rebecca Johnson, Associate of the University. The Rochester area is home to an intelligent and curious community, thanks to residents who have dedicated their lives to the advancement of higher education. Doctors Destler and Johnson are no exception and thanks to their efforts, Rochester continues to be home to some of the finest institutes of higher learning that have produced notable alumni for generations. Assuming the Presidency in 2007, Doctor Destler became responsible for a world-renowned university that includes nearly 19,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign nations. One hundred and twenty one thousand alumni around the world are proud to call RIT their alma mater and, at one point, Rochester as their home. RIT is also the third largest producer of undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math among all private universities in the United States. During his tenure as President, Doctor Destler recognized the symbiotic relationship between RIT and the city of Rochester, serving on multiple civic engagement boards including the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and the Golisano Family Foundation. Leading his students by example, Doctor Destler is an international authority on high-power microwave sources and is best known for his pioneering work in the collective acceleration of heavy ions. Under his watch, female enrollment has increased 25 percent and international enrollment has increased an astounding 120 percent. Forty-one percent of the freshman class is deaf and hard of hearing, international and African, Asian, Latino, and Native American. These numbers alone are a testament to the strength through diversity of RIT. Doctor Destler is one-half of an unparalleled team. He is joined by his wife, Doctor Rebecca Johnson, Associate of the University. In a time when bipartisan discussion is often contentious, Doctor Johnson has served on the committee for the Gray Matter series, which aims to promote civil discussion of divergent views on important topics. She is also the former president of the Board of Directors of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence and continues to serve on the board in leadership roles. Her passion also extends to civic engagement, best demonstrated through initiatives such as RIT's 2016 ``Roar the Vote.'' Thanks to her efforts, RIT has made impressive strides toward energy sustainability though programs like the greenRITnetwork and FoodShare. Over the course of their ten-year term, Doctors Destler and Johnson have truly come to embody the mantra of RIT, ``The making of a living and the living of life.'' It is with sincere appreciation that we thank Doctors Destler and Johnson for their selfless dedication to higher education, RIT, and
HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-6-8

my friends on the other side of the aisle continue to work on their healthcare bill behind closed doors. They haven't made public a shred of bill text or even considered holding a committee hearing to debate the topic. Yesterday my friend the majority leader filed a motion to bring Care directly to the floor, skipping the committee process. prgtoken This is a party that screamed from the rafters ``Read the bill, read the bill'' when were putting together the Affordable Care Act. We spent over a year debating that bill. We tried with a bipartisan group of six to come up with a solution. prgtoken s are putting together their bill in secret, with no ic input, and then will rush their bill to the floor without a single committee hearing, all in the span of 3 short weeks. This is a bill that will alter one-sixth of the American economy and affect tens of millions of American lives. For many, it will have life-and-death consequences. prgtoken The way s are crafting this legislation is pulling the wool over the eyes of the American people on one of the most crucial issues affecting their lives. Why? There is only one explanation: They don't want the American people to see their bill. They don't want to go home to townhall meetings and let people give their opinions. Keep it under wraps, rush it through? There is only one good reason: They are not very proud of the product that they have put together. prgtoken The s know that even if they make some changes to the bill that came over from the House--they may increase subsidies a bit or lower the amount of tax breaks they give to millionaires--they will still wind up with a bill that is far worse than the status quo: higher costs, less care. That is because they are working from a fundamentally flawed premise, which is to take support away from healthcare programs like Medicaid to give a tax break to the wealthiest Americans. Senate s can nibble around the edges, but they will not be able to excise the rotten core of their healthcare plan. prgtoken The House bill has the support of approximately 18 percent of Americans. A majority of , Independents, and s don't like it. Don't you get the message, my friends? We understand the ideologues are telling you that you must repeal. But now that people have actually looked at repeal, they realize that is not the way to go. prgtoken The right approach is not to move backward, not to undo all the progress we have made in healthcare over the past 8 years and start from scratch. The American people don't want to go back to the days when an insurance company could discriminate against you because you have a preexisting condition or jack up your rates simply because you are older. That is not the kind of healthcare system the American people want. But that seems to be what our colleagues, in the dark of night, are co
GRANITE MOUNTAIN MINE DISASTER
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2017-6-8

today I wish to honor the victims and survivors of the Granite Mountain Mine disaster and commemorate the lasting legacy of the labor movement in Montana and across this nation. prgtoken One hundred years ago, Butte, MT, was home to a booming mining community, where hard-working men and women were working long hours to put food on the table and build a stronger State. prgtoken A great demand for copper during WWI and the Industrial Revolution led the 14,500 miners to work tirelessly, day and night. Long hours and high demands caused already insufficient safety standards to deteriorate even further. prgtoken On June 8, 1917, as men were being lowered into the mine to begin their shift, a lantern ignited an exposed cable, causing the mineshaft to fill with fire and toxic gasses. prgtoken One hundred and sixty-eight men tragically died in the blaze and the resulting carbon monoxide poisoning. The miners had minimal safety training, and the mine lacked even basic safety precautions, such as exit signs. Many of those who were saved spent upward of 50 hours in the mine before help arrived, barricaded from the fumes behind makeshift bulkheads. prgtoken The Granite Mountain disaster remains the worst hard rock mining disaster in U.S. history, but Butte miners managed to make progress out of this tragedy. prgtoken The Granite Mountain disaster led to a unification of the U.S. labor movement and an unprecedented push for labor laws that are still in effect today. prgtoken One hundred years later, we are thankful for our union brothers and sisters who fought and continue to fight for better pay, safer working conditions, civil rights, and a stronger economy for working Americans.
FINANCIAL CHOICE ACT OF 2017
Bill Foster (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-6-8

. Mr. Chair, I thank Ranking Member Waters for yielding me time and for her leadership on this. prgtoken Nine years ago, I was there, in 2008, when our financial system collapsed, as a new Member of Congress, the sole scientist on the Financial Services Committee. And as we surveyed the wreckage of our economy, I wondered how we ever could have gotten into a place like that with our financial system clogged with toxic assets based on trillions of dollars of mortgages that never had any realistic chance of being repaid by their homeowners. prgtoken We saw giant banks and trading firms leveraged beyond belief, huge financial corporations so complex that they had thousands of business units that even their CEOs were unaware of, and risk management software that was being ignored, if it existed at all. prgtoken How could we have gotten there? But when I look at the CHOICE Act that s are about to ram through on a party-line vote, I understand perfectly how we got there. I see all the same forces of mindless deregulation and free market ideology, an overriding mania for tax cuts for the rich, while stripping financial protection for ordinary American families; the same refusal to learn the lessons of financial history and to replace them with alternative facts that fit their ideology. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to stand up for working families and protect our economy by opposing this bill today.
Introductory Statement on S. 1327
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-6-8

I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of the Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act with my colleague Senator Chuck Grassley. This legislation addresses the significant challenges associated with prosecuting those who manufacture and traffic deadly synthetic drugs, including synthetic opioids, like clandestinely produced fentanyl, and synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones. prgtoken Synthetic drugs pose an increasing threat to our Nation. They hit our communities in cycles and cause devastation. For example, in Corpus Christi, TX, there were 31 EMS calls in 1 day related to synthetic drugs. In Syracuse, NY, 18 individuals were taken to the emergency room in a 24-hour period after taking synthetic marijuana, and in Cincinnati, OH, a shocking 174 overdoses occurred over 6 days. These overdoses were largely attributed to heroin laced with carfentanil, a synthetic opioid that is 100,000 times stronger than morphine. prgtoken In 2012, Congress outlawed many synthetic drugs, but manufacturers did not stop producing them. Instead, they began producing controlled substance analogues which mimic the effects of controlled substances, such as opioids, marijuana, PCP, and LSD. prgtoken The new drug, even though it has an effect on the body that is similar to a controlled substance, may no longer be illegal under Federal law because it is not listed in one of the five schedules of the Controlled Substances Act. Consequently, these drugs are shipped to our country and marketed as legal alternatives to illegal drugs. prgtoken This makes enforcement efforts difficult. prgtoken Synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, are deadly. Since 2015, 130 deaths have been linked to the drug in the Bay area of California. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 15,000 deaths in 2015 involved synthetic opioids other than methadone, which includes fentanyl. That is equivalent to 42 deaths per day. prgtoken Like other synthetic drugs, illicit fentanyl and its analogues are clandestinely produced, and primarily enter the United States in one of three ways: (1) Chinese chemists produce and ship it to the United States via international mail; (2) Mexican drug traffickers produce it with precursor chemicals from China and smuggle it across the Southwest Border; or (3) Chinese chemists produce and ship it to Canada, where it is smuggled across the northern border. prgtoken The point is, regardless of the type, synthetic drugs pose a deadly and quickly evolving public health threat. prgtoken It is clear that the current system for scheduling controlled substances and prosecuting controlled substance analogues is not able to keep up with the speed with which new synthetic drugs are produced or to prevent the deaths they cause. prgtoken That is why the Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Drugs Act to provide the Department of Justice with new tools, using a m
REPEAL OF CONSUMER PROTECTIONS IS NOT WHAT AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2017-6-8

I rise today to oppose the Financial CHOICE Act, which abandons the American people, as well as safety and soundness, in favor of Wall Street. prgtoken Six megabanks now control two-thirds of the financial sector in our country and reaped record profits of over $170 billion in 2016. That is too much power in too few hands. prgtoken Current law has made progress in protecting consumers from predatory practices. Repeal of these consumer protections is not what the American people want. prgtoken This week, Congressman Jones and I propose to table the current legislation and replace it with our bipartisan bill, the Prudent Banking Act, which reinstates Glass-Steagall protections by separating prudent banking from risky Wall Street speculation that tanked our economy in 2008. prgtoken The Rules Committee refused to allow our bill a vote. Nevertheless, we remain resolute. prgtoken Glass-Steagall is something President ran on, as did Bernie Sanders, and, in 2016, both the and ic platforms enshrined policies to restore Glass-Steagall protections. prgtoken Americans should know there is a growing bipartisan consensus fighting to protect the progress we have made, rein in Wall Street, and keep the wolves at bay and out of your pocketbook. prgtoken I will be voting ``no'' on this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.
UNDERPAYMENT OF EMPLOYEES
Ro Khanna (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-6-8

I rise today to express a simple principle: People who are working to bag groceries should not have to rely on government assistance, on nutrition assistance, to be able to buy groceries. Yet, across this country, there are thousands of workers who go and put in a full day's work yet can't afford the basic necessities of food and clothing. prgtoken And it is the taxpayers, all of us, that bear the responsibility for the underpayment by large corporations. A Berkeley study has said that this underpayment by large corporations, low wages, is costing the American taxpayers $153 billion a year. prgtoken I am proud to introduce the Corporate Responsibility and Taxpayer Protection Act with nine other colleagues that would require companies to be responsible for the underpayment of their employees. The idea is simple: If people are putting in a hard day's work and a full week's work, they deserve wages that will allow them to be part of the middle class. Too often, what happens is corporations, even if they are paying a $15 minimum wage, will adjust an employee's hours so that they don't get more take-home pay for the month. prgtoken What this bill will do is say that a corporation that isn't paying a fair wage, where employees are relying on government assistance, the corporation is responsible for that government assistance. It is not the taxpayers who should be paying for that; it is the corporations who should be held responsible for the underpayment of wages. prgtoken My hope is that none of the corporations will have to pay this tax. That they will do the right thing by working families in the middle class. That they prgtoken will recognize that, in a time of record corporate profits, they can afford to pay a decent wage. prgtoken I am hopeful that this bill will receive bipartisan support, because it is the very premise of this country that if you work hard, if you play by the rules, you should be able to be part of the middle class.