mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 6157, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Henry Cuellar (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-9-26

I want to thank Ranking Member Lowey for yielding, and I want to thank her for her leadership that she provides in the Appropriations Committee. prgtoken I also want to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen. As Ms. Wasserman Schultz said, we are going to miss you. We appreciate your leadership, and we thank you. You are a decent human being, and we really appreciate your friendship. prgtoken I also want to thank the staff and the Members on both sides of the aisle who have worked in a very bipartisan way to address these issues that are important. prgtoken Every year, we have to pass the appropriations bill. It is the train that has to pass every year. And I certainly want to thank Mrs. Lowey, the chairman, and the folks responsible for making this happen. prgtoken First of all, let me talk about defense. prgtoken I certainly agree with the Members that this provides billions of dollars to make sure that we restore critical military readiness programs. We have to make sure we have a strong military, and with this funding, we will. I certainly appreciate the sacrifice that the men and women make to protect our country, and this is what this appropriation bill does. prgtoken We also fully fund the 2.6 percent pay raise for our military families because, again, we have to make sure that we support them because they are under very difficult times. prgtoken There are a lot of other things in the Defense Appropriations bill, whether it is the assistance that provides $50 million for specialized counseling programs to meet the unique needs of military children or whether it is the National Guard's counterdrug program to help reduce the illegal drugs from coming into the United States. Those are areas that are strong for our military. prgtoken Let me move over to the Labor-HHS bill. There are so many things that both Chairman Cole and Ms. DeLauro also provided that they worked so hard on; let me just highlight a couple of them. prgtoken The Pell grant is so important because we increased the amount by an extra $100. Now the maximum amount is $6,195. You have to have Pell grants so that we can have our young students go off to college. $10 billion for Head Start. There was a $200 million increase. I want to thank our folks for adding that money. prgtoken The Federal TRIO program and the GEAR UP program are moneys that we added. prgtoken I certainly want to say thank you also for the $907 million for senior nutrition programs to help our seniors. prgtoken The title I grants for school districts, $15.9 billion that we added. prgtoken And the last thing I want to talk about is the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, we have increased the funding to provide that type of assistance. prgtoken So, again, I want to say thank you to the chairman, to our ranking member, Mrs. Lowey, and all of the staff on both sides, I thank them for a job well done.
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 6157, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Nita M. Lowey (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-9-26

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I join Chairman Frelinghuysen in strong support of this bipartisan legislation. The Defense and Labor-HHS-Education bills carry out some of Congress' most important constitutional responsibilities. We should all be pleased that we have completed our work on these bills on time. prgtoken This conference report provides ample resources for our armed services and strengthens military readiness. It also upholds our commitments to our servicemembers and their families, more funding to repair Department of Defense schools, additional resources to assist victims of military sexual assault, and more support for military medical research. prgtoken Turning to the Labor-HHS-Education division, I am pleased that Congress has resoundingly rejected President 's budget and restored $10 billion in proposed cuts that would have hurt working families. Instead, we have won increased funding for a number of important priorities. prgtoken This bill boosts biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, expands opioid abuse treatment and prevention programs, and launches new initiatives for maternal and child health. prgtoken The bill increases funding for Head Start, childcare, and after school programs on which working families rely. It lifts the maximum Pell grant to help more students access postsecondary education, and it invests in the 21st century workforce with more support for registered apprenticeships and career and technical education. prgtoken Finally, this bill stands up to President 's cruel family separation policy, with more transparency and oversight of child and family detention. prgtoken Just as important is what this bill does not include: the unnecessary partisan riders that caused House to oppose the Labor-HHS- Education bill in the Appropriations Committee. And while it is unfortunate that we have no choice but to include a continuing resolution for many important Federal programs, I look forward to completing our remaining appropriation bills when Congress returns in November. prgtoken I appreciate the hard work of Chairman Frelinghuysen, Chairwoman Granger, Chairman Cole, Ranking Member Visclosky, Ranking Member DeLauro, and our Senate counterparts to get us to this point. prgtoken Of course, we appreciate our hardworking staff. We couldn't get to this point without them. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill and sending it to the President for him to sign. prgtoken , .
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 6157, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Peter J. Visclosky (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2018-9-26

I thank the ranking member for yielding. prgtoken Fiscal year 2019 starts on October 1, and it is wonderful to be here in September considering a conference report on two additional appropriation measures. prgtoken I would like to commend Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Lowey for bringing a semblance of order back to the appropriations process. Along with their Senate counterparts they have managed to navigate an upset political situation that has completely stymied the process for years. When this two-bill package is signed into law, it will be the first time in 22 years that there have been five appropriation bills enacted before the start of the fiscal year. prgtoken I actually wish we had seven more bills conferenced and ready for enactment, but it appears those will have to be deferred until December. I hope that maturity, bipartisan cooperation, and responsible governance will also apply to their consideration and prompt enactment. Timeliness is as important as final dollar determinations. prgtoken I also would like to recognize and thank the Chairwoman, Kay Granger. She has been a joy to work with and a fine leader. She, along with every member of our subcommittee and our tremendous subcommittee staff and associate staff, have conducted themselves in a professional, bipartisan and collegial manner. As a result, this bill reflects the will of Congress. prgtoken Specific to the Department of Defense, this will be the first time in a decade that our military will not begin the fiscal year under a continuing resolution. Having timely appropriations should improve and stabilize budgeting at the Department, the services, our allies, and contractors. prgtoken I expect that this certainty will also allow the Department to better adhere to congressional direction, to spend the funding as appropriated, to increase transparency for budget exhibits, and to improve the quality and timeliness of communications to the committee, as has been referenced on pages 8, 9, 10, and 21 of the House Report. prgtoken Again, s, Chairwoman Granger, and her wonderful staff.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--MOTION TO PROCEED
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2018-9-26

over the past weeks, we have been reminded yet again why it is so hard for survivors of sexual assault to come forward. For far too long, women who bravely share their stories of sexual assault have been attacked, diminished, and marginalized, and I am sad to say that includes by some of my fellow Senators. prgtoken In some respects, we have seen remarkable progress since the ``me too.'' movement began roughly 1 year ago. More women have felt empowered and supported to speak out, and our society has begun to grapple with the horrific and widespread prevalence of sexual harassment and assault, especially in the workplace. prgtoken But, sadly, these past weeks have been a reminder that in many ways we are still stuck in 1991; 1991, of course, was when Anita Hill courageously testified before the Senate, sharing allegations of sexual harassment by then-nominee to the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas. Women and men across the country watched in horror as Dr. Hill was attacked and disrespected by the men of the Senate Judiciary Committee. prgtoken Yet, here we are, 27 years later, and Senate leadership has made clear that they will do everything they can to ram Judge Kavanaugh's nomination through. They have come up with a process that is even worse, even more disrespectful and disheartening to survivors than the one we saw in 1991. prgtoken In 1991, the FBI investigated allegations of sexual assault against Mr. Thomas. The hearings stretched on for multiple days, and some corroborating witnesses were allowed to testify. prgtoken In 2018, leadership has indicated that none of those things will be allowed to happen--none of them. They have simply scheduled a check-the-box hearing, rejecting calls to ask the FBI to reopen its background investigation, refusing to allow other witnesses or evidence to be heard, and limiting the questioning from Senators. prgtoken Lawyers for Dr. Ford announced that they have submitted sworn affidavits to the Senate Judiciary Committee from four individuals whom she shared these allegations with well before President nominated Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Yet, incredibly, not a single one of these corroborating witnesses will be called to testify before the committee, nor will the witness that Dr. Ford alleges was in the room while she was assaulted, and the FBI will not be asked to speak with these or any other witnesses either. prgtoken This process isn't a serious attempt to get to the truth. It is a complete sham, and some of my colleagues are hardly even trying to hide the fact that this is not a serious investigation, as they pledge that these credible allegations will not stop Judge Kavanaugh's nomination. prgtoken Some of my colleagues have complained about how unfair it is to Judge Kavanaugh that these women have dared to come forward, and they have shown little sympathy for the attacks these women are facing or interest in the corro
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--MOTION TO PROCEED
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-9-26

I want to take a moment to recognize a wonderful member of my team who, after 9 years, will be leaving us at the end of this week. prgtoken For more than 9 years, Jodi Niehoff has been the heart and soul of our operation. She has been our administration and correspondence manager. She has been our intern coordinator and our unofficial planner for party events celebrating legislative victories or comings and goings of staff or birthdays. She has been the hostess and MC of our annual holiday gift swap and so many other things, adding to the esprit de corps of our team. prgtoken My team has pulled together a few stats, and these statistics indicate just some of the work she has done over these years during which I have had the privilege to work with her. prgtoken She has been a staunch believer not just in communicating with constituents but doing so quickly and in a meaningful and heartfelt way. Under her leadership, we have worked to have a substantive response to every single letter that comes into our office and try to get out that response, whenever possible, on the same day or the next day and when more research is needed, to do so within a few days. It is a huge challenge because so many people now are communicating via email, and we have weeks in which we can receive 10,000 or 12,000 or 14,000 letters. So in the course of responding to all those diverse issues that constituents have raised, Jodi has guided our team in producing 5,774 unique letters that are now in our constituent correspondence library. That averages out to nearly two letters a day 365 days a year for more than 9 years. prgtoken During her time on our team, she has mentored 227 interns, and 14 of those interns have gone on to join our team as staff members. So helping to enable them to have a significant experience here on Capitol Hill is a real contribution to the public. prgtoken I first came here as an intern--a summer intern for Senator Mark Hatfield from Oregon--and at that time, you only had a few interns. You didn't have that much mail. There were three of us over the course of the summer. I was the last to arrive, so it was my job to come in early, run all the letters--of course they were all paper letters--run the envelopes through the cutter, take out the sheets of information, the letters, and stack them into one of four stacks for the different correspondence. prgtoken Well, that now sounds like such a simple task compared to that which Jodi has guided with more than 200 interns and more than 5,000--almost 6,000--unique letters being drafted to respond. prgtoken Thank you so much. Jodi, you will be dearly missed by everybody here in Washington, DC, who has had the pleasure to know you, to work alongside with you, to partner with you over nearly a decade. I wish you all the best as you head back home to Minnesota to begin the next chapter of your life and the next chapter of your family's life. I know that the ne
FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018
David E. Price (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2018-9-26

I want to rise in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Florence to profoundly thank the bipartisan leadership of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of the Appropriations Committee, and of the House for working with North Carolina's Governor and with our bipartisan congressional delegation to include $1.68 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding to help communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and across the country recover from natural disasters declared in calendar year 2018. prgtoken CDBG-DR funding is critical for restoring housing, business, and infrastructure affected by Hurricane Florence. These funds constitute a robust down payment, and I look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to complete the job once full estimates are available. prgtoken , I just want to say it is very, very reassuring--it is heartening--to the people of North Carolina and South Carolina to have this commitment from the Congress of the United States as our long process of recovery begins.
FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-9-26

as a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, I'd like to express my support of H.R. 302 the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018. prgtoken Maintaining the safety of our national airspace is paramount, and I am pleased that the provision for Single-Piloted Commercial Cargo Aircraft was removed. Additionally, this bill also highlights a strong focus on airline passenger safety and consumer rights by emphasizing provisions such as minimum legroom, seat width and flight attendant rest mandates. prgtoken Finally, this legislation provides Hurricane Florence recovery funding, which emphasizes the importance of providing timely assistance to areas prone to natural disasters, similar to those in my home state of Texas. prgtoken Above all, this bill improves the airline passenger experience, provides long-term airport funding, improves disaster recovery, and ultimately strengthens the U.S. economy and aviation workforce.
Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh (Executive Session)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-9-26

I come to the floor to join my colleagues in lifting up the voices of women across the country who, right now, are being ignored, swept aside, and attacked, and in calling on our colleagues to join us and do everything we can to make sure women are heard, listened to, and respected as we debate and deliberate over Judge Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. prgtoken Recently, I was back home in Washington State to talk to my constituents about the Supreme Court nomination, and I met a woman named Caitlin, who bravely told me and others about her experience of being sexually assaulted. prgtoken She shared her story. It was July 2016. She had gone to a concert that evening, and she was sexually assaulted that night, but it was how she explained what happened after that I want to share today. prgtoken She said: As a sexual assault survivor, I know firsthand that these experiences have a lasting impact and the pain can't be overstated. In the aftermath of sexual violence, it's common to feel humiliated and to blame ourselves; to just want to forget it ever happened. I didn't want to admit that I'd ``allowed'' this to happen to me, so I tried to convince myself that the attack had never occurred. For these reasons and so many others, it's common to wait months or . . . years before confiding in anyone, even those closest to us. prgtoken Those were Caitlin's words to me. She went on, and she said: Going public with our stories, opens us up to criticism ranging from victim blaming to accusations that we're liars and attention-seekers, in addition to far uglier insults that I won't repeat right now. I know that coming forward and forever tying our names to one of the most terrifying, degrading experiences of our lives isn't a decision to be taken lightly. prgtoken Sadly, Caitlin is not alone--far from it. She shared her story with me so her story can help others and so I can lift it up, make sure it is being heard, and help her make a difference. prgtoken So this brings me to the question I want to ask today: What is this really about, right now, in this moment, in the U.S. Senate? There is a whole lot of confusion, a whole lot of mud being kicked up, and a whole lot of distractions, but what is this moment, right now, really about? prgtoken It is not the question of this confirmation, although that is clearly important. It is not whether we think Judge Kavanaugh would make a good Supreme Court Justice or whether we can trust him, despite the lies we have already heard on issue after issue. Those are, of course, critical questions too. It is not even whether my colleagues will believe the allegations brought against him are true once all the evidence is weighed and all investigations are complete--although, of course, for many of us, that question must be dug into--but to me and millions of people a
THE SCARLETT'S SUNSHINE ON SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATH ACT
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2018-9-26

I rise today to encourage my colleagues to join me on a bipartisan basis as cosponsors of the Scarlett's Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act. This bill is intended to help us to better understand why infants die between birth and age 4 so that we can take preventive action that is effective. prgtoken , I have had the unfortunate experience of walking into the home of parents who are grieving, and that grief doesn't just begin when their infant dies but goes on for a lifetime, wondering: Was it my fault? Could I have done something? Am I a bad parent? prgtoken They never get the answers. prgtoken Do you realize, , that currently we have absolutely no national guidelines for death scene investigations to follow when responding to an infant death? This means that different States and different municipalities all over the country collect inconsistent and, often, incomplete data on these unexplained sudden deaths. prgtoken If we can't even collect good and consistent data, how can we expect to reverse this trend or even to prevent it? prgtoken I am ashamed to say, , that the infant mortality rate in the United States is 5.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. This is really unacceptable. When you disaggregate these numbers for Native American babies and Black and White babies, we find that Black babies die at a rate three times the national average. prgtoken According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that really means that over 23,000 infants have died of sudden infant death syndrome. In 2015, about 3,700 infants died suddenly and unexpectedly. prgtoken Think about that: 23,000 deaths and parents who spend a lifetime in grief wondering why. prgtoken This is a public health crisis when you consider that, in developed countries, we are number 19 for preventing these kinds of deaths. prgtoken My bill not only provides resources to invest in the CDC and the Health Resources and Services Administration to train first responders to improve death scene investigations, to do child death reviews, and to promote safe sleep practices, but it also provides educational opportunities for parents as well. prgtoken , these deaths are preventable, and we need to do everything in our power to give parents the knowledge and tools they need to achieve healthy outcomes and educate them on safe methods for handling their children. prgtoken I encourage my colleagues to imagine how many babies' lives we can save by simply investing in the right programs to prevent their deaths. Please join me in cosponsoring this bill and supporting its swift enactment into law.
Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh (Executive Calendar)
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-9-26

I rise today to object to the partisan effort to improperly ``stack'' two consecutive nominations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC. prgtoken Peter Feldman has been nominated not only to fill the remainder of a term that would expire in October 2019, but also for an additional 7- year term on top of that. prgtoken Stacking these nominations contradicts the aim of the Consumer Product Safety Act, which established the CPSC as an independent agency with commissioners serving staggered terms to prevent any one Congress from having an outsized influence on the agency. prgtoken It also violates Senate practice of considering one nomination at a time, particularly when the first term would not expire for over a year. prgtoken Both Senate Commerce Committee minority staff and the Congressional Research Service were unable to identify an analogous nomination where the beginning of a term started this far into a new Congress. prgtoken To be clear, I do not object to Mr. Feldman's nomination to the Commission. In fact, I voted to confirm him to fill the unexpired term. prgtoken However, confirming Mr. Feldman to a second, 7-year term today would undermine the CPSC's independence and set a dangerous precedent for future nominations. prgtoken The CPSC plays a critical role in protecting the public from consumer product-related injuries, and we must do all we can to defend the agency from partisanship. prgtoken For this reason, I must regretfully vote no on Mr. Feldman's nomination to serve an additional 7-year term on the Commission.