mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING ADINA & LAWRENCE GARBUZ
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-5-3

I rise today to honor two people who have left an indelible mark on the New Rochelle community, Adina and Lawrence Garbuz. This year, Young Israel of New Rochelle are honoring Adina and Lawrence for all they have done on behalf of the community, and you cannot find two individuals more deserving of the honor. prgtoken Whether to YINR, SAR or most importantly their family, Adina and Lawrence demonstrate by example what it means to help others. They moved to New Rochelle in 2002 and immediately became involved in the YINR community. In addition to currently serving on the YINR Executive Board as Treasurer, Adina has held multiple positions in all areas of our shul. Adina has served as Women's League President and Treasurer after being involved in the New Mother's committee as well as more than once spearheading the mishloach manot project. Her sound advice and perspective made her a perfect choice for the Board, and Executive Board. prgtoken Lawrence has also found his own way to connect to YINR, forging a strong friendship and learning partnership with Rabbi Fink as well as attending for many years daf yomi. He also assisted the Men's Club, helped organize the very successful Saturday night ping pong tournaments and for many years distributed mishloach manot in Brooklyn. He is also often called upon to handle sensitive matters for our members who are need of his professional expertise. prgtoken In addition to Adina and Lawrence's commitment to YINR, they are supporters of their alma mater Cardozo Law School, the Bronx Jewish Community Council, and the Joint Distribution Committee. But their strongest commitment is to their four children Ella, Liav, Jonah and Eva whom they raise with their strong values of giving to others and to one's community. prgtoken Adina and Lawrence have shown a tireless dedication to both YINR and the neighborhood. On this special occasion, I want to take the opportunity to thank them for that tireless effort, and congratulate them on receiving this most distinguished honor.
VENEZUELA REFUGEE ASSISTANCE
Carlos Curbelo (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-5-3

for over a decade, thousands of Venezuelans were forced to flee the brutal Chavez dictatorship, and the situation has only worsened under his handpicked successor, Nicolas Maduro. prgtoken Over the last several years, the people of Venezuela have increasingly spoken out against the Maduro regime, and time and time again he has attempted to silence them. In the last few weeks alone, the world has seen countless examples of the regime's thuggish tactics, unethical behavior, and lethal force against innocent civilians. prgtoken Top opposition leaders like Leopoldo Lopez remain locked up in Maduro's prisons, while the dictator continues to stop at nothing to try and control all branches of government. Thousands of opposition protesters have been arrested and dozens have been left for dead or killed. prgtoken So in response to this continued political crisis, I have joined with my colleagues Darren Soto, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz to introduce bipartisan legislation allowing Venezuelan nationals who have made a new home in the United States to remain here if they choose to do so, since it is too dangerous to return to their home country. prgtoken Instead of returning to the instability and uncertainty in Venezuela, these individuals would be granted legal permanent residency, so long as they do not have a criminal record and have never been involved in the persecution of others, eliminating any possibility of human rights violators or prgtoken Chavista thugs accessing our legal immigration system. prgtoken The people of Venezuela deserve the American people's support and admiration for their continued fight against the brutal Maduro anti- American regime. Honest and hardworking Venezuelans who would be persecuted or imprisoned unjustly should they return to their country should be allowed the opportunity to take refuge here in the United States. Flood Insurance Reauthorization
25TH ANNIVERSARY OF FORT HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL'S MARCHING BAND
Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. (Republican, NY) \u2014 2017-5-3

I rise today to recognize the Fort Hamilton High School Marching Band on their 25th Anniversary. Founded during the 1990 to 1991 school year, the Fort Hamilton High School Marching Band has been a mainstay for students, staff, and parents alike. During its inaugural year, the Marching Band was busy purchasing instruments, uniforms, and sheet music. Under the guidance of Laurence Laurenzano, the Assistant Principal of Music at the time, 75 students participated in their first competition at Festival Disney in Disney World and Universal Studios. For the past 15 years, Thomas P. Oberle, the Assistant Principal for Performing Arts, has led the Fort Hamilton High School Marching Band. Under his leadership, students have performed in Canada, Atlanta, Williamsburg, and Boston. Furthermore, they have also marched in the Labor Day, St. Patrick's Day, Norwegian Day, Veterans Memorial Day, and Greek Independence Day parades. Not to be outdone, the Marching Band has also performed at the Gridiron Gala for the National Football League and United Way I want to congratulate the Fort Hamilton High School Marching Band on their 25th Anniversary. Their success is proof of their commitment, energy, and greatness.
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2017-5-3

I rise to talk about an issue that affects every single Senator in this body and all of us as Americans, and that is this epidemic of drug use--opioids--which would be heroin, prescription drugs, the new synthetic heroins, like fentanyl, carfentanil, and U-4. It is devastating our communities. This is the worst drug crisis we have ever had in this country. That is my view, but it is also the view of a lot of experts. I have been involved in this issue for over 20 years, and I have never seen anything like it. That is why I have come to the floor to talk again today. This is the 34th time that I have spoken on this issue on the Senate floor in the last year or so. prgtoken I come with sadness in my heart because it is not getting better. Based on the statistics I have seen from my home State of Ohio and around the country for the first quarter of this year, it looks like the number of deaths and overdoses from drug abuse are increasing, not decreasing. Part of it is because of these new drugs coming in, particularly synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, carfentanil, and U- 4--things that are produced in a laboratory by some evil scientist somewhere and shipped into our country. prgtoken So the need to act has grown only more urgent. Every day we are now losing 144 Americans to drug overdoses. Think about that. Every single day, 144 Americans are dying of drug overdoses. It has now far exceeded the number of people who are dying in car accidents in my home State of Ohio and it is exceeding that number around the country. prgtoken Millions more are not dying of overdoses but are seeing their lives and their futures ruined, and millions of us--those of us who are not drug addicted but who have friends, family, and neighbors who are--are watching loved ones as they fight this addiction. Maybe they have lost a job. Maybe they have broken relationships with families and friends. Maybe they have committed a crime like theft, shoplifting, or fraud to pay for their habit. Maybe they have just given up hope. prgtoken Just last week, I met with some community leaders from Dayton, OH. As it happens, no matter where I am in Ohio, this issue comes up and this is what they want to talk to me about. They wanted to talk about the story of Nathan Wylie. prgtoken Nathan Wylie was a happy 13-year-old boy. He was a Cincinnati Bengals fan. His goal in life was to be a professional football player. He wanted to play for the Bengals one day. He had his whole life ahead of him. prgtoken Nathan's dad, according to police reports, is a heroin user. One day a few weeks ago, Nathan got into his dad's heroin, and he overdosed. His dad took him to the fire station and first responders did what they could. They took him to Dayton Children's Hospital, but it was too late. Nathan died of an overdose at age 13. prgtoken Two weeks ago, a 14-year-old girl in Dayton was mowing the lawn at the apartment complex owned by her grandparents
SEVERE KANSAS WEATHER
Jerry Moran (Republican, KS) \u2014 2017-5-3

I come to the floor this evening to talk about winter storms that hit Kansas and surrounding States over the weekend, destroying crops and killing livestock. We face many challenges, and the Senator from Utah just described a serious circumstance for many people in this country. I applaud his efforts to try to find the solution. prgtoken The challenges that we face in Kansas after this weekend are another vivid reminder of the difficulties that each day our farm families and ranchers face trying to produce a crop or raise cattle. A farm family's economic situation can change in a moment's notice. What happened over the weekend was 17, 18, 20 inches of snow and high winds with a devastating blizzard, and it was preceded by temperatures into the twenties. The consequence to the wheat crop is dramatic. prgtoken A weekend weather event like this is often just an inconvenience for most people. However, it is the difference between having a crop to harvest or having nothing to sell. It is the difference between earning a living and not earning a living. It is the difference between staying on the farm or ranch and not being able to. prgtoken While the extent of the damage is being assessed--and we don't know exactly what that will be--it is clear that many wheat producers will likely have lost their entire crop. We have about 7.5 million acres of wheat planted in Kansas, and many of those acres--perhaps up to about half--were harshly impacted by this snowstorm and winter conditions. prgtoken Having a bountiful production is especially important for farmers at times of low commodity prices. That is what we are in now. The price of wheat, and the price of cattle, the price of corn, they are historically low. These are already challenging times. While the overall farm income, as a result of that, has been cut in half since 2013, Kansas producers fortunately were able to overcome that, to some degree, because we had bountiful harvests, great crops, high yields. Yet the number of bushels these producers will have to sell now as a result of these storms is clearly in question. prgtoken With low prices, we need high yields and large harvests. We clearly will not prgtoken have that. Those of us from ag States often talk about the importance of crop insurance and farm programs for producers. This storm reminds us, once again, the importance of that safety net. A farmer who lost an entire wheat crop over one weekend cannot afford to continue to farm without crop insurance to help cover the losses. prgtoken These farmers in Kansas would either go out of business or require ad hoc disaster assistance, something that used to happen during my earlier days in Congress. Every time there was a snowstorm, a freeze, a drought that devastated a crop, Congress was asked to provide ad hoc disaster assistance to make up for that challenge. prgtoken Giving farmers the ability to purchase affordable crop insurance means they ha
MATH AND FACTS
David Schweikert (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2017-5-3

we have a whole hour here, and we may actually use the whole hour. This is an opportunity to actually walk through three areas that I care an awful lot about. prgtoken One, I actually want to walk through something called math, and math in regards to health care. Some of this is actually to deal with--and I don't want to be mean, because I am going to try to do this in as nonpartisan a way as possible, but some of the things that we have just heard moments ago that lack just sort of basic roots in math and facts. prgtoken Let me move this easel back just a little bit so we can get this. We are going to do a little bit of show-and-tell here to sort of help. prgtoken First off, a conceptual problem, since, I believe, it is 1986, we in the United States have had statutes that say, if a sick person walks into a hospital and they have cancer, they are bleeding, they are going to get health services. prgtoken This is a really important concept for us all to get our heads around. There is no such thing as not receiving care in this country. It may not be the care you want at the place you want, but it is the law. It has been the law for 30 years. prgtoken If we are going to be brutally honest, much of the debate and discussion we are having here, whether it be the ACA or prior to the ACA where it was uncompensated care, where it was disproportionate share within our hospitals, or our reform legislation, it is not whether someone gets coverage or doesn't get coverage; it is who and how it is paid for and where is it paid for. prgtoken Remember, these costs are already in the system. Does it go as a loss on a hospital balance sheet? Does it get pushed over to other populations within an insurance pool? That is the math we are actually working on. prgtoken A couple of moments ago, you had a handful of Members come up and talk about preexisting conditions. If you hear someone use the term ``preexisting conditions,'' they basically are years out of date. There functionally is no such thing anymore. There is guaranteed issuance of insurance. prgtoken We are going to go through this in more depth. prgtoken Someone like myself, I am a severe asthmatic. I walk around with an inhaler in my pocket. I can grab any insurance today and I get guaranteed issue. prgtoken Whether it be in the current ACA--Care, as many know it--there are variations in what we refer to as community rating. There are age levels. If you are a smoker, you get a different pricing. prgtoken Some of those same mechanics we are doing in our reform bill. We are going to walk through why the way we are doing it we think actually will ultimately lower prices. We are trying to get that efficiency of the young and healthy to participate in the insurance pool, because they are not participating today. prgtoken We are going to keep this board close by because this is important for everyone to understand conceptually. I know the chart is hard to see, but 5 percen
HONORING THE DISABLED VETERANS MEMORIAL IN UNION, MISSOURI
Blaine Luetkemeyer (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-5-3

I rise today to honor the Disabled Veterans Memorial in Union, Missouri. The memorial is located in Veterans Memorial Park which broke ground in 2013 to provide nearly 44 acres of multi-use facilities for the Union community. This dedication of this beautiful memorial is taking place on Sunday, May 7, 2017. May 7th also marks a historic day when, in 1945, Nazi Germany unconditionally surrendered to the allies at Reims, France, ending World War II in the European theater. I can think of no better day to reflect on the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform make every day. This day of dedication will feature numerous members of the Union community and local veterans including: pastors, legion honor guard, and local high school bands. This memorial has been 20 years in the making and would not be a reality without the dedication of stakeholders throughout Missouri. The memorial has been funded through private donations from individuals and groups prgtoken within the community. With the cost for this memorial totaling around $240,000, this major undertaking clearly demonstrates the commitment of these citizens to bringing honor and distinction to the Disabled Veterans of Missouri and the United States. The memorial not only honors the Disabled Veterans that served so proudly, but also honors Prisoners of War and those who are Missing in Action. Additionally, this memorial is endorsed by the National Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Franklin County Disabled Veterans of America. I ask you to join me in recognizing the Disabled Veterans Memorial in Union, Missouri. This memorial will show the gratitude we feel as a nation for those who have worn the uniform and sacrificed so much for this great nation.
TRIBUTE TO EDWARD GNEHM, JR.
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2017-5-3

I greatly appreciate having this opportunity to share with my colleagues the presentation of an award that means a great deal to me for a number of reasons. It is the president's medal that will be presented by Steven Knapp, the president of The George Washington University, GW. Its recipient, Edward Gnehm, has been a friend of mine ever since we were college freshmen at GW. prgtoken When Edward Gnehm, Jr or ``Skip'' as everyone came to know him, came to Washington, DC, from rural Georgia and I left rural Wyoming to tackle the challenge of my own college education at GW, I don't think either one of us knew what a great impact those 4 years would have on us and how our college experience would change our lives forever. It was a purely random thing, but when the administration of George Washington University decided which rooms we would use as freshman, they assigned Skip and me to the same dorm. We became friends pretty quickly. Then, when we pledged the same fraternity, we became brothers as well. Skip is the only real brother I have ever had, and I have relied on him and enjoyed that same kind of friendship and relationship ever since. prgtoken Our room was a pretty interesting place to be. I was a night person, studying accounting and business issues that would become my first major career. Skip, on the other hand, was a morning person, interested in reading whatever he could to sharpen his knowledge and understanding of foreign relations. He had a dream even back then that he would someday be an ambassador for the United States. prgtoken As I watched him pursue his dream, I learned that Skip was an interesting guy, very smart, dedicated, and determined to be the best he could possibly be at his chosen field. He helped me learn to expect the same of myself. prgtoken Soon, our college years were over, and we each went our separate ways, keeping in contact, pursuing our life's dreams and taking advantage of every opportunity that presented itself. Soon Skip was making his way through our Nation's diplomatic and foreign service system. For my part, what began as a small business soon had me working my way through Wyoming's political system on the local, State, and national levels. prgtoken As the years went quickly past, Skip and I continued to follow a similar path in life as we both met and married our special wives. Our kids were even born about the same times. Skip found in his wife, Peggy, and I found in my wife, Diana/, the kind of support and assistance it was going to take if we were to achieve the kind of success we were both hoping for. For Skip, Peggy's encouragement and guidance has helped him to be a force for the United States and to serve our country all over the world. For my part, Diana has been exactly what I needed to serve the people of Wyoming at every opportunity. prgtoken For Skip, one of the greatest moments of his career had to be his service as our Ambassador to Kuwa
REPEAL AND REPLACE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Andy Harris (Republican, MD) \u2014 2017-5-3

I hope that tomorrow the House has the opportunity to deliver on the promise that the President made and s made to finally repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act which is crumbling around us. prgtoken , we do everything we said we would do. Maintain coverage for preexisting conditions and guarantee it, check. In fact, with the MacArthur amendment and the Palmer amendment, we establish high-risk pools that will actually bring down the premium costs for people with preexisting conditions, as it will for all Americans. prgtoken Guarantee coverage and renewability, check. Coverage for people up to age 26 on their parents' plan, check. No discrimination based on gender, check. prgtoken And most importantly, in the Medicaid program, we not only preserve but strengthen coverage for our elderly, sick, disabled, and pregnant women on that plan. prgtoken , it is about time we repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
CONGRATULATING PAUL PACKER ON INDUCTION INTO NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2017-5-3

I rise today to announce the winners of the Pennsylvania Fifth Congressional District Congressional Art Competition. prgtoken On Saturday, an independent panel of judges viewed 37 submissions of artwork at the Winkler Gallery of Fine Art in DuBois, Pennsylvania. Entries were at an all-time high this year, and I am so proud of all of our students who showcased their talent in this competition. prgtoken First place goes to Cassy Lester of Reynoldsville for her acrylic painting titled ``Chocolate Lab.'' Cassy is a student at Jeff Tech, a career and technology education center, and her teacher is Ms. Angela Dragich. prgtoken Congratulations, Cassy. We look forward to hosting you here in Washington, D.C with the rest of the winners from throughout the Nation. prgtoken Proudly, Cassy's artwork will hang in the tunnel to the Capitol for 1 year. prgtoken The other runners up are Madelyn Ostermann of Fort LeBoeuf High School for her entry titled ``Eyes,'' and Alexander Spangler of Bellefonte Area High School for his entry titled ``Tracks of Ingenuity.'' prgtoken We also had several honorable mentions, including ``Self Portrait'' by Megan DiNicola of Fort LeBoeuf High School, ``True Colors'' by Maggie Prutznal of Punxsutawney Area High School, ``Jungle Scene'' by Allison Copella of DuBois Area High School, ``Emmaleigh'' by Kailynn Morrison of Oil City High School, ``Wondrous Wonders'' by Willow Felver of Fort LeBoeuf High School, ``Wonderwall'' by Kassidy Hall of Fort LeBoeuf High School, and ``Thomas L. Kelly'' by Margaret Morgenstern of Fort LeBoeuf High School. prgtoken , each spring the Congressional Art Competition takes place, hosted by the Congressional Institute. The nationwide high school visual art competition recognizes and encourages artistic talent in the Nation and in each congressional district. prgtoken Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. The vision, talent, and creativity of our high school students always makes me so proud. prgtoken Thank you to all the students from Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District who shared their masterpieces this weekend, and I hope to see you again next year if you are eligible to showcase your work. prgtoken , I offer congratulations to our first-place winner, Cassy.
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2017-5-3

next week marks Teacher Appreciation Week, which recognizes the special role educators make for American families. prgtoken As the husband of a retired schoolteacher and a grateful dad of four sons with eight grandchildren, I know firsthand the positive impact educators have for students. prgtoken South Carolina's Second Congressional District is filled with dedicated and talented teachers and administrators, and it is always a pleasure to visit with them at their school or when their classes visit Washington. prgtoken I would also like to recognize the 2017 Teacher of the Year, Jennifer Wise, of Hand Middle School of Columbia, which my mother attended. As a math teacher, Jennifer motivates her students for mathematics to energize their lives outside of the classroom. prgtoken The success of our teachers is amplified by the leadership of State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, working with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and the parents, teachers, administrators, and locally elected school boards who are making a difference for the students of South Carolina for job opportunities and meaningful lives. prgtoken In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.