mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMEMBERING WILBURN K. ROSS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-5-17

today I wish to remember a noble Kentuckian and a decorated World War II veteran, Wilburn K. Ross, who passed away on May 9, 2017, just days before his 95th birthday. A native of Strunk, KY, Ross was awarded the highest decoration in the U.S. military, the Medal of Honor. prgtoken As a private, Ross gained national acclaim for his service in St. Jacques, France, on October 30, 1944. His company lost 55 of its 88 members fighting a group of German mountain troops. Ross' light machine gun was about 10 yards ahead of his supporting riflemen. As intense enemy fire fell around him, Ross repelled the enemy through seven German attacks. When the next attack came, many of his supporting rifleman had run out of ammunition. As his Medal of Honor citation read, ``Pvt. Ross fought on virtually without assistance and, despite the fact that enemy grenadiers crawled to within 4 yards of his position in an effort to kill him with handgrenades, he again directed accurate and deadly fire on the prgtoken hostile force and hurled it back.'' During the 5 hours of fighting, Ross killed or wounded at least 58 Germans and saved his brothers in arms. prgtoken Ross reenlisted in the Army to see action in Korea, serving another two decades. He retired from Active Duty in 1964 at the rank of master sergeant. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, ``[f]or conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.'' prgtoken Although he moved to DuPont, WA, after his retirement from the U.S. Army, Ross made a trip back to his hometown in Kentucky nearly every year on his birthday. In his own words, he enjoyed coming back to the Commonwealth because, ``[e]verybody here treats me well.'' prgtoken He turned down offers to make his life into a Hollywood film, but Ross has been memorialized on a U.S. Postal Service stamp and by a section of Kentucky Route 92 in his home county. In 2014, Ross was a member of the inaugural class admitted to the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame. prgtoken Like so many other members of the Greatest Generation, Wilburn Ross answered the call to defend our Nation. Through his bravery and sacrifice, he helped secure freedom across the globe. The story of his courageous actions and selfless service will continue to be told, both in McCreary County and across the Commonwealth. Elaine and I send our condolences to his family and friends.
HONORING LAW ENFORCEMENT
Ted Poe (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-5-17

these were real people. And as Sheriff Reichert said earlier, these people have families. prgtoken Lastly, I would like to mention one other officer whose name I read. His name was Sergeant Stacey Baumgartner. He worked at a little bitty police department called Patton Village in Texas, right outside of Houston, and he was killed when his patrol car collided with another vehicle while he was involved in a hot pursuit. prgtoken He is survived by his wife, his son, and his daughter, Chloe. This is a photograph of Chloe taken last week in Austin, Texas, at the Texas Peace Officers Memorial Service event. This is her. It was posted by the police chief of Patton Village, Texas. It expresses the families, the humanity of their fathers and their mothers, and how we as a people need to understand the consequences when people murder our finest. prgtoken God bless the thin blue line. prgtoken And that is just the way it is.
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
Brian K. Fitzpatrick (Republican, PA) \u2014 2017-5-17

I rise today because this week marks the 1-year anniversary since the EPA established the health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion to limit the lifetime exposure to perfluorinated compounds like PFOA and PFOS. prgtoken To some, these acronyms and this anniversary may mean nothing, but to me and my constituents--more than 70,000 Pennsylvanians in Bucks and Montgomery Counties--it has been a year of confusion, concern, and anger sparked by the rightful fear that their health has been endangered by these PFCs. prgtoken The use of firefighting foam at military bases in and around our district has contaminated dozens of public wells and over 140 private wells with these compounds, leaving many residents scared and municipalities and local governments looking for answers. prgtoken , every American deserves access to clean, safe drinking water. Yet, for too many of my constituents, these elevated levels of PFCs have put them and their families at risk. prgtoken While work has been done, there is still far more work to do; and I am pleased that the recent government funding measure included directions for the Secretary of Defense to continue addressing these pressing issues, specifically by requiring all military services to establish procedures for prompt and cost-effective remediation of PFC contamination, and also by delivering a report to Congress by the end of the summer assessing the number of military installations across the country impacted and the effect on drinking water in the surrounding communities, as well as departmentwide plans for community notification of contamination and procedures for timely remediation. prgtoken However, our work cannot stop here. Not only should a health study be executed to know if PFOS and PFOA have compromised my constituents' long-term health, other issues must be addressed, including interacting with the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding service-connected condition care for military veterans potentially impacted and finding ways to offset trickle-down costs for those forced to connect to public water in impacted areas. prgtoken After a year, my constituents deserve more answers, and we will give them to them. They demand action. I will fight for both.
National Police Week (Executive Session)
Tom Cotton (Republican, AR) \u2014 2017-5-17

over the weekend I heard a story I wanted to share with everyone here today. The story goes that there were three candles burning on a porch right across the street from the Cornwell Funeral Home in Dardanelle, AR--my hometown, just a couple blocks away from my home. A family had lit them in the memory of the three people who were brutally murdered last week in Chickalah, just a few miles outside of Dardanelle. prgtoken One of those slain was Lieutenant Kevin Mainhart of the Yell County Sheriff's Department, who was killed after he stopped a man wanted in a domestic disturbance. In honor of his 5 years of service to Yell County--on top of the 20 years of service he rendered to the West Memphis Police Department--his fellow officers escorted in their cruisers the white hearse carrying his body from the State crime laboratory in Little Rock back to Dardanelle. prgtoken The family across the street had lit a green candle, specifically for Lieutenant Mainhart, and the three candles burned all the night. But as the hearse pulled into the funeral home, the green candle suddenly went out. prgtoken You could say that it was nothing more than a strange coincidence, but I think there is something especially poignant about the sudden, tragic loss of Lieutenant Mainhart's life so close to National Police Week, which began on Sunday. Like that green candle, Lieutenant Mainhart lit up his community, and, like that flickering flame, his life was too brief. prgtoken Like every American this week, I wish to pay my respects to Lieutenant Mainhart and the noble profession he chose. One of the things which struck me about Lieutenant Mainhart's death was that it came so early in the morning. The stop occurred at 7:18 a.m. He had the whole day and his whole life in front of him. prgtoken He was only 46 years old, but he had made the most of his time on this Earth. He was a husband, a father, an Air Force vet, a beloved member of our community. Hundreds of people don't line the streets for just anybody. Yet, in a moment, he was gone--his family bereft, our community in mourning. It is a reminder of how precious and fragile every life really is. prgtoken It also goes to show just how brave every police officer really is, because this is the risk they take every morning. They put on the uniform, they kiss their families good-bye, and they go to work, never fully certain they will get home that night. Yet the ever-present threat of death doesn't hold them down. It doesn't hold them back. It doesn't dim the brilliance of their service. They give it their all, day after day, without giving it a moment's thought. That, to me, is the ultimate sign of character--when you do the right thing without even thinking about it. prgtoken People like this are hard to come by. The sad truth is, we need a lot of them. A free country always does, because there is no freedom without security. We are so used to this basic fact--that for mo
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2017-5-17

I have 10 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. prgtoken Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: committee on aging prgtoken The Special Committee on Aging is authorized to meet during the session prgtoken of the Senate on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Aging With Community: Building Connections that Last a Lifetime.'' committee on commerce, science, and transportation prgtoken The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to hold a meeting during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at 10 a.m. in Room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. committee on environment and public works prgtoken The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at 10 a.m. in Room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Improving America's Transportation Infrastructure: The Road Forward.'' committee on foreign relations prgtoken The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at 2 p.m to hold a hearing entitled ``Nominations.'' committee on homeland security prgtoken The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at 10 a.m. for a business meeting. committee on indian affairs prgtoken The Committee on Indian Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:30 p.m to conduct a business meeting. prgtoken The Committee on Indian Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, in Room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:30 p.m to conduct an oversight hearing on ``High Risk, No Reward: GAO's High Risk List for Indian Programs.'' committee on Veterans' Affairs prgtoken The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. in SR- 418, to conduct a hearing on pending legislation. subcommittee on Airland prgtoken The Subcommittee on Airland of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at 3:30 p.m in open session, to receive testimony on United States Military Small Arms Requirements. subcommittee on strategic forces prgtoken The Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on
Healthcare Legislation (Executive Session)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-5-17

there is a reason we are talking about healthcare, and we should be talking about healthcare. We should be looking for the gaps and trying to find those gaps. I had a long conversation this morning about people who have disabilities, adults who have disabilities, and the challenges they have always faced in the insurance marketplace. They are people like Dan and Lidia who have a hard time working or are unable to have a full-time job, who may be covered by insurance through their parents until they are too old, or they may not be covered because their parents aren't covered. But normally, if that has been the case, where you were able to share whatever coverage your parents had--and certainly this is an area we should work on, how we deal with those who are disadvantaged. On the Medicaid front, our goal should be to look at the House bill and make it better. prgtoken The people who were added to Medicaid under President 's healthcare plan, decided by the States--the very group who my friend from Maine said shouldn't be making these kinds of decisions--the States made these decisions because it was left to them to make them. And they weren't children and they weren't old people; they were single adults who traditionally had not been covered by Medicaid. We can talk all we want to about how these cuts are going to affect children and old people, but that is not who would be affected. prgtoken There is a debate the States have already had. Some States added single adults for the first time, and others didn't. Many States believe they can make those decisions better in their own States, to have a healthcare home where somebody has a doctor they could go to. Having coverage doesn't matter if you can't get access to healthcare. Our debate here should be about access to healthcare, and it should be about people who, because of Care, are having problems with access to healthcare. prgtoken President promised that the new plan would bend the cost curve. He said it would bend the cost curve and bring healthcare costs down. I think the topic he was discussing was healthcare coverage costs coming down by $2,500 for the typical family. The cost curve got bent all right, but it didn't get bent down, it got bent up. In our State, just last year in Missouri, 25 percent was the average increase from one year to the next. The individual policies in many of our counties--84 percent have only one insurance company that is willing to offer a plan. That should tell us something right there about whether the exchange idea worked, the way it was put together. It is clearly not working. prgtoken We can continue to move forward and act as though that doesn't matter, but it matters a lot. We have 114 counties and the city of St. Louis, and our constitution functions as if it were a county. One- hundred and fifteen of those entities, the county-like entities--97 of them have only 1 company willing to off
EDWARD T. SCHAFER AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTER
Kevin Cramer (Republican, ND) \u2014 2017-5-17

I thank Mr. Davis and my colleague, Mr. Peterson, from across the Red River in Minnesota for their support for this renaming of the Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center. For all of the reasons that Representative Peterson talked about, it is a world-class facility in a world-class town, and I think it should be named after a world-class guy, and I think Ed Schafer is that. prgtoken I had the opportunity to serve under Ed when he was Governor for 8 years. I served in his cabinet. His intellect and his common sense are matched only by his boundless energy and his eternal optimism, qualities he brings to every job he does, including his work at the Department of Agriculture. prgtoken When he was recognized by his former Governor colleague, President , and asked to join the administration in that department, it was a remarkable thing not just for agriculture, not just for Ed, but for our State. North Dakota is number one in the production of many crops. Agriculture is the number one industry in our State. It is what makes North Dakota what North Dakota is: the ability to feed hungry people in a growing world. Ed brought that common sense to USDA and that work ethic that works the land so effectively. prgtoken I feel like this is a fitting tribute to him. It is a celebration not only of his accomplishments, but a celebration of agriculture in North Dakota and the entire Red River Valley, including Congressman Peterson's district, and really for our world. prgtoken I would note that our two Senators, while it is easy for me to get unanimity in the House for the North Dakota House caucus since I am the only one, North Dakota's two Senators have a companion bill in the Senate introduced by Senator Hoeven and cosponsored by Senator Heitkamp, and they support this effort as well. prgtoken I appreciate the work of the committee and the work of Ed Schafer, and I look forward, hopefully, to a celebration of the renaming.
National Police Week (Executive Session)
Jeff Flake (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2017-5-17

in light of National Police Week, I rise today in support of our men and women serving in law enforcement. prgtoken Police week is a good time for reflection and remembrance. It is a time to honor those who serve and protect us. While we honor our dedicated law enforcement officers this week, I want, specifically, to recognize those fallen officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice-- their lives--for our safety. prgtoken In Arizona we lost three officers this year: Officer Leander Frank of the Navajo Nation Police Department, Officer David Van Glasser of the Phoenix prgtoken Police Department, and Officer Darrin Reed of the Show Low Police Department. Today we honor the memory of these fallen heroes and pledge to never forget their sacrifice. prgtoken While the work we do in Congress pales in comparison to the service of these brave men and women, it is my privilege to sponsor several pieces of legislation to support our law enforcement officers. I have joined with Senator Hatch to introduce the Rapid DNA Act, a bill that gives State and local law enforcement agencies a way to upload a suspect's DNA analysis to a Federal offender database for immediate identification. This immediate cross-hit within the Federal system will help officers at the local level to process criminals faster and more accurately. prgtoken I have also teamed up with Senator Feinstein to introduce the bipartisan Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act. That legislation criminalizes the failure to report to law enforcement incidents of suspected child abuse in amateur athletics. In addition to helping prevent sexual abuse crimes, this bill will aid State and local law enforcement investigating allegations of child sexual abuse by providing them with more information faster. prgtoken I have also supported Senator Cornyn's American Law Enforcement Heroes Act. That bill affirms a well-established practice of hiring veterans at the local level to serve as new law enforcement officers. Together, these bills will enhance law enforcement investigations and encourage better hiring practices for new law enforcement jobs. prgtoken I also want to recognize the local police officers and sheriffs in Arizona, along with those on the border who are serving on the frontlines of immigration enforcement. These men and women put their lives on the line every time they go out on patrol. For them, immigration policy is not a hypothetical exercise. prgtoken Despite the critical role these entities play in assisting their Federal partners with immigration enforcement, current Federal policy leaves them exposed to the threat of costly litigation. That is because third-party groups that oppose detention have threatened local agencies that choose to comply with valid detainer requests with lawsuits. Using punitive legal action to punish law enforcement for good-faith efforts to keep people safe is wrong. That is why a group of Arizona sheriffs
HONORING LAW ENFORCEMENT
David G. Reichert (Republican, WA) \u2014 2017-5-17

I thank the chairman. I thank him for all his hard work in his committee to support law enforcement across the country. I look forward to working with him on some of the law enforcement reforms that his committee is looking at. I appreciate it. prgtoken It is an honor for me, , to lead this Special Order. I am very humbled at the response that we have received tonight by the Members who want to be here and talk about their law enforcement officers in their communities. prgtoken Another one of our Members who wants to share his thoughts and feelings is the son of a State trooper from Georgia. prgtoken , from Georgia (Mr. Collins).
MODERNIZING GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 2017
Will Hurd (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-5-17

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , we have some young folks in the Chamber right now, and I hope they recognize that this is how their government is supposed to work: people working together, putting their differences past them for the betterment of our great Nation. prgtoken It is an honor for me to have this opportunity to do this with so many of my friends that I have grown to love and respect over these last 2 years. And we get to save government money, protect our digital infrastructure, and make sure that our government is providing the kind of services we should and that the American people demand. prgtoken , I urge adoption of this bill, and .
RECOGNIZING NATIONAL POLICE WEEK
Darin LaHood (Republican, IL) \u2014 2017-5-17

I rise today in recognition of National Police Week, a time to honor and thank law enforcement officers for all they do in service to our communities. prgtoken As a former State and Federal prosecutor, I have worked with law enforcement officers at every level: local, State, and Federal. I watched as they tirelessly worked to carry out justice and keep our communities safe. prgtoken As a Member of Congress, I have the privilege of representing a district that is both rural and urban. I have seen the different challenges that our officers have faced. They have done it in a tremendous way, both at the local police level and at the sheriff level. The work and effort put in by the officers in each community never ceases to amaze me. It is a big reason why our district has continued to thrive with vibrant and safe communities. prgtoken This work does not come without its risks. Far too many officers pay the ultimate price. Last year in South Jacksonville, Illinois, in my district, one of its own was killed in the line of duty. Losses like this are devastating for both the families and our communities. We must never forget their sacrifices and we must continue to work to keep our officers protected. prgtoken , I am proud of the work the House is doing this week to do just that. I thank every law enforcement officer for their commitment and dedication towards keeping America safe.
HONORING BEN AND DAN MATHESON
Joe Barton (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-5-17

I rise to bring to the House's attention two fine Texans who are sitting up in the House gallery, Ben and Dan Matheson. prgtoken Ben has been on my Air Force advisory committee down in Texas for the entire 32 years that I have been in Congress. He and the other two members of that nominating committee have recommended to me over 100 young men and women whom we have nominated to the Air Force Academy and who are now serving, defending our Nation. prgtoken His son is Dan Matheson, one of my best friends, a proud graduate of the University of Texas Law School, former head of the Texas State Fed office, and a successful practicing attorney in Austin, Texas. prgtoken I am very proud to have their friendship, and I am glad to bring to the attention of the House these two fine Americans.