mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017--Continued
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-1-4

we are discussing the budget resolution. It is an interesting time to do it in the month of January. The fiscal year, the spending year for the Federal Government, starts October 1. We have tried, with no success, to pass appropriations bills--12 of them--that would meet our obligation to fund the government for the entire fiscal year. We have had two continuing resolutions, which are temporary spending bills. And here we are again discussing a budget resolution. prgtoken But it isn't really about the budget; it is about the Affordable Care Act, known as Care, a law passed 6 years ago with the goal of providing affordable health insurance for all Americans. I voted for that bill. It is one of the most important bills I have ever voted for, and I believe that, despite shortcomings, it has achieved its goal and it has done it in a way that most American families would agree they want to see. prgtoken As an example, there are very few families in America who have every member of the family in perfect health. In the old days before the Affordable Care Act, if you happened to have a child who had survived a cancer situation, a spouse with diabetes, and you went to buy a health insurance plan, you ran into a problem: They might not want to insure your family because of that sick child, or they might want to charge you a premium way beyond your reach. So in the Affordable Care Act, Care, we said: As a health insurance company, you cannot sell insurance in America and discriminate against a family or person because of a preexisting medical condition. prgtoken From where I am sitting, my own personal life experience and my family's experience, thank goodness. We had members of our family with serious health issues. I worried about that all the time as a husband, as a father. The Affordable Care Act gave me and every other American the peace of mind that health insurance companies could not discriminate against us or our families because of a preexisting condition. prgtoken There was also a practice where they would put a limit on how much coverage you could buy in a health insurance policy. So many people thought: I have a great health insurance policy. It has a $100,000 limit. I will never hit that number; I am a healthy person. prgtoken The next accident, the next diagnosis, and that healthy person realized that $100,000 in today's world of health care costs--you could eat that up in a minute and find yourself without any health insurance protection. What happens to you next? prgtoken You have been diagnosed with cancer. You start treatment. It is expensive, and now your health insurance policy has reached a point where it doesn't cover you anymore. What then are your options? Stop treatment? Exhaust your savings? Throw yourself on the mercy of a hospital and hope for the best? prgtoken We ended that. Care ended that. They can no longer put limits on health insurance policies because non
FUNDING OUR PORTS
Peter A. DeFazio (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-1-4

during this last Presidential election year, there was a tremendous amount of discussion about the Nation's infrastructure and the need for investment to make America more competitive and move goods and our citizens more efficiently. prgtoken There wasn't a lot of particular discussion about ports, but they are an incredibly important part of our infrastructure. More than $470 billion of exports went through America's ports. Three-quarters of our exports are waterborne through these ports around the United States. prgtoken Now, the Corps of Engineers says that, of our 59 busiest ports depicted here, they are fully available less than 35 percent of the time, and that is even before we begin to deal with the larger cargo ships that are going to be coming through the expanded Panama Canal to the Southeast and other ports in the United States, and that is because of a lack of funding. prgtoken Now, obviously, that is a very difficult problem. We are estimating about a $20 billion shortfall over the next 10 years in funding. Where, oh where, could Congress find that money? Actually, we already have it. prgtoken Now, Congress, in its wisdom in 1986, with the cooperation and consent of shipping interests, imposed a tax, an ad valorem tax, on the value of imports. It is a very small tax, but it adds slightly to the cost of any good that any American buys every day that is imported. prgtoken Now, Americans are paying the tax and Congress is stealing the money. Yep, that is true--for stupid purposes, no less. We are pretending to make the deficit smaller by collecting twice as much tax as we invest in our ports. prgtoken Meantime, we are forgoing the investment that is needed in those ports to become even more efficient and more competitive in the world economy. Congress is collecting the tax, yet the Budget Committee and the appropriators here in the House are saying: Let's hide that money over here. We will put it in the Treasury harbor maintenance trust fund. Don't worry. It's there. Some day we might spend it. prgtoken Nine billion dollars today--$9 billion--that would address half of the long-term shortfall in our ports. This could be an incredible boon for shippers, for American competitiveness, and for jobs in this country. We don't have to levy a new tax. All we have to do is spend the tax that is being collected from the American people by jacking up the price of imported goods for the purpose for which it is lawfully intended. prgtoken Now, the appropriators don't like it because, hey, they don't get to mess around with it, and the Budget Committee doesn't like it because that means they either have to look like they have another half a billion dollars a year of deficit or they would have to raise some funds somewhere else to spend somewhere else. prgtoken But the point is this money should be spent as intended. So today I am sending a letter to President-elect . He has said time and time again h
THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATING RETALIATION AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWERS ACT
Gerald E. Connolly (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-1-4

again, I thank my friend, Mr. Clay, for his leadership and for his kindness. prgtoken , I rise today in support of the Thoroughly Investigating Retaliation Against Whistleblowers Act--a mouthful, but it captures what we are trying to do. prgtoken I certainly appreciate Mr. Blum's efforts to advance legislation that authorizes the Office of Special Counsel and protects whistleblowers in the Federal Government, an effort the Oversight and Government Reform Committee strives to promote when we are at our best on a bipartisan basis, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the bill. prgtoken I welcome consideration of this bill which would reaffirm Congress' commitment to whistleblowers, upholding the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's obligation to protect those whistleblowers that help identify mismanagement, waste, and fraud at Federal agencies and to support the oversight work of Congress. That is Congress at its best. prgtoken With the enactment of the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, OSC became an independent agency within the executive branch. Its mission is to safeguard the merit system of protecting Federal employees from prohibitive personnel practices, especially reprisal from whistleblowing. OSC provides employees a mechanism for disclosing wrongdoing in government agencies and provides advice on the Hatch Act, which restricts political activity by government employees generally. prgtoken OSC enforces employment rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 for Federal employees who serve or have served in the uniformed services. Congress last reauthorized OSC for the period 2003 to 2007. Due in part to Congress' emphasis on transparency in government, OSC has experienced significant growth in its caseload since its last reauthorization. In the past 5 years, that caseload has increased, , by 58 percent. prgtoken This bill reauthorizes the agency from 2016 through 2020 and makes several important changes to assist OSC in carrying out its vital mission. The bill codifies OSC's current practice of providing important performance metrics in its annual reports to the Congress and requires additional metrics to support congressional oversight of its effectiveness. prgtoken Last Congress, this bill was successfully passed out of our committee on, I believe, a unanimous basis. I urge my colleagues to continue Congress' longstanding tradition of support for oversight, accountability, whistleblower protection, and transparency, and vote in the affirmative for the Thoroughly Investigating Retaliation Against Whistleblowers Act.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-1-4

I rise to introduce the Extending Justice for Sex Crime Victims Act, a bill to extend the time for minors to seek justice against their perpetrators. prgtoken Sex crimes committed against children tragically remain a vile and dangerous reality in communities across this country. prgtoken Just this past summer, as the world tuned into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the Indianapolis Star reported that USA Gymnastics had failed to report to law enforcement allegations of child sexual abuse committed by some of its coaches. prgtoken Due to these purported failures, athletes as young as 7 years old were reported to have been abused for years, without any action taken to prevent the abuse. prgtoken Since the initial Indianapolis Star report, more and more young gymnasts have come forward about their abuse. prgtoken All over the world, and all over this country, sex abuse victims are bravely coming forward to tell their stories of abuse when they were children. prgtoken In my home state of California, numerous victims have contacted my office. They have shared the amount of courage and strength it took to finally come forward with their experiences. prgtoken These stories represent an untold amount of pain and suffering. They also represent how difficult it is to come forward until later, in adulthood. prgtoken It has been estimated that 90 percent of child sex crime victims never go to the authorities concerning their abuse. prgtoken To put this into context, studies indicate that at least one in four girls and about one in five boys is sexually abused. 90 percent of those victims never go to the authorities. prgtoken A great number of victims don't ever disclose their abuse. If they do, they do not come forward until many years later, after reaching adulthood. prgtoken This bill extends the civil statute of limitations in two ways for minor victims of Federal sex crimes to seek justice against their perpetrators. prgtoken For one, the bill extends the statute of limitations for minor victims until the age of 28, from age 21, for injuries stemming from sex crimes such as sexual abuse and child pornography. prgtoken Second, for the two laws that provide civil remedies for sex abuse and sex trafficking victims, the bill clarifies that the statute of limitations does not begin to run until after the victim actually discovers the injury or the violation. prgtoken This is significant because victims of sex crimes are sometimes abused even before they can remember the abuse, some as young as 3 years old. Some victims are unable to connect their abuse to the injurious symptoms they exhibit throughout their lives. prgtoken The bill therefore clarifies that the limitations period begins when the victim first discovers the injury or the violation. prgtoken Through these provisions, the bill ensures that minor victims have an extended period to seek justice against their perpetrators after discovering their injury o
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017--Continued
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-1-4

I want to comment and say a few words about the use of the budget reconciliation process to facilitate an effort to repeal but not replace Care, the Affordable Care Act. I serve on the Budget Committee. During the course of multiple hearings during the previous year before the election, we heard the most adamant stories from the side about how dire our Nation's debt situation was, how dire our Nation's deficit was. prgtoken Member after Member on the side spoke as if the end of the Republic was at hand. Yet the policies from the administration that kept driving that debt and that deficit they protect. They blamed President for the effect of policies that took place during President 's years, while defending those policies the President had actually tried to correct. In many respects, their concern about the budget was a little ironic since they were defending the policies that created this debt and deficit explosion in the first place. prgtoken Nevertheless, be that as it may, you had this phalanx of Senators in a state of very high animation about our debt and deficit. You would think that in this Congress, with control both over the House and the Senate and a President-elect looming, they might use the budget reconciliation process to do something about the debt and the deficit. prgtoken After all, there was a lot of big talk last year, and here is the budget reconciliation process. As we see, it is not being used to do anything about the debt or the deficit, it is being used to open an effort to repeal but not replace Care. The problem is, when you do that, you do some pretty bad things to the debt and to the deficit. prgtoken Before the Affordable Care Act was passed, Medicare officials projected out-year costs for Medicare in 10-year increments. After the experience of the Affordable Care Act, they went back and they redid those projections, and they dropped the cost of Medicare dramatically. Those outyear costs, dramatically reduced, are an important, valuable step toward lower debt, balanced budgets, and less of a national annual deficit. Repealing Care will undo that. prgtoken It was pretty clear from Budget Committee hearings that that reduction in anticipated Medicare costs in the outyears was related to the work that had been done in the Affordable Care Act as well as the changes in experience that we are seeing. That is one budget buster which shows that this reconciliation effort is going in the wrong direction. prgtoken In Rhode Island, I watched this issue pretty closely because I want Rhode Island to be a leader in delivery system reform. I want ours to be one of the most efficient health care systems in the country, and I worked very hard over many years to put the pieces in place in Rhode Island to help make that come to pass. So I talked to people like Dr. Kurose, who runs one of our la
HONORING JOHN MULLER
Jackie Speier (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-1-4

I rise to honor John Muller, better known as Farmer John, for his 10 years of public service on the Half Moon Bay City Council, including one year as mayor. As a farmer, John has deep roots in the community and always strives to nurture the quality of life of all residents of the coastside. I am very grateful to have worked with him for more than three decades and to call him a dear friend. prgtoken While on the council, Councilman Muller served on the Chamber Government Affairs Committee, the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside, the League of California Cities Coastal Cities Issue Group, the San Mateo County Airport Land Use Committee, the Association of Bay Area Governments, and the City County Association of Governments. prgtoken John was instrumental in restoring Half Moon Bay's fiscal health. The Great Recession combined with a multi-million dollar land use settlement put the city at the brink of bankruptcy. Through strategic decisions, collaboration and meticulous work, John and his fellow councilmembers managed to balance the budget and placed the city on solid financial footing. Today, Half Moon Bay is a thriving prgtoken community and destination for people from all over the Bay Area and the country. Main Street is a colorful collection of artisan stores, sustainable restaurants and small hotels. Signature events, such as the Pumpkin Festival, Farm Day, Nights of Light, the Seafood Festival, and Pacific Coast Dream Machines, show off the best that Half Moon Bay has to offer. prgtoken In addition to his duties on the council, John served on the Regional Water Quality Control Board for 21 years, 13 of them as chair, having been appointed by four California governors. He is also a former member and chair of the Coastside County Water District Board, former chair of the Society of American Florists Government Relations Committee, former member of the Secretary of Agriculture's Special Committee to streamline management of the USDA, and a past president and current member of the San Mateo County Farm Bureau. He still serves on the U.S. EPA's Local Government Advisory Committee, the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Fruits and Vegetables, and the California Agricultural Education Foundation. prgtoken With his council duties and the additional volunteer work, it is somewhat of a miracle that Farmer John still manages to do his day job. He is the owner of Daylight Farms and John's Pumpkin Farm in Half Moon Bay. He and his wife of 47 years, Eda, are also fixtures at the Half Moon Bay Farmers Market every week. I've had the pleasure of seeing John's connection to the land when he is tending to his pumpkins, produce and chickens in his fields. Not only does he grow beautiful decorative pumpkins that my office purchases for my annual senior conference, he also grows monster pumpkins that he enters into the World Champion Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay. prgtoken John and Eda are true stewards of our
DON'T ABANDON AMERICANS IN NEED OF HEALTH CARE
Mike Quigley (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-1-4

I rise today to share the story of Mary and her son, two of my constituents from the Lakeview community of Chicago. Mary wrote to me on her son's behalf, expressing their deep appreciation for the Affordable Care Act and what the law has meant for their family. prgtoken In 2001, Mary's son was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Addison's disease. It occurs when your body produces insufficient amounts of certain hormones produced by your adrenal glands. When left untreated, Addison's disease can be life-threatening. prgtoken At the time of his diagnosis, Mary's son was fully insured through his employer. Then, in 2011, Mary's son left his employer to pursue the American Dream of entrepreneurship and start a small business on his own. Leaving his employer to bravely chase the American Dream meant leaving behind his insurance coverage, too. He did not anticipate being denied coverage due to a preexisting condition. prgtoken Up to this point, because of treatment covered by his insurance plan, he had been able to work to provide for himself and to live independently. As he got his new business off the ground, he went uninsured and, as a result, encountered several crises with his health. He avoided going to the doctor due to high costs and eventually ended up in the emergency room. As we all know, preventable emergency visits are a major contributor to the overall high healthcare costs that harm the entire system. prgtoken Thanks to the President and Congress passing the Affordable Care Act, Mary's son was finally able to obtain affordable care when the health insurance marketplace first opened in October 2013. prgtoken Mary wrote me to share her son's story. He is one of tens of millions of Americans who have directly benefited from the ACA's improvements to coverage, consumer protections, costs, and quality. Today, Mary is fearful of what the repeal of ACA will mean for her son. prgtoken Unfortunately, despite having 7 years to produce an alternative, the majority has failed to offer a true replacement. And what about the parts of the ACA that share bipartisan popularity? prgtoken My colleagues on the other side of the aisle and the President-elect insist they will craft a plan that maintains popular parts of the law, while rejecting the less popular components. Of course, that sounds great, but there is one real problem: they have offered absolutely no way to pay for any of it. prgtoken In reality, repeal and replace is more simply repeal and go back to before--tearing down a much-needed house before a new one is built, back to a time when 47 million Americans--nearly 18 percent of the population--were uninsured. Mary's son and countless others like him cannot afford to go back in time. Repealing ACA will leave 20 million Americans, including her son, without affordable health insurance, effectively disrupting their care and potentially putting their lives at risk. prgtoken To remind us all of the
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017--MOTION TO PROCEED
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-1-4

I apologize to my good friend the leader. I couldn't be here for his remarks. I intended to be, but our President stayed longer and then I was meeting with the Vice President-elect. I apologize for that. prgtoken I also wish to recognize the distinguished majority leader and reiterate what I said yesterday: I sincerely hope, just as I heard he hopes, that we can find common ground in the Senate. While we at all times inevitably disagree on the right way forward for our country, I know he is a patriot who cares deeply about this institution. That matters a lot to me. I learned that through a meeting set up by my friend from Tennessee. We had a dinner, and I walked away convinced that Leader McConnell cares a lot about making the institution function. That matters, and that can maybe help us through some of the rougher times. We know it has grand principles, grand practices, and a grand tradition in our national life, something we both want to preserve. prgtoken Yesterday, in my opening remarks as a Senate leader, I did remind our majority and the President-elect that there would indeed be places where we can work together, and I named a few of them, but let me be perfectly clear, kicking millions of Americans off their health care and throwing the entire health care system into chaos is not one of them. prgtoken I am deeply troubled that the majority and seemingly the President-elect are plotting, as one of their first campaigns in the new Congress, a full-scale assault on the American health care system, not just the Affordable Care Act but Medicare and Medicaid as well because they are inextricably bound. Those are the pillars that support the American health care system, but as its first order of legislative business, the majority has decided to put forward a budget resolution to repeal health care reform. Although he promised not to cut Medicare in the campaign, the President-elect has nominated a man who spent his career strategizing health care's demise, and he chose him to be Secretary of HHS. I don't think that is something a vast majority of Americans or even s believe in. prgtoken It is too clear that President-Elect and the Congress are intent on making America sick again. s seem determined to create chaos, not affordable care, for the American people. prgtoken Today, I would like to focus on the budget resolution on the Affordable Care Act. I understand why the majority thinks they have to do it. Over the past 8 years, they promised every group--conservative group and audience in the country, they would repeal the law, ``root and branch.'' prgtoken For a long time, it has been only a conservative fever dream. s knew they could make extreme promises about replacing it with something better without ever having to consider the consequences or even come up with a reasonable plan to replace it beca