mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2018-2-14

I rise to speak about the issue that we are dealing with on the floor, and I am grateful for this opportunity. prgtoken I wanted to first of all stress the critical urgency that we act to protect America's Dreamers. The United States is a proud Nation of immigrants. Yet in September the administration insulted our values by announcing a decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, which we know by the acronym DACA. prgtoken Dreamers are young people who have lived in our country since they were children. They are law-abiding residents who have learned English. They have paid taxes, and they have secured jobs to support themselves and their families. Our government promised them that they would be protected if they came forward, and now the administration, at least so far, has broken that promise. prgtoken have been fighting for something on the Dream Act since the administration first announced its decision on DACA more than 5 months ago. We have yet to vote on a single piece of bipartisan legislation to protect Dreamers. I do, however, commend the bipartisan work of a number of my colleagues in both parties who have come to the table to draft legislation that protects Dreamers and secures our border. prgtoken With hundreds--soon to be thousands--of Dreamers losing protection every day, it is critical that we come together to pass bipartisan legislation that will provide permanent protections for these remarkable young people. Dreamers are deeply integrated into communities across Pennsylvania, as well as in a lot of other States and across our country, of course. Dreamers work as nurses, caring for our families. They work as teachers, educating our children, and as servicemen and servicewomen in our military, working to keep us safe. prgtoken Take a young Pennsylvania Dreamer whom I met a few months ago--way back, I guess, in September. She was prgtoken studying to be a nurse. Talking about her own life, she said: All I want to do is heal people. All I want to do is be a nurse. prgtoken Then she became very upset thinking about whether or not she might have that opportunity because of what had not happened in Washington-- no legislation passed to protect her. prgtoken Another Dreamer from Lancaster, PA--the Presiding Officer knows that part of our State well--is Audrey Lopez. Audrey was brought to the United States from Peru when she was just 11 years old. Audrey spent most of her childhood in Pennsylvania, and her parents instilled in her the value of hard work and education. Like so many Dreamers, Audrey only learned that she was undocumented when she was applying to college and learned that she did not have a Social Security number. Despite not having access to financial aid, Audrey worked hard, and she graduated from college. prgtoken After graduation, she took a job in public service working at Church World Services, assisting refugees with resettlem
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-2-14

I come to the floor out of great concern for America's Dreamers, whose futures hinge on the ability of this body to keep its word and get something done. I want to be clear whom we are talking about when we talk about Dreamers. We aren't talking about criminals. We aren't talking about terrorists. We aren't talking about ``bad hombres.'' We are talking about kids as American as apple pie. As I often say, the only country they call home is the United States. The only flag they pledge allegiance to is that of the American flag. The only national anthem they know how to sing is the ``Star-Spangled Banner.'' prgtoken We are talking about 800,000 young people who were brought to this country as children and were able to obtain legal protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA. These kids put enormous faith in our government. They came out of the shadows, they passed background checks, and they registered with our government--all to get a 2-year renewable work permit and protection from deportation. prgtoken Even the Cato Institute, which is a conservative think tank, says that deporting Dreamers--91 percent of whom are gainfully employed-- would hurt America's economy. At the same time, we are also talking about thousands of additional Dreamers who were eligible for DACA but didn't apply. Some couldn't afford the cost and others were still working through the lengthy application process. These are the Dreamers the White House Chief of Staff John Kelly called lazy asses. Well, Mr. Kelly, here is what you don't understand: The reason they didn't apply is not because they were lazy. In fact, in many cases, they didn't apply because they were afraid--afraid of people like you. They were afraid that if they came out of the shadows and registered with the government, they would end up on a short list for deportation. What is depressing is that this administration's actions have proven them right. Now DACA recipients and undocumented Dreamers alike fear they have a target on their back, and that is because President put an expiration date on their dreams when he decided to end DACA. prgtoken Now, let me be clear, DACA was never perfect, and it was never a replacement for truly comprehensive immigration reform. Make no mistake, we still need comprehensive immigration reform, and I am committed as ever to that cause--a cause I have spent the better part of my congressional career trying to achieve. I was a member of the Gang of 8 in the Senate back in 2013 when a bipartisan supermajority in the Senate passed the most historic reforms to our immigration system since the days of President Ronald Reagan, only to die in the House of Representatives without even a vote, but that debate is for another day. That debate is for what President called phase 2. prgtoken This week, we are not here to debate comprehensive immigration reform. We are not here to debate th
DREAMERS
Adriano Espaillat (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-2-14

I rise today to express my concerns and my deep shame for many in this Chamber who continue to gamble with the lives of over 800,000 Dreamers, young people who are workers and students. They are teachers and members of our Armed Forces. They are dads and moms. prgtoken After five continuing resolutions, we still have left them out in the cold, over 800,000 of them. This week, the Senate is, once again, sandbagging the Dreamers. While Senator McConnell has publicly made this an open debate, it is far from being a fair process. prgtoken Just yesterday, a Federal judge in the Eastern District of New York ruled conclusively that eliminating DACA and the benefits extended to DACA recipients is an illegal act. Just as this is happening, the Senate continues and begins to sandbag the Dreamers by first putting on the table the issue of sanctuary cities. prgtoken Many have a flawed view of what sanctuary cities are. Many erroneously think that sanctuary cities harbor hardened criminals. That is far from the truth. prgtoken A sanctuary city is a city that allows a mom to take her child to school, who is undocumented, without fear that the principal will call ICE or the authorities. prgtoken A sanctuary city is a city that allows a senior citizen to go into an emergency room to be treated in a hospital without the fear that the nurse will turn him or her in. prgtoken A sanctuary city is a city that allows people who are living under the shadows to go into a police precinct and report a crime without the fear that they will be deported. prgtoken That is what a sanctuary city is. It is an intricate part of our soul as a country of immigrants and States and cities of immigrants. prgtoken The Senate process is far from being fair. A fair process would be to start a bipartisan debate on Dreamers. The of this Chamber has yet to make a commitment to bring a clean Dream Act to the floor. prgtoken Dreamers are our children. They are my children. They belong to all of us. When we look into their faces, I see my own face. When I look into their faces, I see a genius MacArthur Fellow winner like Cristina Jimenez and Ivan Rosales, who is working toward becoming a doctor in the military. prgtoken There is so much aspiration in these Dreamers. This is why over 80 percent of Americans in red States and blue States and in districts and in ic districts support Dreamers staying here in the United States. prgtoken They represent the best of us. They represent the foundation of our Nation and the tenets of what the Founding Fathers believe in: that people should come to America, prosper, and make her a better place for all of us to live in. prgtoken , the fate of these young people rests right here in the palm of our hands. We need to ask ourselves: Are we a nation of aspirations? Or are we a nation of deportations? prgtoken It is in our hands. We cannot keep deferring a vote on a clean Dream Act. A deferred vote is a dream
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-2-14

as we enter the second day of the debate on immigration, everyone should be focused on finding a bill to protect the Dreamers and address border security that can get 60 votes. That is the ball game. prgtoken The majority leader's desire to vote on an unrelated, partisan immigration bill--legislation that is not only silent on Dreamers but is silent on border security as well--is not a productive way to begin debate. prgtoken Let's get to the crux of the issue. Let s offer whatever they want on DACA and border security, and we will do the same. The leader supports the proposal by Senator Grassley, which is, essentially, the President's plan. Let's vote on that first. We will have several bipartisan bills to offer. We should vote on those too. prgtoken are focused like a laser on finding a bipartisan bill that can pass the Senate to protect the Dreamers. Several moderate s are working toward that as well. The one person who seems most intent on not getting a deal is President . prgtoken President 's contribution to this debate has been to put forward a proposal that contains a vast curtailment of legal immigration, far outside the scope of DACA and border security, and has demanded that the support it. Instead of making a proposal in good faith or working with on a compromise, President is trying to force his unpopular, hard-line immigration agenda down the throats of the American people by calling it a DACA bill. prgtoken The President's proposal, now the Grassley bill, is so extreme on legal immigration that several s have been critical of it, including my friends from South Carolina and Arizona. Yet President somehow thinks that would be to blame for not getting a deal on DACA because we didn't go blindly along with his partisan plan--extreme as it is and with no input from . prgtoken That will not happen. prgtoken Only in a Kafkaesque, 1984 world could the be blamed for the current predicament on DACA. As much as the President wants to turn the world upside down, as much as he wants everyone to just accept what he is saying, the American people know better. Everyone here knows that President has stood in the way of a bipartisan solution to DACA from the very beginning. Let's take a quick look at the history. prgtoken First, it was President who terminated the DACA Program last August, not the and not the s here. Unilaterally, we are in this pickle--worse than a pickle--in this bad situation because President chose to end the DACA Program last August. That stands out above anything else. prgtoken Then President turned his back on not one but two bipartisan immigration proposals. I went so far as to put the wall--the President's signature campaign issue--on the table for discussion. That still did not drive him to a deal. prgtoken Finally, now that
HONORING DR. ROSEMARY JACKSON
Bobby L. Rush (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-2-14

I rise today to pay tribute and honor the memory of Dr. Rosemary Jackson. prgtoken Dr. Jackson was an educator in Chicago. Dr. Jackson was an entrepreneur. Dr. Jackson was an exceptional community leader who passed away last week and leaves behind a stellar legacy that will endure throughout the years. prgtoken Dr. Jackson was a lifelong Chicago resident who had a passion for education, a passion that began when she was a young girl. She received her Ph.D. from Loyola University and her master's degree from both National College of Education and DePaul University. prgtoken Beginning her career as an English teacher at her alma mater, John Marshall High School--my alma mater--she went on to teach at local institutions such as Hyde Park High School on the South Side in my district, Kennedy-King College in my district, and her beloved DePaul University. prgtoken In all of these places, , Dr. Jackson deeply touched countless lives and inspired so many young people. Dr. Jackson, Mr was a pillar of the community and a person deeply committed to public service. She was also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, for which she chaired several committees during her 50-year tenure as an active member. prgtoken Beyond her love for education and her love for community service, Dr. Jackson was a beloved wife and mother. prgtoken She was the vice chairman and the chief administrative officer at Chicago-based Central City Productions, the business that she helped develop with her lifelong partner, her devoted husband, my longtime friend, Mr. Donald Jackson. Central City Productions, , is best known for producing the Stellar Awards, the first and the oldest televised awards show in our Nation that honored gospel music artists for over 33 years. prgtoken Dr. Jackson achieved so much in her life through hard work and determination. She never gave up, always fought for what was right, and made it her life's mission to help students in Chicago explore their potential and their educational possibility. prgtoken Dr. Jackson was a truly remarkable, smart, and phenomenal woman who enjoyed the arts, sports, and loved line dancing. She had a smile that would light up a room. prgtoken Dr. Jackson will be missed by her family, her friends, our city, our State and, indeed, our Nation and all those who fondly remember her beautiful and loving spirit. prgtoken I was blessed to know her, and Chicago was better because of her. My heart goes out to her entire family. prgtoken The last time I saw Dr. Jackson was last year. My late wife, Carolyn, and I were going into one of our favorite restaurants in the Hyde Park community and Rose and Don Jackson, her husband, were leaving, and we stopped for a moment and had a conversation. prgtoken , on behalf of the people of the First Congressional District of Illinois, thank you, Rose. Thank you. God bless you. Enjoy your rest. You have earned it.
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2018-2-14

it is time for the Senate to do its job as a separate branch of government. prgtoken This week, we can come together on a bipartisan basis to resolve the crisis created when he canceled DACA. We can provide hundreds of thousands of young people in our country their shot at pursuing the American dream without fear of deportation. Right now, these young people who were brought to this country as children are terrified they will be separated from their families and the lives they have built here, in the only country they know and love. prgtoken I have met and spoken with so many Dreamers in the Halls of Congress these past months. Their focus, determination, and commitment in this fight continues to be extraordinary and inspiring. Each Dreamer has a different story to tell, but they all share a profoundly simple aspiration--to live, work, and study in the only country they have ever called home. prgtoken When you sit and listen to their stories, it is not difficult to understand why between 80 and 90 percent of Americans support protecting these Dreamers--people like Karen, Maleni, and Beatrice, who can attend the University of Hawaii because of DACA; people like Victor, from Houston, who aspires to become a counselor for LGBTQ youth like him; and people like Getsi, from Oregon, who works three jobs so she can pursue her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner to care for our seniors. These inspiring young people don't need to hear any more promises. They need Members of Congress to put their votes where their mouths have been and do the right thing. prgtoken Like many of my colleagues, I strongly support passing a clean Dream Act--legislation that already has bipartisan support--but it is critical that we get to the 60 votes we need to pass a bill. I am open to discussing different provisions, including some funding for border security to help us get there. We can and should have a debate on comprehensive immigration reform but only after we pass legislation this week to protect the Dreamers. We cannot and should not use this debate to provide cover for efforts to dismantle the family-based immigration system or to make massive cuts to legal immigration. prgtoken The President and a number of colleagues have made it clear they would like to eliminate family-based immigration in favor of a system that is designed only to recruit immigrants with advanced degrees and specialized skills. It is important for the United States to recruit highly skilled immigrants, and we have a number of immigration programs that are designed specifically for this purpose, but when you restrict immigration only to people with highly specialized skills or advanced degrees, you lose out on a lot of human potential that has historically contributed so much to our country. We don't have to look far back into history to prove why this statement is true. prgtoken Over the past week, the Olympics has captured the e
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 620, ADA EDUCATION AND REFORM ACT OF 2017; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3299, PROTECTING CONSUMERS' ACCESS TO CREDIT ACT OF 2017; PROVIDING FOR...
Jared Polis (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2018-2-14

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I am not sure what is worse, the fact that we are taking up legislation that would make it more difficult for Americans to gain access to buildings in their community, including buildings that they work in, or that we are considering legislation that makes it easier for payday lenders to prey on vulnerable consumers by forcing in Washington, D.C Big Government values on our States' rights; or is it worse that we are not taking up legislation to protect the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers at risk of deportation in the beginning of March unless we act? prgtoken My colleagues are working hard to put Washington, D.C Big Government ahead of people, to force people with disabilities to get law degrees and wander around with notepads to document when they are unable to get into a building, and putting payday lenders ahead of hardworking Americans. prgtoken Instead, we should be focused on finding bipartisan solutions to protect aspiring Americans from being forcibly deported from the only country that they know as home. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the rule and ``no'' on H.R. 3299 and H.R. 620, and .
PROTECTING CONSUMERS' ACCESS TO CREDIT ACT OF 2017
Maxine Waters (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-2-14

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I would like to remind Mr. Pittenger that his State, North Carolina, again, along with Mr. McHenry, attorneys general have opposed this bill. They do not like this bill, and I just want to remind them that they don't have the support of their States in doing so. prgtoken , I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), the ranking member of the Capital Markets, Securities, and Investments Subcommittee on the Financial Services Committee.
BROADER OPTIONS FOR AMERICANS ACT
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-2-14

this is immigration week in the U.S. Senate, and we are preparing today's procedural moves to bring bills to the floor for consideration as early as today, perhaps tomorrow at the latest. It is an unusual time when the Senate is focused on such an issue and actual bipartisan amendments and substitutes are being offered. prgtoken We are at this point at this moment in time because of a decision by President on September 5 of last year when he announced he was ending the DACA Program. DACA was a program created by President by Executive order, which allowed those who had been brought to the United States as children, infants, and toddlers to be able to stay legally in the United States on a temporary visa renewable every 2 years. It was called DACA, and 780,000 young people stepped up and paid the filing fee of almost $500, went through a criminal background check and an interview and received DACA protection. They then went on with their lives, with 90 percent of them going to work or to school, enlisting in the military--undocumented in America, willing to hold up their hands and take an oath that they would die for America. That is how much they love this country. Twenty thousand of them went to work as school teachers across the United States of America. Perhaps they are teaching your children or grandchildren today. They are doing important things in this country. But President announced last September 5 that the program that protects them and allows them to work will end. prgtoken Then he challenged us. He said to the Senate and the House: Do something about it. Pass a law. Isn't that what you are there for? The President is right. That is our job. prgtoken This week we are going to try to pass a law to end this crisis, which is going to reach a head on March 5 of this year when the DACA Program officially ends and 1,000 young people a day lose their protection. We have less than 3 weeks. So we are going to move today, I hope, or tomorrow or this week, at some point to consider some alternatives to solve this problem. prgtoken I am sorry to say that there is no plan in the U.S. House of Representatives to even address the problem--none. I don't understand it. They know that lives hang in the balance, and they know that overwhelmingly the American people want to give DACA and the Dreamers a chance. The numbers come rolling in; 75, 80, 85 percent of Americans agree that these young people should be given a chance to earn their way to legal status and citizenship. Even 60 percent of those who voted for President agree with what I just said. It is a popular political issue on both sides, and it also is the right thing to do. prgtoken What the President has proposed as his alternative, from my point of view, is unacceptable. Let me tell you why. Two weeks ago the White House released a one-page framework on immigration reform and border security. The White House claimed
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN
Daniel T. Kildee (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-2-14

this week, the long-awaited infrastructure plan was finally released. What a disappointment, after coming here a year ago and promising a $1 trillion plan. Then, in his State of the Union, saying it is going to be even bigger--huge--$1.5 trillion. In the fine print, however, $1.3 trillion of the $1.5 trillion comes from communities like my hometown of Flint, Michigan. prgtoken Now, let's be clear. If States and local communities had an extra $1.3 trillion laying around, they would be servicing those roads and bridges. They would be rebuilding their water systems. They would be doing this work already. prgtoken If we are going to have a Federal infrastructure plan, we need to have a Federal infrastructure plan that is really investment and not just checking the box so that the President can say he submitted a big, bold infrastructure plan. prgtoken Well, it is not big and bold, from the Federal Government's point of view. The $200 billion investment from the Federal Government, offset by a $170 billion reduction, boils down to $3 billion a year over 10 years. prgtoken That is not big. That is not bold. That won't fix the roads and bridges in this country.