mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
COASTAL AND MARINE ECONOMIES PROTECTION ACT
Christopher H. Smith (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2019-9-11

. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the Levin-Beyer-Smith-Van Drew amendment to H.R. 1941, the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act. This amendment, which I'm proud to cosponsor, would ensure that H.R. 1941 not only proscribes future oil and gas leases of the Outer Continental Shelf in the Atlantic and Pacific planning areas but also prohibits any seismic activities in the Atlantic Ocean planning areas. prgtoken Seismic activities are performed to first test for the possibility of oil and gas but in and of themselves, these activities pose countless risks to marine life and, by extension, our fishing industries and the health of our coastal ecosystems. Seismic airgun blasting in particular can deafen or seriously maim marine wildlife which rely upon sonar power for movement and can significantly affect local fish populations, which in turn harms New Jersey's fisheries as well as the fishing industry--a vital contributor to the economic well-being of my district on the Jersey Shore. prgtoken I have continuously stated my strong opposition to offshore drilling and have made it clear that the people of New Jersey do not want oil rigs offshore, and we do not want our pristine beaches and waters at risk from oil spills. prgtoken I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment to H.R. 1941 and to support the underlying bill.
TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN NICHOLAS A. MUNGAS
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-9-12

today I wish to honor CAPT Nicholas A. Mungas, commodore of Training Air Wing One, at NAS Meridian, for his 25 years of service to the U.S. Navy. prgtoken CAPT Nicholas Mungas grew up in Kalispell, MT. Following his nomination, Captain Mungas attended and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1995, with a degree in economics. Directly following, he attended flight school and, in November of 1997, was designated a naval aviator at NAS Kingsville in Texas. prgtoken Captain Mungas's operational assignments include FA-18 pilot tours with Strike Fighter Squadron, VFA 105, USS Enterprise, CVN 65, USS Harry S. Truman, CVN 75; VFA-195, USS Kitty Hawk, CV 63; and VFA-136, USS Enterprise, CVN 65; completing multiple Mediterranean and Western Pacific deployments, while supporting Operations Southern Watch, Deliberate Forge, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. prgtoken Captain Mungas has excelled in all areas of the Navy, but most notably as a naval pilot. Captain Mungas attended the navy fighter weapons school, better known as TOPGUN. He also served as an instructor pilot in the Strike Fighter Squadron 106, where he was selected as the Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic Fleet Instructor Pilot of the Year in 2004. prgtoken After his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, Captain Mungas has accumulated over 2,900 flight hours and has preformed 576 carrier arrested landings. His distinguished career includes the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Strike Flight Air Medal, and the Department of State Meritorious honor award. prgtoken As well as being a highly qualified and distinguished pilot, Captain Mungas has served as the Joint Chiefs of Staff desk officer and U.S. Africa Command lead planner, as well as a military detailee to the U.S. Department of State in the Office of the Euro-Atlantic Security Affairs in the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance. prgtoken His record of excellence and leadership is an inspiration to all young Montanans and aspiring naval aviators. I, along with all of Montana, are grateful for his life of service to our Nation. prgtoken In recognition of CAPT Nicholas A. Mungas and his personal accomplishments and contributions to his country, I ask unanimous consent that his name be entered into the Record.
RECOGNIZING U.S. SPACE COMMAND
Doug Lamborn (Republican, CO) \u2014 2019-9-12

I rise today to recognize our newest combatant command: U.S. Space Command, which was stood up on Monday in Colorado Springs. prgtoken President 's decision to stand up SPACECOM could not be more timely. In recent years, Russia and China have reorganized their militaries and prgtoken pursued capabilities to threaten our space assets. Fortunately, our Nation has no shortage of innovative and brilliant men and women in uniform. prgtoken Our newest combatant command will harness the creative dynamo of these space warfighters. Congress will give them the authorities and funding they need to triumph in this newest contest of arms. With the infrastructure, industrial base, and personnel already located at Peterson and Schriever Air Force Bases in Colorado Springs, SPACECOM can seamlessly transition into a fully functioning combatant command immediately. This is a great and exciting milestone for our Nation.
REMEMBERING CHUCK GEERTZ
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-9-12

on another point, Iowans, and particularly veterans, mourn the loss of Chuck Geertz of Muscatine. Sergeant First Class Geertz was an Active-Duty servicemember for 23 years but continued to serve his Nation after his retirement in 2009, and this is how he did it: through establishing an organization in 2008 called Healing at English River Outfitters or, as he established the acronym, HERO. That organization does great good. It provides veterans and their families with relaxing outdoor activities for physical and mental healing. prgtoken Chuck is remembered for his caring spirit and dedication to his community and, most important, his fellow veterans. While he will be missed, his legacy of community service will continue. prgtoken . prgtoken .
End Child Trafficking Now Act (Executive Calendar)
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-9-12

this is not the first time I have come to the floor to discuss a situation that is on our Nation's southern border and the need that we as a country have for a stronger, more efficient immigration policy. I have made more than one trip to South Texas this year, and each time I have returned, I have found myself more motivated to cut through the noise, and to get something done. prgtoken What should be a practical policy discussion has, unfortunately, turned political, and very real problems have compounded into an unprecedented crisis. prgtoken Within these Halls, we have debates over asylum caps and visa requirements. They are indeed important issues, but recent reports on the explosion of human rights violations perpetrated by cartels, coyotes, and international gangs have added some much needed context to these debates. prgtoken By now, we have all heard how dangerous the journey to our southern border can be for those who are being brought forward by cartels, coyotes, and international gangs. Traffickers have really built a big business--a very big and profitable business--on moving drugs and desperate human cargo across the border. Sometimes these individuals make it, and sometimes the guides leave their charges to die--to die alone in the desert. Rumors of abuse, assault, and gang rape have manifested and been proven true. Border Patrol agents at most ports of entry administer pregnancy tests to girls as young as 12 years of age. prgtoken While we waste time arguing over talking points, monsters--absolute monsters--are dragging children into the crosshairs of an international crisis. While we debate the best way to amend our loose asylum laws, traffickers are finding ways to exploit those laws, using children to force their way back and forth across the border under the guise of parental legitimacy. ``Child recycling'' is a crude term but an accurate term, and we define it as when a minor is used more than once by alien adults who are neither relatives nor legal guardians but pose as family members for the purposes of crossing the border. How despicable and how very selfish of them. Child-recycling isn't a myth, unfortunately. It is not an urban legend. It is a definite, well-defined, clear and present danger. prgtoken DHS has uncovered more than 5,500 fraudulent asylum claims since May of 2018. I want you to think about that number--5,500 fraudulent asylum claims since May of 2018. Customs and Border Patrol tells us that unaccompanied minors are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and that drug runners and sex predators are rolling the dice on these fraudulent asylum claims to move their products--which, bear in mind, are people and drugs--to move them more efficiently. prgtoken Earlier this year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement introduced a pilot program they believed would help determine how serious the child recycling problem is. They began administering DNA tests on all ad
ARCTIC CULTURAL AND COASTAL PLAIN PROTECTION ACT
Garret Graves (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-9-12

I want to thank the Representative from Alaska for yielding me the time. prgtoken I want to say it again. I want to thank the gentleman from Alaska, the sole Member representing all Alaskans in the House of Representatives, who joins with his Senators, the entire Alaska delegation, in opposing this bill. prgtoken I heard Mr. Stauber come down earlier and talk about how we don't need people from other States, from California coming in and imposing their beliefs on Alaska. We have a Constitution. We have a structure here where prgtoken Members from the State of Alaska, residents from the State of Alaska, they elect their Representatives. And their Representatives are unanimously supporting the development in the ANWR. They unanimously support it. prgtoken Why do we have this structure where other people come in? It is fascinating to me that we can be here and have folks from California sit there and all the time ask for exemptions, ask for exceptions, ask for their own conditions or rules in California, and then they now come in and they know better, and they need to tell Alaskans what needs to be done. prgtoken I just heard allegations that this was about oil company profits and other things. This is about what the citizens of Alaska want, what their elected Representatives are doing to represent their own constituents. prgtoken Now, to give you an idea of how much of a farce this whole thing is, do you realize that this is the third bill that is using the same funding stream to pay for everything? We have taken $1 and we paid $3 with it. How do you do that? This entire thing is a farce. prgtoken To take it a step further to let you know what a farce this is, when this bill came up in the Natural Resources Committee, I offered an amendment that said that if this bill results in greater greenhouse gas emissions, then this bill doesn't take place. It is not enacted. prgtoken Do you know that my friends voted against it, meaning they want greater emissions and greenhouse gases, my environmentalist friends? This whole thing is a farce. This is going to result in greater dependence upon foreign oil imports.
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-9-12

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
E-Cigarettes (Executive Session)
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-9-12

I appreciate what the ic leader just said about the flavored e-cigarettes, and I, too, commended the administration yesterday for taking this action. It is a big deal in our high schools in Ohio and in other venues as well, and this will help to keep a lot of young people from engaging in this, which is bad for their health. Certainly, just like cigarette smoke, it also leads to addictions. I commend him for that. prgtoken The ic leader also talked about the fact that President has been tougher on China than any previous President in modern times, certainly, and that is also true. Let's all hope the Chinese Government comes to the table in the next few weeks, as they get back to their discussions, ready to actually address some of these issues, particularly, the issue of their subsidies, which are contrary to our laws, but also the international rules, the technology transfer, and the taking of our intellectual property. These are changes in the structure of our trade relationship that are required for us to get to that level playing field that all of us should want. prgtoken I also agree about the notion that we should have more reciprocity. If they are keeping our stuff out, we should be able to respond in kind. Ultimately, we all want a resolution to this issue. We want the tariffs to be eliminated, but we want to do it on a basis where there is actually fair trade between our two countries. prgtoken With regard to the appropriations process, I, too, am hopeful we can get something done here on a bipartisan basis. The ic leader suggested prgtoken we might end up with a government shutdown. We should never end up with a government shutdown. It is terrible policy. It hurts government workers. It is bad for taxpayers. prgtoken We will be issuing a report from the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations tomorrow in this regard to show how the last three government shutdowns have resulted in tremendous pain, not just to those who get furloughed and those who work without pay but also to the taxpayer, and they are fairly inefficient. Let's not even talk about a government shutdown. Why are we going down this road?
HONORING CONSTITUTION WEEK
H. Morgan Griffith (Republican, VA) \u2014 2019-9-12

. Madam , I rise in honor of Constitution Week, which is commemorated from September 17-23 annually. The observance of Constitution Week was established by law in 1956 after the Daughters of the American Revolution petitioned Congress to set aside these days to celebrate the document which established the framework of our government and maintained our liberties. prgtoken Author Catherine Drinker Bowen called it the ``Miracle at Philadelphia.'' In May of 1787, delegates from several of the thirteen states met in what we now call Independence Hall. The representatives included some of the new country's greatest luminaries, names we still know and honor today. Among others, Virginia sent James Madison, George Mason, George Wythe, and George Washington, who was elected as the convention's president unanimously. prgtoken Their goal was to revise the Articles of Confederation then governing the Union, but soon a new charter took shape. They met through the hot Philadelphia summer, thinking, debating, and compromising about the nature and particular forms of the government that would serve the people of the United States. The Constitution emerged from their months of deliberations and was signed on September 17, 1787. Madison and John Blair signed for Virginia, while Washington signed as the convention's president. Mason refrained from signing it without a Bill of Rights. prgtoken Virginia ratified the Constitution in the following year, calling for the Bill of Rights in exchange for the Commonwealth's consent. In 1789 it took effect with Washington as the first president of the United States under the new Constitution. With Virginia's ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791, ten amendments were adopted, and more followed in the centuries since, but the Constitution endures to this day as our great charter. prgtoken Constitution Week recognizes the anniversary of this document, the ideals that inspired it, and the men who wrote it. I ask my fellow Virginians and Americans to join me in observing this occasion and reaffirm the timeless principles represented by the Constitution.
IN HONOR OF OAK RIDGE BAPTIST CHURCH 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Kevin Brady (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-9-12

. Madam , today I rise in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Oak Ridge Baptist Church in the Eighth Congressional District of Texas. prgtoken Five families came to Oak Ridge, Texas from First Baptist Church in Conroe with the mission of building a sister church. The Suggs, Greer, Atherton, Pringle, and Allbrights families founded their church in the Tamina Community Hall on Robinson Road on October 22, 1967, with only 50 members in attendance. prgtoken In just two years, Oak Ridge Baptist Church grew to 253 members, and in 1969 a building off I-45 was dedicated to being their new home. After many wonderful years in that building, they finally settled into a more-permanent church facility on May 6, 2007. The congregation celebrated this move by marching from their temporary residence at Vogel Intermediate School to their new home on Hanna Road. prgtoken Fifty years have passed since the opening of their first building, but Senior Pastor Dr. Galen Cooper continues to keep the mission of the original five families alive, by connecting individuals throughout Oak Ridge, Spring, and The Woodlands through faith and community. He works to not only bond families, but to also create a truly supportive fellowship within the church. prgtoken For the congregation of Oak Ridge Baptist Church, worship extends well beyond the walls of their church building. Members are taught to bring their faith into every aspect of their lives. Through programs including Fellowship of Christian Athletes, The Gideon's International, Operation Christmas Card, and more, the congregation strives to better serve and improve their community based through their strong faith and welcoming values. prgtoken These churchgoers not only support their brothers and sisters in Christ in Texas, but around the world. In fact, Oak Ridge Baptist Church has partnered with the Eastern Baptist Convention in Cuba to establish churches and a School of Music. Missionaries are also laying down Christian roots in Lithuania and Mexico. prgtoken This year, Oak Ridge Baptist Church celebrates half a century of worship and fellowship, and I am proud to join their congregation in celebration of their Anniversary. Congratulations on 50 years, and I hope the next 50 will be just as fruitful.
Tribute to Cindy Hasiak (Executive Calendar)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-9-12

. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Isakson), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. McSally), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Perdue), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts), and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio). prgtoken Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea,'' the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran) would have voted ``yea,'' and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio) would have voted ``yea.''
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Steve Scalise (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-9-12

as it relates to the funding of government, I know that it is important that as we finally got an agreement a few months ago to come up with a 2-year budget process where we agreed on numbers of funding, especially for the Defense Department which needs that certainty, they don't want these short-term CRs. They need the long-term certainty so they can go out and acquire the kind of equipment we need to keep our men and women in uniform safe to effectively do their jobs in a safe manner. prgtoken One of the things I would point out, as the gentleman talked about the Senate process, let's be clear that the House bills that were passed out moved on a very partisan basis. There were no bipartisan agreements as you passed the bills out of the House. prgtoken The Senate does work differently. The Senate has to have a 60-vote margin to get any bills moved, so they have been in negotiations to try to get, not a partisan agreement but a bipartisan agreement, and, unfortunately, so far, they have had a lot of problems with some of the Senate who try to put poison pills in those budget talks that would ultimately not yield something that can get signed into law and would not comply with the 2-year budget agreement that we reached. prgtoken So I would encourage both on our side, there should have been a bipartisan agreement on the bills that are moved through, and at least there are some talks going on, but they haven't resulted in bipartisan legislation that can get signed by the President. prgtoken The Senate needs to do the same thing. And so we are beyond the time for partisan differences. Now is the time where we need to come together and agree on those things that we can put in a bill that can get signed into law. Drop this idea of these poison pills that everybody knows will gum up the works. Let's get the certainty that we deserve for a full budget process for the year. prgtoken We are not there yet. If we have to do a short-term budget agreement or short-term CR, then that is one thing that we may consider next week. We haven't seen the final details, of course. It would have to be clean with no poison pills attached to it. But, hopefully, that yields talks that are truly bipartisan, which we haven't, unfortunately, seen to this point. prgtoken So I would hope that we can get beyond that next week. It gives us more time to have real negotiations that can result in something that can get signed into law and give certainty to our men and women in uniform and all of the other agencies that rely on us doing that work on a bipartisan basis. prgtoken I would like to shift gears and ask the gentleman about the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, USMCA. if he has something to add to that.