mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Ben Sasse (Republican, NE) \u2014 2017-3-7

I rise in support of S.J. Res. 26, a resolution to disapprove the administration Department of Education's regulation on teacher preparation issues. This resolution is simple. It overturns the last administration's overreach into scores of States and territories, into thousands of college and university teacher preparation programs, and into millions of American classrooms. prgtoken Last night, I drafted a fairly detailed statement on some of the problems deep inside this regulation, but I have decided to skip past most of that. Why? Because the problem with this regulation is actually much more basic than all of the substantive problems in the regulation. This regulation actually makes the assumption that bureaucrats in Washington, DC, are competent to micromanage teacher training programs in America. That is what this regulation ultimately does, and that is absurd. prgtoken So I would like to ask three questions of folks who plan to vote to defend this regulation. First, do you really think that bureaucrats in this city know better how to run teacher training programs than people who have spent most of their lives inside actual classrooms with actual future teachers and with students? How many of you have ever run a teacher training program? Has anyone in this body ever run a teacher training program? Because I have--almost. I have spent a lot of my life around these programs. As a kid, with my dad, who was a lifelong public schoolteacher and coach, and I have been in many of these classrooms with him when he was getting master's and continuing education programs; then with my wife who is also a public high school teacher; and then I was a college president at a university that had multiple teacher training programs. I know Keith Rohwer, and I know the other deans of education that have been at Midland University and at many other colleges and universities across Nebraska. Yet, even though I have been around a lot of these programs in some detail, I wouldn't possibly think I am ready to decree all the details inside those programs from thousands and thousands of miles away. prgtoken Question No. 2, has anyone actually read this regulation that folks are going to say they want to defend on this floor? Because I have been reading in it. I will not claim I have read it, but I have read in it. This is the 695 pages of the regulation itself. There is actually a lot of guidance material as well, but I didn't bring that because I didn't want to have both of my hands occupied. This is the 695 pages of the regulation we are talking about today, and it is actually really silly. If you read inside it, it is filled with enough specificity that if you tried to explain it to thoughtful, generally educated Americans, I submit to you that you would blush. There is a level of detail and a level of specificity in this that we are not possibly competent to defend at the micro level. prgtoken Question
ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2017-3-7

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8; 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; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of H.J. Res. 58.
HONORING PACKANACK LAKE FIRE COMPANY
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2017-3-7

I rise today to honor the 75th Anniversary of the Packanack Lake Fire Company No. 5, located in Wayne, New Jersey. prgtoken Beginning in 1942, during the midst of World War II, the Packanack Lake community of 500 homes at the time was very concerned about the threat of attacks from the Axis powers. Six residents found the need for a local fire department in order to provide protection to the community. The residents applied for use of Civil Defense equipment. With great effort, they were organized as a civil defense unit and equipment was allocated. Funds were later loaned in order to purchase a truck from a nearby fire company in Mountain View, New Jersey. Over the years two more trucks were added; increasing the capabilities of the fire company. In 1946, the state of New Jersey passed legislation that officially recognized the Packanack Lake Fire and Emergency Squad as a fire company, and allowed Wayne Township to allocate extra funds to the emergency squad. After several expansions of the emergency squad, the need for a fire house emerged. Property was donated by Packanack Homes and a two story fire house was built by the volunteer firefighters themselves. Materials were gathered from nearby demolished buildings and construction was complete by 1948. While construction was nearing completion the spouses of the volunteers formed the Packanack Lake Ladies Auxiliary who dedicated their time raising funds and supporting the fire company. And, the Auxiliary remains very active today! prgtoken Today, the fire company is a prominent entity in Packanack Lake. Membership has never been higher and they are now equipped with four trucks and one heavy rescue truck. With over 700 calls a year the fire company is always utilizing these resources to the best of their abilities. From six residents who saw the necessity to protect their community, grew a fine fire company who still supports and protects their community. prgtoken Like all fire companies, the Packanack Lake Company is more than fighting fires. From serving as a safe haven during natural disasters, floods in particular, the first to respond to home emergencies, and to functioning as a social hub for the community to connect with one another, I commend Company #5 for its distinguished 75 years and its support of the four other Wayne companies and their mutual aid to neighboring towns. prgtoken , I ask that you and our colleagues join me in congratulating Packanack Lake Fire and Emergency Squad No. 5 on the occasion of its 75th Anniversary.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2017-3-7

. Madam , Sunday afternoon, the University of South Carolina's women's basketball team clenched their third consecutive Southeastern Conference championship. prgtoken The Gamecocks beat Mississippi State 59-49 in the SEC's women's basketball tournament title game in Greenville, South Carolina. prgtoken Juniors Kaela Davis of Suwanee, Georgia, and A'ja Wilson of Irmo, South Carolina, an extraordinary constituent, led the team with an impressive 38 combined points. This all-star team will likely hold the number one seed in the NCAA tournament that will begin on March 17. prgtoken Head coach Dawn Staley joined the University of South Carolina in 2008, building a team based on teamwork and determination. In the eight seasons that Coach Staley has been with the program, the South Carolina Women's Basketball Team has also seen three SEC regular season championships, three Sweet 16 seasons, and the program's first number one national ranking, with an average home attendance of over 14,000 Gamecock fans. prgtoken As March marks Women's History Month, it is especially fitting to congratulate Coach Dawn Staley and the historic Gamecock women's basketball team. prgtoken Best wishes for continued success in the NCAA playoffs. Go Gamecocks. prgtoken In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.
THE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2017-3-7

for years Americans across the country have struggled under a government takeover of health care. Because of Care, insurance markets are collapsing, healthcare costs are soaring, and patients' choices are dwindling. Simply put, the flawed healthcare law is failing. It is hurting hardworking men and women across the country, and the American people deserve better. prgtoken That is why s promised to deliver the healthcare solutions Americans desperately need. This week, we are making good on that promise and moving forward with an effort that will provide a better way on health care. prgtoken After a thoughtful and collaborative process, members of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee recently unveiled a legislative plan that will repeal and replace Care. The plan, the American Health Care Act, includes a number of positive, commonsense reforms that will help create more choices, lower costs, and give control back to individuals and families. prgtoken These reforms will create a new and innovative fund giving States the flexibility they need to design programs that fit the needs of their communities. They will responsibly unwind Care's Medicaid expansion in a way that protects patients and strengthens the program for future generations. prgtoken The plan will also dismantle Care taxes and mandates--including the individual and employer mandate penalties and taxes on prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, health insurance premiums, and medical devices. It will expand health savings accounts to empower individuals and families to spend their healthcare dollars the way they want and need. It will provide tax credits to those who don't receive insurance through work or a government program, helping all Americans access high quality, affordable health care. prgtoken At the same time, we on the Education and the Workforce Committee are working to advance additional reforms that will help expand coverage, make health care more affordable, and promote a healthy workforce. prgtoken One legislative proposal will empower small businesses to band together to negotiate lower healthcare costs on behalf of their employees. Another will protect the ability of employers to self- insure, providing greater access to affordable, flexible healthcare plans for their workers. The third will give employers the legal certainty they need to offer employee wellness plans, helping to promote a healthy workforce and, again, lower healthcare costs. prgtoken These three legislative proposals reflect a few shared principles. Families should have the freedom to choose the healthcare plan that meets their needs. Americans need more affordable healthcare options, not fewer. Healthcare decisions should rest with patients and their doctors--not government bureaucrats. Instead of prescriptive mandates, we should ensure employers have the tools they need to help their employees a
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
John Hoeven (Republican, ND) \u2014 2017-3-7

I have 3 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 the judiciary prgtoken The Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 7, 2017, at l0 a.m in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Nominations.'' select committee on intelligence prgtoken The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the 115th Congress of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 from 2:30 p.m room SH-219 of the Senate Hart Office Building to hold a closed hearing. select committee on intelligence prgtoken The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the 115th Congress of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 from 2:20 p.m.-2:30 p.m in room SH-219 of the Senate Hart Office Building to hold a closed busines meeting.
IN HONOR OF DR. ANN K. SNYDER
Kevin Brady (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-3-7

today I rise to honor the life of a dedicated community leader and a dear friend, Dr. Ann Snyder. prgtoken Ann's knowledge, faith, and understanding have always been her guide, which may explain her numerous accolades. A committed public servant, Ann served as President and CEO of Interfaith of The Woodlands and the Interfaith Community Clinic for over a decade. Today, she serves on The Woodlands Township and Convention and Visitors Center boards, as well as numerous others. prgtoken Ann earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Colorado State University, her Master of Education degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Baylor University. prgtoken Her past service as Chair of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce, President of The Woodlands Rotary Board, and President of the National Charity League Board, in addition to her work on the boards of the YMCA, Friends of the Library, Junior League, and The Woodlands Junior Golf Association, perfectly illustrates why she was named one of Houston's Most Influential Women in 2015. prgtoken Our future leaders hold a special place in Ann's heart. Whether they were students in her classes at the University of Houston, budding scientists participating in the Education for Tomorrow Alliance 'science fairs, students in the Conroe Independent School District where she served on the Board of Trustees, and students at Lone Star College where she served on the facilities review committee. It is too numerous to name all the organizations Ann has helped faithfully guide. prgtoken A devoted member of The Woodlands United Methodist Church, Ann's many community honors include: Hometown Hero, Montgomery County Woman of Distinction, South Montgomery County Person of the Year, Citizen of the Year, Rotary International's Service-Above-Self Award, The Woodlands Paul Award, Rotary Hall of Fame, and many more. prgtoken In 2013, the Conroe Independent School District ensured that future generations would know of her service by dedicating the Ann K. Snyder Elementary School. I am proud to recognize my friend and community hero, Ann prgtoken Snyder, who continues to show us exactly what servant leadership should look like by striving to make our community a better place to call home.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-3-8

I rise today to express serious concern about reports in the press that the administration is considering deep cuts in funding to crucial aspects of our Nation's national security and our homeland security to pay for the construction of a border wall and also for a crackdown on illegal immigration. prgtoken The first target that alarmed me was America's maritime guardian, the U.S. Coast Guard. prgtoken Even as the administration says it plans to secure the borders and increase funding for our military by $54 billion, which, in fact, may be a good thing, it is reportedly considering cuts on the nondefense side--and that includes the Department of Homeland Security--with a cut of $1.3 billion, or 12 percent, to the very military service that secures our vast maritime borders, and that is the Coast Guard. That plan just doesn't make any sense, especially when it comes to securing our borders. You would be putting a bunch of money in a wall, but you are losing the security of the border over here on the oceans. prgtoken The 42,000 member-strong Coast Guard plays a vital role in protecting our Nation from narcoterrorism, combating human smuggling, preventing and responding to maritime environmental disasters, and protecting lives and property at sea. prgtoken By the way, in other foreign parts of the globe, the U.S. Coast Guard is assisting the U.S. military in our military operations. prgtoken If securing our borders and supporting our military is a true priority for the administration, then it ought not be slashing the Coast Guard's budget. Instead, we should be supporting the Coast Guard's ongoing and much needed fleet recapitalization program, including the design and construction of the new offshore patrol cutter and the continued production of the new fast response cutter. These are desperately needed assets for the Coast Guard. prgtoken This Senator has personally visited dozens of Coast Guard units all around, not just in my State of Florida but in Alaska, the Great Lakes. The job the Coast Guard does is amazing. What I have witnessed firsthand is what they do in service to our country. prgtoken The constant theme I have heard from my visits is the need to modernize and become increasingly more nimble, given the host of threats that could be delivered from our maritime borders. Let me give just one example. prgtoken In the Caribbean, it is a Coast Guard admiral who heads up the task force that has all agencies of government participating as we look to protect the southern borders in the Caribbean, as well as the southern Pacific, from anything that is coming to our borders--drugs, migrants, terrorists, whatever. It is all agencies involved, but if, for example, there are U.S. Navy ships in the area or Air Force assets in the air that might pick up one of these threats coming toward America, they work hand-in-glove with the Coast Guard because it is the Coast Guard that has the legal authority as
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-3-8

I rise to oppose the American Health Care Act. This bill will destroy the Affordable Care Act, even though the Affordable Care Act has given more Americans access to quality, affordable healthcare than ever before in our history. It would force middle-class families to pay more money for less care. It would leave more people uninsured by a lot. It would allow insurance companies to charge older Americans with what is essentially an age tax, as if our parents and grandparents don't already pay insurance companies enough for their care. prgtoken It would cause many working families to lose coverage from their employers because, under this new bill, companies would no longer have to provide their workers with healthcare, and without a mandate to do so, we know many of them will not. prgtoken It would drastically cut Medicaid funding, which would cripple our State budgets and would leave many seniors in nursing homes and lower income New Yorkers stuck without a way to pay for the medical care they actually need to survive. This bill would also take away healthcare for millions of women, including lifesaving healthcare services like breast exams and pap smears. prgtoken On top of all of this, as if to add insult to injury, this so-called healthcare plan would give tax breaks to health insurance CEOs who make more than $500,000 a year. How is any of this going to make people in my State or in my colleagues' States healthier? prgtoken I am struggling to understand, amid all of the problems we seem to have and all of the problems we need to solve in this Chamber, why this Congress seems to have a singular fixation on taking away access to healthcare from some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. I continue to be amazed by how little empathy there seems to be in this Chamber for the millions of women, older Americans, and lower income Americans who do not have the incredible resources that we have here in Congress and who desperately need the Federal programs this bill will cut. prgtoken The legislation is completely out of touch with the actual needs of the people in my State. It is driven by ideology, as if it is somehow the wrong thing to do to help people in our States live healthy and fulfilling lives. prgtoken If someone is diagnosed with cancer and the only way he can afford to see an oncologist and have surgery is through an Affordable Care Act health plan, do you think he cares whether his insurance coverage was made possible by Care? If your parents or grandparents suffer from dementia and the only way they can afford the constant care and medical attention is if they sign up for Medicaid, do you think they care that Medicaid is a program that is actually run by the Federal Government? prgtoken I don't think families care about that. I think they are much more concerned about whether they have access to the insurance plans that actually cover their needs, that actually treat
TODAY WE RAISE OUR VOICES
Lois Frankel (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-3-8

today is International Women's Day, a day without women. I am going to join millions of women in recognizing the important economic power of women in the United States and around the globe. prgtoken In a few minutes, I will exit this Chamber with colleagues to show solidarity with our sisters, who are staying away from normal duties and mainstream commerce to call attention to the inequities that women and gender nonconforming people continue to face. We are wearing red to signify our love for our sisterhood and our passionate energy to pursue measures that will advance the lives of women and families, such as equal pay, paid family leave, quality affordable child care, access to Federal health care, and freedom from violence. prgtoken In Congress, will resist efforts to take us back from hard- earned gains, standing strong against the unrelenting attempts by s to repeal the Affordable Care Act, defund Planned Parenthood, and block access to full reproductive care. In the words of the Women's March, today we raise our voices to say that women's rights are human rights, regardless of a woman's race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, and so forth. When women succeed, the world succeeds.
THE PASSING OF VALERIY ``LARRY'' SAVINKIN
Hakeem S. Jeffries (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-3-8

it is with great sorrow that I rise today in recognition of the untimely passing of Valeriy ``Larry'' Savinkin, a dedicated and well-respected community leader and my congressional field representative who served the residents of the 8th Congressional District of New York with distinction. prgtoken Larry Savinkin was born on October 25, 1955, to Igor and Ada Savinkin. He was brother to Viola, husband to Valentina, father to Galina and Vladimir, father-in-law to Vadim and grandfather to Victor. prgtoken Before migrating to Brooklyn with his family from Odessa, Ukraine in 1996, Larry was a hardworking business owner where he operated a door- making company and a chain of merchant stores. Larry's commitment, core values and work ethic allowed him to excel in various positions. He was previously employed as a computer programmer, worked for the United States Census Bureau and served as a Community Liaison for former Congressman Bob Turner. More recently, he was a project manager at the Jewish Association for Serving the Aging (JASA), a local community- based organization that serves older adults of all races, religions and economic backgrounds across New York City. prgtoken Larry's success and impact in the neighborhoods of Southern Brooklyn and Queens was not limited to his work with my congressional office. For over 20 years, he was involved in several prominent organizations including the September 11 Family Group, the Brighton Beach Business Improvement District, The Holocaust Memorial Committee, Odessa Community of New York, and Brooklyn's Community Planning Board 13. Larry had a magnetic personality and cared about his community immensely, approached his work with urgency, compassion and had a great sense of humor. prgtoken I had the privilege of knowing Larry and working with him throughout the years. I recognize that his integrity was above reproach and his competence was extraordinary. I thank his family and friends for sharing him with us all I ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in extending gratitude for Larry Savinkin's public service and his commitment to the people of Brooklyn, he is worthy of the highest praise.