mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN MEMORY OF TYRUS WONG
Adam B. Schiff (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-2-1

I rise today to honor the life of celebrated artist Tyrus Wong, of Sunland, California, who passed away on December 30, 2016, at the age of 106. Tyrus Wong, best known for his beautiful, impressionistic renderings in the Walt Disney Studio's animated film ``Bambi,'' was born as Wong Gen Yeo in China on October 25, 1910. He and his father emigrated to the United States in 1920. Tyrus' father taught his son calligraphy, drawing and painting, encouraging Tyrus' artistic talents. Tyrus attended junior high school in Pasadena, but left that school to attend Otis Art Institute, now Otis College of Art and Design, on a full scholarship. At Otis, Mr. Wong prgtoken studied great western artists and Chinese brush paintings, especially Song dynasty landscapes that expressed mountains, trees and fog with nominal brush strokes. He graduated from Otis and joined the Depression-era Federal Art Project, creating paintings for government buildings and other institutions. During this time period he was a featured artist at an Art Institute of Chicago exhibition that included artists such as Pablo Picasso, and was active in organizing local art exhibitions for Los Angeles' Asian artists. In 1937, Tyrus married Ruth Ng Kim, and after the birth of their first daughter, Kay in 1938, he began working for Disney as an ``inbetweener,'' where he worked on hundreds of Mickey Mouse sketches. After learning about Disney's film ``Bambi,'' which was in pre- production, he created watercolors and drawings of a deer in a forest, and those tiny, evocative renderings became the basis for the film's visual style and he became the film's lead artist. In 1941, after a Disney animators' strike, Mr. Wong went to work at Warner Brothers Studios as a film production illustrator and sketch artist, where he drew set designs and storyboards for movies such as ``Sands of Iwo Jima,'' ``Rebel Without a Cause'' and ``Auntie Mame.'' Tyrus retired from Warner Bros. in 1968, but continued to work as an artist, creating greeting cards for Hallmark Cards, working as a ceramicist, and building and designing exquisite hand-made kites. Mr. Wong's life and work has been featured in many significant exhibitions at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco and The Museum of Chinese in America in New York City and his striking Chinese Dragon mural is prominently displayed in Chinatown. Tyrus is featured in several documentaries, including the award-winning documentary ``Tyrus,'' in which he shared his struggles with poverty, racism and adversity. Mr. Wong is survived by his daughters: Kay Fong, Tai-Ling Wong, Kim Wong and two grandsons. I would like to ask all Members to join me in remembering Tyrus Wong, a Disney Legend, whose innovative work inspired generations of animators, and who leaves a lasting legacy as one of the foremost artists in Los Angeles, California.
VOTE EXPLANATION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-2-1

I was necessarily absent for the votes on the motion to proceed to legislative session and the motion to procced to a joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule, H.J. Res. 38. prgtoken On vote No. 41, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on the motion to proceed to legislative session. prgtoken On vote No. 42, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on the motion to proceed to H.J. Res. 38.
Travel Ban (Executive Session)
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-2-1

I rise to speak on a special day. Today is my wife's birthday. Today is National Freedom Day, when we recognize President Lincoln's signing the 13th Amendment banning slavery. This is the reason we celebrate Black History Month in February. prgtoken Today, February 1, begins American Heart Month, acknowledging the great heart of the American people, as well as the need for health care. prgtoken But today, February 1, is also the first day of World Interfaith Harmony Week. In 2010, King Abdallah II of Jordan spoke before the U.N. General Assembly, and he asked the U.N. to declare a week every year to promote understanding and tolerance between the world's religions. In his speech before the U.N this is what King Abdallah said: It is also essential to resist forces of division that spread misunderstanding and mistrust, especially among peoples of different religions. The fact is, humanity everywhere is bound together, not only by mutual interests, but by shared commandments to love God and neighbor, to love the good and neighbor. What we are proposing is a special week, during which the world's people, in their own places of worship, could express the teachings of their own faith about tolerance, respect for others and peace. prgtoken The resolution was adopted unanimously at the U.N. General Assembly, and all nations, religions, and peoples were asked to observe it. prgtoken By happy coincidence, as the Presiding Officer knows, King Abdallah is in Washington right now. He visited with Senators here at the Capitol yesterday and today. Earlier today I met with him, and I told him I would speak in his honor in the hopes that his words might inspire us at a challenging time. prgtoken The word of last Friday's Executive orders regarding immigration and refugees--orders which implemented the President's campaign rhetoric to implement a Muslim ban--shocked the country this weekend. I traveled to Roanoke and Blacksburg, VA--communities in the southwestern portion of my Commonwealth. I was there to meet with local health care providers and students pursuing health care careers. I had planned the trip to go talk about the Affordable Care Act, but at my first event, two families came to me with a concern. Working together with Roanoke Catholic charities, they had helped settle a Syrian refugee family in Blacksburg 1 year ago. The Syrian family was a mom and dad and four kids. These sponsors told me how well the family was doing and how welcoming this community was in bringing this family to Virginia and taking them in. prgtoken The employer of the Syrian father runs a construction company, and he hired him to do construction work. He told me, kind of chuckling about it: Senator, not all my workers agree with me on politics, but no one better say a prgtoken bad word about their Syrian coworker around them. prgtoken He went on to describe how the employees at his
NSC APPOINTMENTS TO PRINCIPALS COMMITTEE
Stephanie N. Murphy (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-2-1

today I will introduce the Protect the National Security Council from Political Interference Act. prgtoken I would like to thank my House colleagues who have signed on as original cosponsors of this legislation. prgtoken I have worked at the Department of Defense, and I am a member of the Armed Services Committee. I believe the most solemn responsibility of Federal policymakers is to keep the American people safe, and to do so in a way that is faithful to the moral and ethical principles that have made this country exceptional, and a force for good in a dangerous and unpredictable world. prgtoken Within the complex Federal bureaucracy, the National Security Council is, arguably, the most important institution when it comes to debating and deciding issues related to homeland security, foreign policy, intelligence collection, and the national defense. Choices about whether to deploy men and women into combat are made during the meetings of the NSC or its main subgroup, the Principals Committee. So, too, are decisions about how to defend the homeland against terrorism and how to support our allies and counter our adversaries across the globe. The NSC's deliberations are so serious because the stakes are so high. prgtoken Since the creation of this body by Congress in 1947, Presidents from Truman to have prescribed the organizational structure and role of the NSC according to their personal preferences within the broad parameters set by Congress. This is how it should be. The NSC is a policymaking instrument, and the President is entitled to utilize this instrument in the manner that the President sees fit. prgtoken However, historically, there has been a bipartisan consensus that the NSC debates should be divorced from the world of electoral politics. The Presidents of both parties have sought to establish an NSC policy process that is not contaminated or perceived to be contaminated by political considerations. prgtoken Josh Bolton, chief of staff to President , may have put it best while explaining why President excluded political counselor Karl Rove from all NSC meetings: `` . . . the President . . . knew that the signal he wanted to send to the rest of his administration, the signal he wanted to send to the public, and the signal he especially wanted to send to the military, is that, `The decisions I'm making that involve life and death for the people in uniform will not be tainted by any political decisions.' '' prgtoken I am filing this bill because I believe that President 's directive organizing the NSC breaks from this longstanding, bipartisan tradition of constructing a wall to separate national security policymaking from domestic politics to the greatest extent possible. prgtoken Specifically, the President's directive authorizes the Assistant to the President and Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon to be a permanent member of the NSC and to attend all NSC and Principals Comm
Nomination of Neil Gorsuch (Executive Calendar)
Martin Heinrich (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2017-2-1

since President was inaugurated, he has unveiled a series of damaging and truly un-American Executive orders--in particular, the Executive order banning refugees and individuals from Muslim-majority countries from entering our country. prgtoken For President and his team, it is a projection of an inward- looking, isolationist vision for America. For many New Mexicans, myself included, it is also seen as an attempt to fundamentally change our American values. We are not a country that discriminates based on how you pray. We are not a nation that turns our back on the innocent victims of terrorism or the allies who have risked their own lives so that American soldiers might live. prgtoken President 's actions seek to turn us into the kind of authoritarian Nation that we have always stood against. He has promoted this dark vision instead of asserting America's longstanding role as a voice for democracy, for freedom, human rights, the environment, tolerance, and respect for women--values which extend far beyond our shores. prgtoken In essence, this selfish and bully-like mentality abandon the values that we hold dear and which have defined our great Nation as a global power. prgtoken It should come as no surprise that President 's nominees to be our Nation's top diplomats--Nikki Haley, Rex Tillerson--have no diplomatic experience. On Nikki Haley's first day on the job, President announced that he would be cutting funding for the United Nations by 40 percent, and Ambassador Haley announced to the world that the United States is now ``taking names'' of those who disagree with us. prgtoken In an attempt to show strength, the administration is actually creating weakness. By stepping away from multinational organizations that we helped establish--organizations like the U.N. and NATO--and by presenting a hostile attitude to other countries and allies, the United States is walking away from its role as the indispensable Nation. prgtoken This morning, former CIA Director and retired GEN David Petraeus warned that the global alliances of the United States are at risk, stating: Americans should not take the current international order for granted. It did not will itself into existence. We created it. Likewise, it is not naturally self-sustaining. We have sustained it. If we stop doing so, it will fray and, eventually, collapse. prgtoken Just as I am not confident in President 's nominee for Ambassador to the United Nations, I am equally concerned, if not more so, about his choice for Secretary of State. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, demonstrated that he is blatantly unaware of global affairs. He failed to recognize and condemn human rights violations around the world, including in Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, and declared dangerous policy positions without knowing what those p
Nomination of Neil Gorsuch (Executive Session)
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-2-1

we began public hearings on the Supreme Court nominees in 1916. Since we began those, the Senate has never denied a hearing or a vote to a pending Supreme Court nominee--never, since 1916 until last year. prgtoken Last year Senate s waged an unprecedented blockade against the nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland, a fine judge with impeccable credentials and with strong support from both s and , a man who should be on the Supreme Court today. This is the first time since 1916 that had ever been done. Instead, bowing to the extreme right of their party, s who knew him and who even had said publicly before how much they respected him and how he should be on the Supreme Court refused even to meet with him, let alone accord him the respect of a confirmation hearing--even though the Constitution says that we shall advise and consent and even though each one of us has raised our hand in a solemn oath saying we will uphold the Constitution. prgtoken So this is exactly what happened. The s held hostage a vacancy on the Supreme Court for a year so that their candidate for President could choose a nominee. The blockade of the Merrick Garland nomination was shameful, but I think it is also corrosive for our system of government. Candidate , who verbally attacked a sitting Federal judge in what Ryan called ``a textbook example of a racist comment,'' encouraged Senate s to ``delay, delay, delay.'' Candidate then went further. He said he would prgtoken outsource the vetting of potential nominees to far-right organizations, many of them lobbying organizations, that want to stack the judiciary with ideological conservatives who are outside the mainstream. He promised a nominee who would overturn 40 years of jurisprudence established in Roe v. Wade. With the selection of Judge Gorsuch, it appears as though he is trying to make good on that promise. prgtoken When we confirmed Judge Gorsuch for the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals--and I was a Member of the Senate at the time--I knew he was conservative, but I did not do anything to block him because I hoped he would not impose his personal beliefs from the bench. In fact, at his confirmation hearing in 2006, Judge Gorsuch stated that ``precedent is to be respected and honored.'' He said it is ``unacceptable'' for a judge to try to impose ``his own personal views, his politics, [or] his personal preferences.'' Yet, just last year, he tried to do that. He called for important precedent to be overturned because it did not align with his personal philosophy. prgtoken From my initial review of his record, that I have just begun, I question whether Judge Gorsuch meets the high standard set by Merrick Garland, whose decisions everybody would agree were squarely within the mainstream. And with the ideological litmus test that President has applied in making this selection, the Americ
U.S.-MEXICO RELATIONSHIP
Beto O’Rourke (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-2-1

. Madam , with the President's recent announcement that through an executive action he would commit resources and national attention and focus on building a wall with our neighbor to the south-- Mexico--and given some of the rhetoric that we have heard over the last year in the Presidential campaigns about rapists and criminals coming from the country of Mexico, one might be confused, at best, or, at worst, believe that we have some kind of crisis on our border with Mexico, some kind of crisis in our relationship with our closest neighbor, a country that has done more to benefit the United States than any other country I can imagine, a country that is the number one trading partner of the State of Texas, the third largest trading partner of the United States, our partner on security, on economic development and growth, and on other important hemispheric issues. prgtoken It is important today that we take this opportunity to ensure that our colleagues in the House have the facts. And it is with those facts that we can make better decisions, informed judgments, and a policy that is truly going to benefit not just the U.S.-Mexico border, not just border States like Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, but the entire United States. Here are some facts that I would like to start with, and then I want to ensure that some of my colleagues who can bring their wisdom and experience and perspective to this are able to do so. prgtoken The first fact that we should know is that we have record low levels of northbound migration from Mexico. In fact, more Mexican nationals today are going south into Mexico than are coming north into the United States. We have less than zero migration from Mexico. Total northbound apprehensions of any people from any country coming across our southern border are also at historic lows. And if there are any surges in people or populations coming across that border, it happens to be young children and families fleeing horrific, historic violence in the northern triangle of Central America. And those little kids, they are not trying to evade detection, they are not trying to climb fences, they are not trying to escape the Border Patrol. They are, in fact, turning themselves in, and presenting themselves to Border Patrol agents and to Customs and Border Protection officers at our ports of entry. prgtoken We should also note that we are expending record amounts of U.S. taxpayer resources to secure the border--$19 billion a year this year, last year, and the years going forward--only to increase with these executive orders. We have more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol in these last 15 years from just a little under 10,000 agents to over 20,000 agents on the U.S.-Mexico border and some on the U.S.- Canada border. prgtoken There has never been a terrorist, a terrorist organization, a terrorist plot, or a terrorist act connected to our border with Mexico. There has been with our n
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-2-1

I appreciate the comments just delivered by my colleague from Washington State. Our two States are roughly the same size. They have similar amounts of coastline. We have citizens who share a lot of perspective on the country and that may be apparent in the comments I am about to make. prgtoken , from our earliest days, long before the Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia to declare that 13 disparate colonies were united and ``absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown'' and long before they sought to ``form a more perfect Union,'' our streams, our rivers, and our lakes have been the economic lifeblood of our Nation. They have supported commerce and trade, fishing and agriculture. They have facilitated the ability to travel the vastness of this continent. They have sustained our growing communities and served as critical resources for public health. prgtoken It is no wonder, then, that generations of Americans have worked incredibly hard to protect these natural resources to keep them clean and safe. That is why here, in the Senate and in the House, in 1972, we passed the Clean Water Act that formed the foundation for our Nation's water regulations. It is why, 2 years later, the House and Senate developed and passed the Safe Drinking Water Act, to make sure that public drinking water supplies are safe throughout the Nation. prgtoken I recall the impact of these acts in my home State of Oregon. The Klamath River was considered extraordinarily polluted. You could boat down it and see pipes dumping into it at regular intervals. Then, over time, as the State worked hard to identify those pipes, remove those pipes, and make sure that all pollution went through water treatment, the river got better. It got healthier. prgtoken Now, it is not without its problems. Its problems still exist. There is still nonpoint pollution that affects life in the stream. But it is a far more beautiful and far healthier river than it was before we passed the Clean Water Act. prgtoken We have proceeded to be fairly fierce about our enforcement. We have prosecuted polluters who have bypassed the law and dumped the results of their processes directly into our streams and our waterways. We have worked to protect wetlands, and we have worked to protect estuaries, understanding more and more about the role these various bodies of water play in our economy and play in our natural system and making sure they can continue to play that role so that we have a sustainable environment, one that is not at war with our economy. prgtoken We have made the two work very well together, and we have accomplished all this through the debate and dialogue that we have had in the Senate and in the House and that the experts have brought to bear in our committee hearing rooms. We have accomplished it through the testimony of concerned citizens across the Nation who have identified one particular problem or another problem
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-2-1

just the implication that transparency is going to hurt Putin's Russia is prima facie proof that we need these rules. prgtoken What payments to Putin does Rex Tillerson not want shareholders and the American people to see? prgtoken Today, we should be demanding more transparency and not less from the most conflicted President and administration in history. We are now trying to make transactions less apparent. prgtoken All my colleagues should reject this joint resolution, not only on substance, but it is an abuse of the Congressional Review Act.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Michael E. Capuano (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-2-1

the basic tenets are pretty clear. Here is what they write, one line from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: `` . . . where governance is weak and corruption is rampant extractive, industry revenue that is not transparent becomes a curse that deepens poverty, destroys democratic institutions, defrauds elections and allows autocratic leaders to remain in power against the will of the people.'' prgtoken If you really believe that people around this world should benefit by true and open democracy, you have to provide them the opportunities to do that. I happen to agree with the bishops. prgtoken If you want to allow our companies to bribe foreign governments, say it. I don't like it, but it is a reality of the world. They have been doing it for generations. prgtoken That is all this attempt was. And to simply repeal it says: It is open business day, guys. Go in, pass the cash around, stick it to the regular people, and don't tell them about it.