mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING DONALD R. WHITE
Barbara Lee (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-6

I rise today to honor the extraordinary work of Donald R. White, who recently retired after 32 years of serving as Alameda County's Treasurer-Tax Collector. I recognize his exemplary work and the invaluable influence he had on our community in the County of Alameda. prgtoken Mr. White graduated from California State University, Hayward (now Cal State East Bay) where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a member of the California Society of CPAs, and a member of the American Institute of CPAs. These qualifications helped him become the first African American auditor at Ernst and Young's San Francisco office and he later co- founded Adams, Grant, White & Co, a minority owned accounting firm that had offices in Washington, D.C Oakland, and Fresno. prgtoken Donald began his work for Alameda County in 1985 when he made history as the first African American to be elected to the position of Treasurer-Tax Collector. As Alameda County's Treasurer, White oversaw billions of dollars in county funds, managed multiple departments, and supervised a staff of over 60 employees. prgtoken Mr. White is a trailblazer. He dedicated his career to serving and supporting his community, investing years with countless community service organizations. He has committed himself to numerous non-profit boards, including service on the Board of Trustees for the East Oakland Youth Development Center and on the Board of Directors and as chair of the Audit Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of California. He served as treasurer for the Alpha Gamma Boule Foundation and treasurer of the Black Elected Officials and Faith Based Leaders of the East Bay. prgtoken Over the years Mr. White has also committed his time and expertise to numerous professional organizations, including the California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors, National Association of Securities Professionals, National Association of Black Accountants, and is an active member of the Oakland Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). prgtoken Mr. White is an exemplary model of a positive community activist, promoter of equality, and role model for all. He has worked tirelessly as a public servant and committed himself to expanding and promoting diversity in every aspect of professional services for the county. prgtoken On a personal note, I had the privilege to be involved in Don's first campaign, when I organized an event for him with Congressman Harold Ford. Don was also a member of a business delegation that I led to Africa, and the group benefitted tremendously from his expertise and insights. More than anything, Don always lived up to his role as an exemplary public servant, and I am proud to call him my friend. prgtoken Today, on behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, I salute the long and successful career of Donald R. White. I offer my congratulat
IN RECOGNITION OF THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SACRAMENTO MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM
Doris O. Matsui (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-6

I rise today to recognize the 90th Anniversary of Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium. As the City of Sacramento celebrates one of its most valued and awe inspiring buildings, I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring this historical piece of architecture in Sacramento. prgtoken The Memorial Auditorium, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977, opened in 1927 and is dedicated as a tribute and memorial to those in our community who gave their lives to our country. The Memorial Auditorium has provided the venue for a variety of events including concerts, local graduations, competitions and gubernatorial inaugurations. The building has many unique architectural design elements and operational features. prgtoken In honor of this anniversary, the City of Sacramento is offering a viewing of the classic comedy and silent film ``Steamboat Bill, Jr.'' accompanied by the local organist Dave Moreno live. This Buster Keaton film has special connection with the area, as it was filmed on the Sacramento River in 1927 the same year the Memorial Auditorium opened. prgtoken , as the City of Sacramento honors the 90th Anniversary of the Memorial Auditorium, I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring this staple of the Sacramento area and all it has provided to the community.
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, AND THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2017-3-6

Americans are working longer and Americans are working harder than ever before, with less and less to show for it. prgtoken Over the last 40 years, GDP has gone up, corporate profits have gone up, executive salaries have gone up--all because American workers are more productive. Again, GDP is up, corporate salaries are up, corporate profits are up, executive salaries are up--all because of the productivity of American workers. Unfortunately--tragically--a big problem in our society is that workers don't share in the economic growth they have created for their companies. prgtoken On Friday, at the John Glenn School in Columbus, I rolled out a plan to do something about it. Instead of working to raise wages, the Senate is debating a measure to give large corporations even more ability, more leeway, more opportunity to shortchange American workers. It is as simple as that. One in five Americans works in a company that does some business with the American Government. We are talking about a rule that affects companies employing as much as one-fifth of the workforce. These workers deserve to be paid what they earn. They deserve safe workplaces, just as all American workers do. prgtoken Before this worker protection rule was put in place, nearly one-third of the companies in the United States with the worst safety and health violations were receiving taxpayer dollars in the form of Federal contracts. Federal dollars are going to these companies. They then turn around and hire workers in contract with the government and hire workers and cheat them and shortchange them. These corporations broke the law. They didn't pay their employees what they were owed or they broke health and safety rules. Yet they continue to rake in Federal dollars. That is unfair to workers. It is unfair to the good companies that play by the rules. It is unfair to those who are undercut, competitors that willfully and constantly follow the law. The good companies often are losing out. They are playing by the rules, yet lose out to the companies that aren't. prgtoken That is why the administration put in place the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive order. If you want the privilege of doing business with American taxpayers, if you want a contract with the Federal government paid for by taxpayers, you must follow the law. It is as simple as that. That was yesterday. Also, yesterday the rule ensured that workers have accurate information about the hours they work, the overtime pay they can earn, the wages they are being paid-- basic things that above-board companies are already doing anyway. That was yesterday. prgtoken Today this body is voting to undo that. Why would we want to roll back commonsense worker protections? Why would we reward companies that cheat their workers by giving them more taxpayer dollars? There is only one possible explanation: to make it easier for some big companies to cheat both their own workers
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, AND THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-3-6

first, from Washington State who has been such a leader on issues like this, throughout this session of Congress and throughout her entire career. prgtoken I want to add a few comments on H.J. Res. 37, which I strongly oppose. More prgtoken than one in five Americans is employed by a company that has at least one Federal contract. Unfortunately, every year tens of thousands of workers are denied overtime wages, not paid fairly because of their gender or age, or have health and safety put at risk by corner-cutting contractors. Those contractors who obey the rules are put at a disadvantage by those who cut corners, and that is what this proposal that President put into effect was supposed to curb. That was the rule. prgtoken What do we find President and our colleagues doing? Once again, favoring the special interests, Big Business, over the working people. As my colleague from Massachusetts, Senator Warren, just said: ``This is a debate about whom Congress actually works for.'' The President tries to present himself as a populist favoring working people. That is in his speeches, but in all of his actions, just about every single one, when there is a special interest, a business interest at stake versus a worker interest, he sides with the special Big Business interests. prgtoken The President promised to be a champion for working people in his inaugural address. An hour later, he signed an Executive order making it harder for working people to get a mortgage. Last week, the President made a whole host of claims about what his government would do only 24 hours after releasing a budget blueprint that would take a meat ax to the Federal agencies he was talking about. He had this beautifully sympathetic moment about medical research, and his budget is going to slash it. He talked about education as a major issue in America. His budget will slash that. prgtoken Again, less than a week after another populist speech to Congress, the President is doing exactly the opposite of what he said he was going to do--stick up for working men and women--by signing this resolution. President promised: I will deliver better wages for the working class. Well, President , more than 300,000 workers have been victims of wage-related labor violations while working under Federal contracts during the last decade. Are you now going to sign a bill, President , that would make it easier for recidivist Federal contractors to skirt wage standards and hurt their workers? It sounds like it to me. This administration's hypocrisy knows no end. It is not populist. It is not for the working people, not in what they do. prgtoken In his joint address to Congress, the President said, he would ``ensure new parents have paid family leave.'' Now is he going to sign a bill that makes it easier for companies that violate family leave laws to win contracts from the Federal Governme
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-3-6

earlier today, President signed a new Executive order that bans travel to the United States from a new list of Muslim-majority countries and bans all refugees. This new Executive order includes some cosmetic changes, but these changes do not alter the fact that President 's travel ban is still unconstitutional and still inconsistent with the values of this Nation. prgtoken This Executive order plays directly into ISIS's argument that the United States is waging a war against a religion. The President's first travel ban was blocked by multiple Federal courts, and his latest, I hope, will face the same fate. prgtoken Let's consider how we have arrived at this point. During his first full week in office, President signed his first Executive order that banned Muslims and refugees. This order resulted in chaos in airports across the country. Dozens of legal immigrants were detained, not because they did anything wrong or because they were any danger to our Nation. It was solely because of where they came from. There was an Iraqi immigrant who put himself and his family in harm's way by working with American troops as an interpreter, two disabled seniors--a husband and wife--and a 5-year-old child. These were people who were the victims of President 's first Executive order. prgtoken The order faced widespread resistance from the American people, the courts, and even from the administration itself. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates said the Justice Department could not in good conscience defend the President's Executive order. So the President fired her. prgtoken Now comes this new Executive order. We know that, over time, Ms. Yates was right. She stood for principle, and when multiple Federal courts blocked that Executive order, we understood that she appreciated the law, unlike those who crafted this terrible order. prgtoken Rather than repeal the Executive order or defend it in court, the administration is trying to evade these prgtoken legal challenges by issuing a new version but with some tweaks. The original Executive order banned travelers to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries. The President heard the plea about this ban on Muslim travelers. He issued a new order today which does not ban travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries but from only six. This is still, nevertheless, an attack on religious freedom that risks alienating hundreds of millions of Muslims across the world. prgtoken Our focus should be on people with suspected links to terrorism. The President will have no resistance from this Congress--from either side of the aisle--if he goes after actual suspects of terrorism, but this should be done regardless of the suspect's religion. prgtoken This order--the new one--still blocks refugees from coming to the United States for at least 120 days, and it cuts by more than 50 percent the number of refugees who will be settled in the Unite
REPEALING AND REPLACING OBAMACARE
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-3-6

another important area where Congress is working to provide relief is Care. prgtoken In election after election, the American people have called for an end to Care. In the last election, they made their voices clear one more time. They elected a President and a Congress dedicated to bringing relief from this partisan law, and we are determined to do right by our constituents by doing just that. prgtoken Nearly 7 years after being signed into law, I continue to hear from Kentuckians who aren't sure how they can continue to manage under Care's broken promises. Take this Kentuckian from Morehead who wrote to my office earlier this year: Prior to care, I had a manageable monthly healthcare premium that had enough coverage for myself with a reasonable deductible. Since care has been enforced, or should I say forced upon the American people, my premiums have increased each year significantly. prgtoken Now, under Care, this Kentuckian says keeping his same coverage for 2017 means facing a 300-percent increase in his premiums as compared to the plan he had before the broken law was implemented. ``The general cost of healthcare has skyrocketed,'' he writes, and as a result ``small business owners and [the] working middle class are suffering.'' prgtoken Unfortunately, his story is like so many others all across the country. Americans were promised that costs would go down. Americans were promised that choice would go up. Americans were promised that they could keep their healthcare plan. None of that was true--not a single one of those things. prgtoken Americans need relief. They deserve a new direction. That is why we are taking action to repeal and replace Care with healthcare solutions that can actually work for the American people. prgtoken As our efforts to move beyond Care continue, Senators came together last week for another important conversation on the way forward when it comes to our Nation's healthcare policies. I also had the opportunity to visit the White House and discuss the ways in which the administration and Congress can continue working together to bring relief from Care. prgtoken The House will keep working this week, as well, to move forward with legislation--under a new President who will actually sign it--that can finally help us pursue smarter healthcare solutions in place of this failed partisan experiment. We know the task before us is daunting, but, of course, it is just as necessary. prgtoken So I thank the for his continued leadership on this issue, along with each of our colleagues who have been working literally around the clock on repeal and replace efforts. Let's keep working this week so that we can bring Americans much needed relief from Care as soon as possible. prgtoken .
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2017-3-6

during the afternoon of Tuesday February 28, 2017, I was absent from the House due to a meeting at the White House with Vice President and my constituent and guest to the President's Address to the Joint Session of Congress, Elizabeth Snyder. I would like to reflect how I would have voted had I been present for legislative business. prgtoken Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on Roll Call 105. I would have voted ``nay'' on Roll Call 106, Roll Call 107, and Roll Call 108.
RECOGNIZING MS. KRISTEN WHITE AS THE 2018 SANTA ROSA COUNTY TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Matt Gaetz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-3-6

I rise to recognize Ms. Kristen White as the 2018 Santa Rosa County Teacher of the Year. Ms. Brown has a long history of serving the Santa Rosa County School District with exceptional passion and an unwavering commitment to helping her students. In Northwest Florida, we are fortunate to have some of the best teachers in the Nation. It is recognized that the teaching profession is one of the most difficult yet rewarding professions in existence. Ms. White has exceptionally performed her teaching duties, while also striving to be an active and supportive member of her community. Ms. White has served as an elementary reading and writing intervention teacher at East Milton Elementary and coordinates the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) Innovate Lab, which serves K-5 students. She also provides professional development to teachers, coordinates Discovery education assessments, and collects and interprets data for grade levels. Previously she has served as a Kindergarten teacher and grade level chair. Her support and mentoring extends far beyond the walls of her classroom through her willingness to serve as a Professional Learning Community facilitator. I commend Ms. White for her steadfast willingness to serve those that matter most, the students and youth of our Nation. For all of her admirable contributions, I am truly proud to have Ms. White as a constituent in Florida's First Congressional District on behalf of the United States Congress, I am privileged to recognize Ms. Kristen White for her accomplishments and her commitment to excellence in the Santa Rosa County School District. I thank her for her service and wish her all the best for continued success.
IN RECOGNITION OF THE WHISNANTS
Mark Meadows (Republican, NC) \u2014 2017-3-6

I rise today to recognize The Whisnants, a musical ensemble from Morganton, North Carolina. On behalf of the people of Western North Carolina, I would like to congratulate The Whisnants for nearly 50 years of the continued growth of their remarkable ministry. prgtoken This ministry began many years ago in 1970, when John and Betty Whisnant and their family began singing gospel music in Morganton, North Carolina. The group has expanded over the years, with members coming and going, but they have always remained true to their mission. This family has asked God to use their ministry to touch more and more lives, and he has clearly used their music to do so. In the 47 years since they got their start, the Whisnants have performed across the nation and the world. The Whisnants have been recognized as leaders in gospel music, and their songs have frequently been awarded top accolades throughout their career. prgtoken As the family's ministry continues to grow and as new generations of Whisnants take new roles, they do so with my prayers and continued best wishes. The Whisnants have been extraordinary representatives of our community across our state and nation. On behalf of the people of Western North Carolina, it's my honor to recognize them on this important family milestone.
REMEMBERING MAJOR REID B. NANNEN, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
Darin LaHood (Republican, IL) \u2014 2017-3-6

today, I would like to honor United States Marine Corps Major Reid B. Nannen, who passed away Sunday, March 1, 2014, while training at TOPGUN NAS in Fallon, Nevada. prgtoken Reid attended Olympia High School where he was a two-year captain of the swim team, a section leader for the drum line, and an Illinois State Scholar. Reid then attended the University of Illinois where he participated in the Marching Illini Drum Line, and also served as commander of the NROTC Drill Team his senior year. After graduating, Reid married the love of his life, Sarah M. Simpson, on August 6, 2005, in Peoria, Illinois. prgtoken Reid was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in May 2004. After completing The Basic School, Reid attended Naval Aviation Training and received his Wings of Gold in February 2007. He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from May to December of 2010. Reid attended Tactical Air Control Party training in 2011 and proceeded to Camp Pendleton, California, for duty as a forward air controller. Reid deployed for the second time to Afghanistan from October of 2011 to May of 2012. Reid's valor and leadership led him to serve as a decorated hero receiving the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Achievement Medal, and the Navy Commendation Medal and Air Medal. prgtoken In honor of Reid's sacrifice, it is my privilege to commemorate his service through the designation of the Major Reid B. Nannen Highway in Hopedale, Illinois. My prayers and thoughts go out to his wife, Sarah, and their four children, who have lost a loving husband and father. Our Nation is blessed to have servicemen like Captain Reid who have selflessly given their life in defense of our country and our freedom.
ORDERS FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2017-3-6

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 7; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of H.J. Res. 44; finally, that there be 8 hours of debate remaining on the resolution, equally divided in the usual form.