mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CONGRATULATING THE UCLA SOFTBALL TEAM, 2019 WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
Grace F. Napolitano (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-12-17

. Madam , I rise today to happily, enthusiastically congratulate the 2019 UCLA Softball Team, the reigning Women's College World Series Champions, whom I had the great pleasure of greeting here in the Capitol last month. prgtoken With the score tied in the 7th inning, the Bruins rallied with a walk-off single to complete the 2-game sweep of Oklahoma, capping the historic season. Head Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez won her 600th career game in the thrilling WCWS-clinching victory. There was clearly no quit in this team, which demonstrated the relentlessness of a champion team all year. The Bruins had 14 comeback victories throughout the season. prgtoken On their way to the National Championship--the 13th in program history--the Bruins led the entire NCAA Tournament in batting average (.317); runs scored (79); slugging percentage (.548); and home runs (18). They dominated all competitors in their way, never trailing an inning in the WCWS. prgtoken Congratulations to all of the players, coaches, and training staff on securing another national title. You have made all past, current, and future Bruins proud by displaying sportsmanship, teamwork, and excellence both on and off the field. Congratulations, and good luck in defending your title next year.
NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT MUSEUM COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-12-17

. The significance of the achievement cannot be overstated. It will save lives. prgtoken Labor: $48 million increase for worker protection, $30 million increase for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act State grants, $25 million increase for Job Corps, and a new $40 million grant for community colleges to train people for in-demand jobs. prgtoken For too long, workers and families have been shortchanged. We fought hard. We are making up for lost ground. We can make opportunity real for people. prgtoken Let me thank the staff on this job, subcommittee staff Robin Juliano, Stephen Steigleder, Jen Cama, Jackie Kilroy, Laurie Mignone, Jared Bass, Philip Tizzani, and Brad Allen; my staff Letty Mederos, Liz Albertine, and Caitlin Peruccio; and the minority staff Susan Ross and Kathryn Salmon. As I say, our names are on the door, but they do the work for us.
DHS CYBER INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAMS ACT OF 2019
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2019-12-17

. Madam , I applaud Chairwoman Lowey and the ranking member, Ms. Granger, for bringing us to this point today. prgtoken I thank the Committee on Appropriations subcommittees being discussed here now for advancing a conference agreement that provides critical funding for Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Financial Services. prgtoken H.R. 1158 and the Defense package address the priorities of readiness, modernization, and reform, to deter our main adversaries of Russia and China. Chairman Visclosky has crafted a careful compromise that ensures our Nation regains the advantage in hypersonic weapons and many other areas. prgtoken The Homeland Security portion of the bill also provides important investments. It places safeguards on the Department of Homeland Security to ensure its work is legal, safe, and in the national interest. The safety of our homeland is increasingly threatened by bad actors, both here at home and abroad, and this bill protects the 2020 election, a top national security priority. prgtoken The bill also provides funding for key issues at NASA, including for aeronautics; for the regional economic development program; and for harmful algal bloom research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. prgtoken Lastly, the bill provides investments in our Nation's credit unions and community development financial institutions, and it makes critical investments in election security grants to harden vulnerable election infrastructure. prgtoken Funding the government and keeping the lights on used to be a norm. Hopefully, we help restore that today. When the House passes this bill, we will be restoring the American people's faith in our ability to get the job done for our country. prgtoken Madam , again, I thank Chairwoman Lowey for her extraordinary intelligence, leadership, and good demeanor that made this moment possible.
NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT MUSEUM COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT
Tim Ryan (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2019-12-17

. Madam , I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 1865, in particular, division E, the fiscal year 2020 Legislative Branch appropriations. prgtoken My thanks go to full committee Chairwoman Lowey and her ranking member, Kay Granger, for putting this entire bill together, not just this subcommittee. This has been an amazing process. I want to thank my minority counterpart, Representative Herrera Beutler, and all who have guided and supported this bill through. prgtoken I am pleased to announce there is a $213 million increase to the Legislative Branch appropriations bill, 4.4 percent above fiscal year 2019. This bill gives Members and committees the funding needed to improve their constituent services and legislative oversight responsibilities. prgtoken With this bill, we have been able to increase our Members' representational allowance, support committee budgets, and restore funding shortfalls in the account that pays House health and retirement benefits. prgtoken The bill will allow an increase in intern allowances, from $20,000 to $25,000 per Member office, so that a more diverse group can apply without worrying about the financial burden of working for free. prgtoken The bill continues to fund the Wounded Warrior Program, as well as the new congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program. prgtoken We have provided first-year funding for both the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of the Whistleblower Ombudsman so that Congress has the tools to encourage greater staff diversity and to effectively handle whistleblower complaints. prgtoken It also includes sufficient funding to extend the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. prgtoken The bill increases funding for our important support and oversight agencies: the CBO, the GAO, the GPO, and the Capitol Police. prgtoken Members will be pleased to learn that our bill provides another $10 million for the Library of Congress visitor experience, for a project total of $20 million. prgtoken I am pleased that the bill includes a provision that permits an increase in the pay levels of senior congressional staff. prgtoken I would also like to just make a comment or two on the broader bill. I think Pelosi said this earlier in the day, and I know Chairwoman Lowey said it earlier in the day and in the last few days. prgtoken This appropriations bill, while it lacks things like the Butch Lewis Act, where we need to take care of pensions for some of our workers out in the country, this bill is about the future. prgtoken There are investments in here in social and emotional learning, healthy food, the Department of Energy, and creating an energy incubator fund so that we can win the economy in the future around new forms of energy. prgtoken This bill has money in it for new auto companies, $5 million for the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan program, which will allow facilities like the one in Lordstown, Ohio, to refurbish itself to move into
DHS CYBER INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAMS ACT OF 2019
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-12-17

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , I rise in support of this minibus package that by no means is perfect and that represents, for sure, a tough compromise. But it makes strong investments to protect our Nation and upholds our values as Americans. prgtoken The Commerce-Justice-Science division of this bill protects children by increasing the Missing and Exploited Children's Program funding, but I was deeply disappointed that the House language, which would have directed $40 million specifically for the Internet Crimes Against Children program at DOJ, was dropped from the final agreement at the insistence of Senate s. This is inexcusable. prgtoken The New York Times just published an expose detailing the explosion of child sexual abuse imagery on the internet. It is incumbent on Congress to provide adequate support for the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, which were authorized by bipartisan legislation I passed, the PROTECT Our Children Act, in 2008. prgtoken The Internet Crimes Against Children task forces have successfully rescued thousands of children, and their success is directly attached to the amount of funding we provide to them to do investigations. prgtoken Notably, the CJS division also restores funding for the Census Bureau as it gears up for the 2020 Census, providing $7.6 billion to the Bureau to ensure that everyone in the United States is counted and represented. prgtoken CJS also includes $19 million specifically for research to combat harmful algal blooms, which have devastated my State's coastal ecosystems and economy. prgtoken I am also pleased that the Financial Services division includes $1.3 million for local pool safety grant programs. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury and death for children ages 1 to 4 in this country, which is why I sponsored and passed the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act to create and fund these grants in 2007. prgtoken Additionally, this bill helps us protect and secure our democracy with $425 million for election security system grants to States, a vital provision that will help ensure our election security. prgtoken The Defense division of this package invests in our national security and our Armed Forces, providing $622.7 billion in base funding, which is an increase of $16.2 billion above the enacted and $88.7 billion above the President's own budget request. prgtoken The Defense bill also provides $110 million for peer-reviewed DOD cancer research funding, a longtime priority under the leadership of Chairwoman Nita Lowey. I am proud and thankful that the language I sponsored to specifically include metastatic cancer in the final agreement is still in the bill. In total, the Defense division provides almost $500 million for cancer research. prgtoken However, I do want to note that I was disappointed about how the Homeland Security division turned out in this agreement. Chairwoman Royba
D.C. SHOULD HAVE IMPEACHMENT VOTE
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2019-12-17

when the matter of impeaching President comes to the House floor tomorrow, the House will vote on its most solemn matter, except for matters of war and peace. Yet, more than 700,000 Americans who reside in our Nation's Capital cannot be recorded. prgtoken It is un-American to deny any Americans who pay Federal taxes the vote on any bill. That denial is even more unconscionable, considering that D.C. residents pay the highest Federal taxes per capita in the United States. prgtoken The 23rd Amendment of our Constitution gave D.C. residents the right to vote for President and Vice President. It should follow, as day follows night, that D.C. residents should have the vote to remove the President, as well. prgtoken Yet another reason, , the House will pass our D.C. statehood bill this session.
NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT MUSEUM COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT
Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-12-17

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman for yielding in a very gracious and generous way. More importantly, I want to thank her for her tremendous leadership as chair of the Appropriations Committee to bring a bill to the floor that has shared values, meeting the needs of the American people. And I want to commend Ranking Member Kay Granger for her leadership, as well, so that we can have strong, bipartisan support in meeting the needs of the American people. prgtoken I congratulate Madam Chair for getting all of our bills done this summer. The gentlewoman worked around the clock and across the aisle to overcome any opposition and to craft a strong appropriation package that we are bringing to the floor. prgtoken As the gentlewoman mentioned, I am an appropriator, and when I served on committee I had always said to the administration and to others: When left to their own devices, our appropriators can get the job done. They have experience in working in a bipartisan way, they understand everyone's concerns, regional needs, and the rest, and that we must by the clock get the job done. I thank the gentlewoman for doing that and making today possible. prgtoken Madam , this weekend I was pleased to join a bipartisan delegation to observe the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. We spent time in Luxembourg and in Belgium where so much of that conflict took place. We prgtoken met with the leaders of the community, the king, the queen, and the archduke; and that was all wonderful. prgtoken But what was really important, and the purpose of our visit was to meet with our own veterans--now 75 years later, who are revisiting the site--and to thank them, to hear their ongoing stories, and to hear their purpose in fighting. prgtoken Some of them were as young as 18 years old at the Battle of the Bulge. Do the math. They are in their nineties. One of them told me he was 20, and one was 21. The oldest one is 98 years old now. But all of them were full of vitality and concern about our country as we go forward. We promised them in a tribute to their courage, their determination, and their patriotism that we know that our responsibility is to build a future worthy of their sacrifice and that we also want to always be ready to meet the needs of our men and women in uniform today as they protect and defend democracy and freedom as our valiant veterans did 75 years ago. prgtoken Mr. Conaway was with us on that trip--a very valued leader on that trip--and I think you will agree, Madam , that America was truly blessed by the courage of our veterans then and now. prgtoken So I am glad that in this legislation we meet the needs of those who are providing for our defense and the security of our country to make us the home of the brave and the land of the free. prgtoken I do believe that our success on this legislation began when working together we were able to come to an agreement on the caps in funding to make sure that although we o
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-12-17

I just listened to Leader McConnell's lengthy response to my letter proposing the outlines of a fair impeachment trial in the Senate. Leader McConnell was apparently upset that I sent him the letter on Sunday, saying the first step was for the two leaders to meet and then discuss a resolution. Well, if we were allowed to show a video here on the Senate floor of a leader's appearance on Sean Hannity's program last week, it would expose the fallacy of his argument. prgtoken Leader McConnell, unfortunately, skipped his first step when he began publicly talking about the rules of a Senate trial, telling Hannity that he would be taking cues from the White House and his idea for how to conduct a trial long before any conversation--which he still hasn't had--with me. My letter was intended as a good-faith proposal to kick- start the discussions that Leader McConnell has so far delayed in scheduling. I still expect we will sit down and discuss trial parameters despite his public appearances on FOX News, but let me say this: I listened to the leader's speech. I did not hear a single argument as to why the witnesses I suggested should not give testimony. Impeachment trials, like most trials, have witnesses. To have none would be an aberration. prgtoken Why is the President so afraid of having these witnesses come testify? What are they afraid the witnesses would say? I would like to hear Leader McConnell come to the floor and give specific reasons why the four witnesses we have asked for should not testify. I do not know what they will say. They are President appointees. They might have something exculpatory to say about President , or they might not, but they are certainly the four key people who saw exactly what was going on. prgtoken What is Leader McConnell afraid of? What is President afraid of? The truth? But the American people want the truth, and that is why we have asked for witnesses and documents to get at the whole truth and nothing but. prgtoken This week, the House of Representatives will vote on Articles of Impeachment against the President of the United States. If these articles pass the House, the Constitution dictates that the Senate serve as a court of impeachment. Conducting an impeachment trial is a tremendously weighty and solemn responsibility entrusted to us by our Founders. If such a trial is to happen, strongly believe it must be fair, and the American people must regard it as fair. A fair trial is one that allows Senators to get all the relevant facts and adjudicate the case impartially. prgtoken In the letter I sent to Leader McConnell, I proposed a very reasonable structure for a fair trial. I have sent that same letter to every one of my colleagues, and . There is a grand tradition in America, speedy and fair trials. We want both. The leader seems obsessed with speedy and wants to throw fair out the window. prgtoken To
BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ACCURACY AND TECHNOLOGICAL AVAILABILITY ACT
Anna G. Eshoo (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-12-17

I rise in strong support of H.R. 4229, the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act, as amended. prgtoken We all agree that every American needs access to broadband. Government agencies, companies, and the philanthropic sector have devoted significant resources toward this goal, but our efforts are stymied by the fact that we have a fundamentally flawed understanding of where the investment is needed. prgtoken We need accurate maps to be able to close the digital divide and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should wait until these maps are developed before spending billions of dollars in additional subsidies to build out to unserved and underserved areas. prgtoken I commend Representatives Loebsack and Latta, along with all of the members of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for their diligent work to find a bipartisan solution to this problem that will solve our mapping problem once and for all. prgtoken I'm also pleased that the legislation includes an amendment I authored that protects the privacy of Americans. The bill allows the FCC to contract out the development of a database of all buildings developed by processing millions of property records about every home, business, and community institution in the country. These records often include private data about property owners and the property itself, including property values. prgtoken My provision simply prohibits the FCC's contractor from selling this vast amount of data for marketing or other purposes, a practice common among data brokers. Our country doesn't need more data brokers. Any company using money authorized by Congress should only use its work product for the benefit of the American people in the ways that we expressly authorize. prgtoken I'm a proud cosponsor of this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to vote for it.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2019-12-17

I come here today to address the current status of the National Labor Relations Board and, in particular, how the rights of workers are being undermined by obstructionism. You see, for decades, Presidents have nominated--and and s in the Senate have confirmed--NLRB nominees from both parties in order to ensure the agency can enforce laws necessary to protect workers' rights. prgtoken Yet, for the first time in the history of the Board, we are now left with zero ic members on the Board because of inactions. To say this is highly problematic is an understatement. We will be left with zero , because, yesterday, Lauren McFerran's term expired. Now, Lauren McFerran is a dedicated, highly-qualified, and well-respected public servant. prgtoken Despite the repeated requests my colleagues and I have sent to the White House, President refuses to renominate Ms. McFerran. Last year, s in the Senate stalled the renomination of another exceptionally qualified nominee to the NLRB, Mark Gaston Pearce. How? Just by simply refusing to hold the vote--instead, allowing that seat to remain empty. Now, workers are confronted with a Board made up solely of three s and zero to serve on this historically bipartisan agency. prgtoken That is simply unacceptable. I get it--Board members, nominations, Washington infighting--to many folks, this may seem like ``inside baseball,'' but let me explain what this will mean for everyday people. When workers stand together to form a union, the NLRB ensures that the election is fair. If a worker is fired or unfairly punished because they want to join a former union, the NLRB is there and tasked with protecting their rights. If a company refuses to negotiate fairly with unions who are fighting for higher rates or better benefits or safer working conditions, it is the NLRB that safeguards those rights that have helped build our country's middle class. prgtoken Quite frankly, the NLRB is a critical worker protections agency, and workers across the country will suffer because of the s' dereliction of duty, especially as the NLRB members are now mired in allegations of ethics issues. They are pursuing an aggressive rulemaking agenda that will gut workers' rights and are undermining efforts that will enforce protections for workers. It is clear that workers in this country today cannot afford, now, an imbalanced and increasingly partisan NLRB. prgtoken By the way, that is just the latest example of s standing in the way of ic nominees. I am still waiting for a ic nominee to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after s blocked the renomination of Chai Feldblum last year. prgtoken I am deeply disappointed by the inaction of the s. I deplore them to return to the normal process. The NLRB must not become a playing field for pa