mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2018-6-6

last week I traveled all around my home State of Wyoming, and many Senators have done the same in their home States over the last week. I will tell my colleagues that the people I talked with had a great sense of optimism, confidence, and positiveness in terms of how things were going with their lives. People were feeling very positive about the American economy, about their own lives, and of course about their future. prgtoken We just saw new numbers on Friday showing that the American economy has created more than 1 million new jobs since we passed the Tax Relief and Jobs Act in December. Since President was elected, we have actually gotten more than 3 million more Americans working. prgtoken Unemployment is now at 3.8 percent, and that matches the lowest rate in 50 years. Even the New York Times ran a headline saying: ``We Ran Out of Words to Describe How Good the Jobs Numbers Are.'' prgtoken Think about that, the New York Times: ``We Ran Out of Words to Describe How Good the Jobs Numbers Are.'' prgtoken Every month we have been adding thousands of new jobs in construction, in manufacturing, in healthcare, and mining. We have had strong and steady growth, and the American people and American families are benefiting in every part of the country. It is not just that people are getting jobs; it is that the jobs are paying better as well. prgtoken According to the most recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business, there were a record number of small companies raising their wages last month--a record number raising wages. Average wages are up by 2.7 percent over the last year. Employers can pay more because business is booming. They need more workers. prgtoken On Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said there are now 6.7 million job openings across the country. That is an alltime high. The Labor Department says that for the first time ever, there are actually more job openings than there are unemployed people who are looking for work. prgtoken It is an incredible situation. People look around them and see all of the hiring that is going on and all of the pay raises; it just makes people confident because they see it at home in their communities. It is not just something they read in the newspaper. It is not just something they see on TV. It is what they see at home in their communities in their own lives and in their own paychecks. prgtoken Consumer confidence is at an 18-year high. People know things are going well. They know they have more money in their pockets, and they know the American economy is thriving. prgtoken The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta says they are at a pace for the economy to grow over 4 percent during the second quarter of this year. prgtoken Remember that have been saying there was no way we could even get to 3 percent. Now the Federal Reserve of Atlanta is saying over 4 percent, and they say we are actually heading to close to 5. It is exc
TRIBUTE TO GREGORY SLAVONIC
James M. Inhofe (Republican, OK) \u2014 2018-6-6

today I wish to recognize my good friend and fellow Oklahoman, Mr. Gregory Slavonic, for his Senate confirmation as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Manpower and Reserve Affairs at the Department of Defense. prgtoken Greg was raised in Oklahoma City, OK. He graduated with a bachelor of science from Oklahoma State University and then enlisted in the Navy. After completing boot camp and signalman ``A'' school he received orders to the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CVA 64) and completed two western Pacific deployments in support of combat operations in Vietnam. In 1976, he earned a master's degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. prgtoken His military awards include the Legion of Merit Medal; Bronze Star Medal, two awards; Meritorious Service Medal, three awards; Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, two awards; Combat Action Ribbon; Presidential Unit Citation; and numerous other campaign and service medals. prgtoken Throughout his 34-year career in the Navy and as chief of staff to Senator James Lankford, Greg has served his country and his home State of Oklahoma with great honor and distinction. He will bring those experiences of success to this position and continue the excellence that has been the trademark of the U.S. military. prgtoken I want to congratulate Greg Slavonic on this well-deserved confirmation and wish him well in his new role at the DOD.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2018-6-6

I wish to talk about the economy today, something that most of us are talking about when we are home, and for good reason. Yesterday the Labor Department announced that our economy hit a milestone that we never hit before in the time that we have been measuring prgtoken these two things at the same time. There are now more jobs available in the United States than there are job seekers. prgtoken When I was in Missouri last week, we did a number of events all over the State. At that time, I was confident that in the 12 States in the middle of the country, there were more jobs than people looking for jobs. That was news. prgtoken But even bigger news is the news that was announced yesterday, that there are 6.7 million job openings and there aren't 6.7 million people on unemployment. In fact, the unemployment rate is 3.8 percent. It matches the lowest number we have seen in 50 years. The last time numbers were this low, in fact, was during the Vietnam war, when many young men were being drafted into the military. That was the last time we had an unemployment rate this low. prgtoken Everybody understands--and they should understand--that the 6.7 million jobs don't necessarily have 6.7 million people ready for exactly the jobs that are out there. That should encourage us, among other things, to be thinking about what we need to be doing to make sure that people are either prepared for jobs or they have the skills to allow them quickly to become prepared for the jobs that are available. Two-thirds of Americans say it is a good time to find a job. That is 25 percent more than in the last administration who think it is a good time to find work. prgtoken Working with the President, the Senate and the House have done what we could to fuel the economy. The House and Senate both have rolled back regulations that didn't meet the commonsense test and passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The President of the United States kept telling us: Don't call this tax reform. Who knows what that means or where it might wind up. What we want to do here is to cut people's taxes, increase their take-home pay, and do things that increase jobs. prgtoken In the 10 cities I was in last week, I think I saw virtually every reporter in the State. At least every reporting agency had somebody at those events. We had roundtables with employers. We had meetings with people who were able to buy a house that they couldn't buy otherwise. We had people who really appreciated the extra $500 a year or the extra $152 a month or the extra $200 a month that they were seeing in their family budget, which last year would have been sent to Washington, DC. prgtoken I said many times during that tax cut debate that there are two ways to increase people's pay. One is to take less money out of it. We said that if we passed that bill, 9 out of 10 people who paid taxes last year would pay fewer taxes this year. And the second way we increase people's take-
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2018
Pete Olson (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-6-6

as you know, the greater Houston area, my home, was devastated by Hurricane Harvey. That was 10 months ago. We are still working to recover, and Texas is not alone. Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were impacted by a shattering hurricane season. prgtoken And we can't just focus on the last storm season. The 2018 hurricane season started on June 1. Tropical Storm Alberto hit the Florida Panhandle on May 25, 6 days before hurricane season. NOAA says that there is a 75 percent chance this Atlantic hurricane season will be near or above normal. prgtoken That is why we must act now to prevent damage from huge floods like Harvey. Congress worked in a bipartisan manner to pass the Bipartisan Budget Act to provide critical Army Corps funds to rebuild our communities and prepare for the next storm. Even though that money has been allocated, the work has not begun. While that is partly due to red tape at the Corps, once work begins, we need to move that process quickly. prgtoken My amendment is simple. It says that the Army Corps needs to expedite previously authorized projects in the declared disaster areas of Texas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These projects will provide critical help for communities that are still recovering and mitigate future flooding and damage. prgtoken , I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green).
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2018-6-6

in the last 24 hours, Senator McConnell announced that the Senate will still be in session in August. I don't know of any Senator who loves being in Washington, DC, in August. Quite frankly, it is a hot, humid, miserable place. I would much rather be in Oklahoma with other folks whom I serve, getting to spend some time there. prgtoken The Senate is in session 11 months of the year. The only month we are not in session traditionally is August. But we have a problem. The work is not getting done in the Senate. If the options are to be in Washington, DC, and get the work done or to be back in my State and see the folks in my State but knowing that the legislative work is undone, then the decision should be to get the work done. prgtoken Senator McConnell announced yesterday that in August we will be here. We have two big issues as the reason we should be here in August to get some things done. One is the nominations issue. This is an issue that has, quite frankly, picked up a lot of speed this year. Last year in our nominations process, we had a record slow process to try to get nominations through. This year, more nominations have gotten through. prgtoken Let me give an example of what we are up against. In the past 6 Presidents, there have been a total of 25 cloture votes for nominations in the first 2 years of the Presidency--25 total, all 6 combined. Right now, President is at 100 cloture votes so far for his nominations. prgtoken You may say, what is the big deal about that? Each one of those basically consumes a full day on the Senate floor--each one. In the past, if it was a controversial nominee, there would be additional time that would be requested, and that time would be done. It has been done 25 times over 6 Presidents. To do it 100 times for President --it is obvious it is intentionally slowing down the Senate because when we are dealing with what is called postcloture debate time on a nominee, we can't deal with anything else. We can't deal with legislation. We can't deal with any other topic, so the Senate comes to a stop. One hundred days have been lost just doing that, lost time. prgtoken We have a lot of nominees who still need to go through, which traditionally went through by voice vote or in rapid succession. The White House still has a lot of nominees. They are due to be sent to us as well. They can continue to send those nominees, but the nominees who are here, who have gone through the committee process and have been fully vetted--it is time to bring those to a vote so the President can have his staff. prgtoken In 2013, s and agreed together that things started to slow down a little bit in 2012 on some nominees. s and came together to change the rule for how much time would be set aside for nominees. Harry Reid did a presentation during that time period and supported a proposal: 2 hours of time for district court judges, 8
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2018
Mark Sanford (Republican, SC) \u2014 2018-6-6

I rise as a conservative in support of this measure. prgtoken As conservatives, we want less government; but the government that we have, we want to work better. I think that WRDA does that. prgtoken I think one of the things we look at is how do we become more competitive as a society relative to all the other places around the globe in the way that we deliver goods, whether by land, by air, or by sea. Again, this bill does that. prgtoken I stand in support of this measure and thank the chairman for his work on it. I want to particularly single him out for what he has done with the WRDA process. prgtoken As has already been mentioned, there was a 7-year skip between WRDA bills. But there was a bill in 2014; there was a bill in 2016; there was a bill in 2018. That kind of predictability is absolutely necessary if you are going to see marine and other investments as we have seen, for instance, in a place like Charleston. prgtoken Two, I want to thank him for what he is doing with regard to non- Federal sponsors. This idea of adding new flexibility in the way that we originate programs, I think, makes a lot of sense. One authorization means a bottleneck. What this bill does is frees up bottlenecks in the way that things get funded. prgtoken Third, I want to single out Garret Graves and, again, the chairman, for this study on whether or not civil works can be done by nonmilitary actors. I think that this is vital in moving the backlog through that now exists on the WRDA front. prgtoken Finally, I want to say thanks for what he is doing on cost-benefit analysis. A place like Charleston has been heavily hampered as a consequence of their throwing in local money. What we want to reward at the Federal level is more in the way of State and local money as we leverage Federal investment. prgtoken Again, I thank the chairman for what he has done on this measure, and I rise in support of H.R. 8.
RAISING AWARENESS OF ALOPECIA AREATA
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-6-6

I rise today to honor a remarkable south Floridian, Mr. Larry Adams. prgtoken Born in West Palm Beach in 1927 to a family of limited means, Larry understood from a young age the importance of getting an education. Larry also possessed a strong desire to serve his country during World War II. He enrolled at Purdue University as a U.S. Air Corps Cadet and served in the U.S. Air Force in Germany from 1945 to 1946. prgtoken Upon returning home, Larry attended my alma mater, the University of Miami--Go Canes--where he excelled at both sports and academics, including pitching for our university's baseball team. prgtoken In 1949, Larry began a 42-year career at Florida Power & Light Company--42 years. Starting from the bottom, he worked his way from being a lineman digging ditches and climbing power poles to being a vice president of the State's largest electric utility. prgtoken While excelling at his difficult job duties, Larry reenrolled in school while working for the company and earned a degree from Harvard Graduate Business School's Advanced Management Program for executives. prgtoken Never one to limit himself, Larry also devoted extraordinary time and effort to his community, serving in over 36 local, regional, State, and national community service organizations, which earned him many accolades. prgtoken Larry also played a founding and integral role in the development of management systems to improve the quality and cost of goods and services produced throughout our great Nation. prgtoken In 1987, President Ronald Reagan requested that certain U.S. corporations provide a team of quality management experts whose mission was to create an American Quality Management Award for Excellence program. Florida Power & Light assigned Larry to work under the direction of the U.S. Commerce Secretary and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where Larry co-chaired one of four teams of professional quality improvement management experts provided by American businesses. prgtoken Together, they developed and secured Presidential and congressional approval to create the Malcolm Baldrige Foundation Award to empower U.S. organizations to reach their goals and become significantly more competitive in national and international trade and commerce. Today, the now popular Sterling Management program is a derivative of the Baldrige program and is managed by the Governors of each of our 50 States. prgtoken At the age of 89, Larry became the recipient of the 2016 Florida Governor's Sterling Ambassador of the Year Award for successfully coaching businesses, charitable, and government agencies to learn and deploy Sterling and Malcolm Baldrige management systems during the past 25 years. prgtoken Larry has had an extraordinary life, which he has enjoyed with his wife of over 65 years, Betsy Gregg Adams. Together, they have three sons: Larry, Jr an architect; Ron, a trial attorney; and Thad, a commercial realtor. prgtoken Con
Remembering Bobby Kennedy (Executive Session)
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2018-6-6

I rise today in support of Annemarie Carney Axon to be U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Alabama. prgtoken Annemarie Axon is exceptionally qualified to be a U.S. district judge. Her strong, respectful temperament and commitment to impartiality prove that she is well-suited for this esteemed position. prgtoken Ms. Axon has spent her entire career devoted to the law. She is presently a member of Wallace, Jordan, Ratcliff, & Brandt, LLC, in Birmingham, AL, where she focuses on fiduciary and probate litigation. Prior to her current role, she served as assistant vice president at AmSouth Bank. She began her legal career in 2000 as an associate at the firm Edwards & Angell, LLP, in Rhode Island. prgtoken Axon is a member of both the Alabama and Rhode Island State Bar Associations and represents a broad range of clients including individual and corporate fiduciaries and financial institutions in both State and Federal court. prgtoken In addition to her experience in the courtroom, Axon serves as the president of the YWCA Junior Board, as well as the Girls on the Run board of directors. She is also a member of the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation Board and a member of the American Cancer Society. prgtoken Following her initial nomination in July 2017, Ms. Axon appeared before the Judiciary Committee for consideration. During the hearing, Axon stressed the importance of certain characteristics required to serve as a judge, including the ability to be fair, open-minded, courteous, and respectful to the attorneys and parties in each case. The committee favorably reported her nomination in October 2017. prgtoken I believe Annemarie Axon exemplifies all of the characteristics of a proper judge. I am confident that she will base her decisions on the law above all else, despite the outcome of each case. prgtoken Confirmation of her nomination is beyond imperative, as the swift confirmation of district judges plays a vital role in the functioning ability of the U.S. judicial system. prgtoken By confirming Annemarie Axon to be a U.S. district judge, Congress is allowing the work of the U.S. judicial branch to continue in a manner that will best serve our Nation.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-6-6

I want to begin my remarks by commending our colleagues in the House for taking up a bill later today that I introduced with the junior Senator from Michigan, Mr. Peters, and Congresswoman Comstock over in the House of Representatives. prgtoken We passed this bill unanimously in the Senate in May. I know people believe that nothing happens in a bipartisan way around here and that certainly if it does happen, we are sharply divided somehow, but this bill passed unanimously, defying that suspicion or that intuition. Once the House passes it, it will be headed to the President's desk for his signature and will become the law of the land. prgtoken This bill authorizes a program called Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a nationwide partnership between Federal, State, and local law enforcement authorities and prosecutors focused on reducing crime and improving public safety through stronger community partnerships and targeting the most serious criminal organizations and repeat offenders. prgtoken Since its inception in 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods has proved to reduce violent crime in cities with high participation rates, including double-digit reductions in firearms crimes and homicides. Let me say that again. Since 2001, where it has been used, those jurisdictions and those communities have seen double-digit reductions in firearms crimes and homicides. prgtoken One of the most important elements of the program is a focus on criminal organizations. When Federal, State, and local law enforcement work together to focus on those who control criminal networks, we can defeat them outright. This will also bolster other efforts we are undertaking as the Federal Government to address gun violence and school safety. prgtoken By the way, I commend Attorney General Sessions for ramping up prosecutions of gun-related crimes, especially the so-called lie-and- buy incidents, where people lie about or otherwise hide their criminal background in order to obtain firearms illegally. prgtoken Now we have taken a big step to improve the criminal background check system used when somebody enters a sporting goods store or gun shop to buy a firearm. If you are a convicted felon, if you have been convicted of domestic violence, if you have been dishonorably discharged from the military, you cannot, under current law, purchase a firearm or possess a firearm legally. But what has happened--and we saw this in Sutherland Springs because of the broken background check system--often the derogatory or disqualifying information is not uploaded into the background check system, so people enter these sporting goods stores and purchase a firearm by lying, even though they are already disqualified under Federal law. We have taken a big step here in Congress on a bipartisan basis to shut that down. It is going to take some time to fix that system, so it is important in the interim, certainly, at least, to have the Department of