mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
The President's Budget (Executive Session)
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-5-24

yesterday, we received President 's first budget submission. He calls it ``A New Foundation for American Greatness.'' Well, that might get an award for fiction, but it couldn't be further from the truth. prgtoken Instead of building a foundation for the American people, it pulls the rug out from under them. This budget has to be understood as something more than just a photo op with a slogan. prgtoken The President's budget displays a fundamental lack of understanding of the role of government of, by, and for the people in supporting the middle class, lifting up the most vulnerable among us and serving our values and interests as a Nation. It proposes to cut nondefense discretionary spending by over $1.5 trillion; that is, $1,500,000,000 over 10 years, including a $54 billion cut in fiscal year 2018 and a $260 billion cut by 2027. This would be a 40-percent cut to nondefense programs in 10 years. prgtoken This is not only shortsighted, it is irresponsible and unrealistic. We should be supporting opportunity, and we should be creating jobs, not eliminating them. What this country needs is jobs. We should be caring for our veterans. We should promote our health and the environment. These are important to all people. It doesn't make any difference what political party you belong to. We shouldn't be recklessly slashing vital lifelines to the American people. prgtoken Sequestration has had devastating consequences for both defense and nondefense programs. These consequences are going to last a generation. The budget would only extend and deepen those problems. prgtoken We are nearing the Memorial Day break, and I ask Members of both sides of the aisle: Let's sit down, and let's have s and work together, as the Senate is supposed to, and negotiate a budget deal based on parity. We did this in 2013; we did it in 2015. It worked well. Such a deal would allow the Senate to provide appropriations bills that reflect our true, enduring values as a nation. prgtoken The budget proposes over $1.7 trillion in cruel and unsustainable cuts to important mandatory programs that provide a safety net of health and nutrition programs to those who are struggling most in our communities. Can you imagine, in the wealthiest, most powerful Nation on Earth, we are going to cut out programs to help the people most in need? prgtoken Many of the cuts in the budget come from the Medicaid Program, where the President doubles down on the dangerous programmatic changes and cuts included in the Care bill. Not only would enacting this budget make it harder for low-income families to receive health coverage through Medicaid, but the proposal also cuts nearly $6 billion from the Children's Health Insurance Program, which would force near- poverty children off health insurance. prgtoken I know in my own State of Vermont--it is not a wealthy State; it is a small State. But when we started a p
RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE
Linda T. Sánchez (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-5-24

. I understand, . I promise that they relate to the question at issue. prgtoken , further, the American people deserve to know if President has exploited the Federal Tax Code for improper personal gain. prgtoken The personal business endeavors of the leader of the free world should be exercised to the highest possible standard. Specifically, the President's business dealings around the world make him more prone to potential conflicts of interest than any President in history. However, the President did not take adequate steps to mitigate any potential issues. He was advised by the Office of Government Ethics to divest himself of his business entanglements. The President chose to ignore this sound advice. prgtoken It is now the duty of this body to restore integrity to the oversight process. Our democracy should be an example to the world. Today we have the opportunity to ensure that it is achieved through taking up this overdue investigation. It is only then we can restore the dignity and integrity of the House through exercise of our constitutional duty. prgtoken For these reasons, this resolution raises a question of the privileges of the House and should be allowed a vote. prgtoken , .
HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2017-5-24

I rise today to talk about the concerns of the good people of my great State of West Virginia, about their healthcare and the needs they have. If the American Health Care Act is passed, which is the plan that was passed over in the House, many West Virginians are going to lose their current insurance coverage. prgtoken Individuals on Medicaid expansion would not be guaranteed coverage after 2020. That means that for anybody that has gotten insurance for the first time, there is no guarantee they can keep it at all past 2020. The American Hospital Association estimates that 68,200 West Virginians would lose their Medicaid coverage in 2018, and another 126,000 people who currently have it would be without Medicaid coverage by 2026. prgtoken The American Health Care Act, which is being sent by our friends in the House--our friends in the House--increases the cost to our State. The bill cuts $834 billion from Medicaid, meaning that the State would receive less Federal Medicaid funding, and it would not increase if costs rise in the case of health crises. prgtoken In fact, the American Hospital Association estimates that my State of West Virginia would lose a total of $9.8 billion over the next 10 years--$9.8 billion over the next 10 years alone in my great State. With all of the hard work they have done, to go without healthcare is unbelievable. prgtoken This bill would also increase costs for older, sicker, poorer, rural West Virginians. We have this type of a population in all of our States. Older Americans would face higher costs because insurance companies could charge them five times more than younger beneficiaries--five times more. So if a young beneficiary is paying $2,500 a year, they can end up paying $10,000, $12,000 a year. That would increase the costs to older Americans nationally by anywhere from $2,000 to $8,400. prgtoken We did this little comparison here of what that would actually look like. Let's say there is a low-income senior, somebody who hasn't gotten to Medicare eligibility yet because of their age, and they are over the 138th percentile of the poverty guidelines, and they are paying about $1,700 now for their insurance under the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken With this piece of legislation, they are going to pay upwards of $13,000--$13,000, which they don't have. The cost to purchase insurance for low-income seniors in West Virginia who buy insurance on the exchanges, as I just showed you, could go up to almost 800 percent--800 percent of the costs they are paying. prgtoken So today I am going to share the story of a West Virginian who is concerned about losing her healthcare. This West Virginia native is Stephanie Fredricksen. She told me her story at a townhall that we had in the Eastern Panhandle in March. She asked me to make sure I shared this story with all of you. This will be printed in the Record. So this is going to be Stephanie's story. This
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-5-24

I rise to introduce the Gun Violence Prevention Order Act of 2017: At this time, I would also like to thank Senators Blumenthal, Gillibrand, and Markey for cosponsoring this legislation. Their support is sincerely appreciated. prgtoken Yesterday marked the 3rd anniversary of the horrific shooting that outraged the community of Isla Vista, California and the Nation. During this attack, the City of Isla Vista was struck by tragedy when 22-year- old Elliot Rodger went on a shooting rampage after fatally stabbing his two roommates and a friend. Armed with a Glock 34 handgun and two SIG Sauer P226 handguns, the assailant drove through the streets of Isla Vista, shooting and killing 3 young students and injuring 14 others near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus before taking his own life. The Isla Vista community was in shock, and we as a nation struggled to comprehend how this tragedy could have been prevented. prgtoken As more facts emerged about the assailant, we learned that he had a history of mental health concerns and violent behavior. He had been prescribed medications used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and at age 18 Rodgers had begun to refuse the mental health treatment he had been receiving. Local deputies had also encountered him several times through conflicts and fights he had with friends and roommates. And less than a month before his deadly rampage, a concerned friend had called a county mental health staff member, and, after speaking with the assailant's mother, law enforcement conducted a welfare check at Rodger's apartment. At that point, Rodger's murderous plot was well underway, and had the police searched his room, they would have found a stockpile of guns and ammunition along with papers detailing his plans to kill. This individual should have never been able to obtain a firearm--and the bill I am introducing today would enable law enforcement and family members to intervene and prevent attackers like this assailant from carrying out atrocious acts of gun violence in the future. prgtoken Over 30,000 people die each year from gun violence, and on average, 7 children and teens are killed by guns every day. We know that families and friends are in the best position to recognize early signs of trouble before tragedy occurs. However, family members and law enforcement officials commonly have no legal means of taking preventive steps to stop a troubled individual from committing an act of gun violence before it occurs. To solve this problem, the State of California enacted a law in the aftermath of the Isla Vista attack that enables family members or law enforcement officers to ask a court for a gun violence prevention order. prgtoken Modeled on California's existing laws on domestic violence, when a judge believes there is sufficient evidence that an individual is a danger to themselves or others, the gun violence prevention order temporarily prohibi
The President's Budget (Executive Calendar)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-5-24

on Tuesday President sent his proposed fiscal year 2018 budget to Congress. A budget is supposed to reflect the President's priorities and the values our country holds dear. Unfortunately, President 's full budget shows how much disdain he has for supporting American families here at home, how little he values America's strong leadership around the world, and how much he misunderstands the essential role the Federal Government has in keeping our air and water clean, roads and bridges functioning, and the public safe from deadly diseases and other threats. prgtoken This President's budget shows how much he values corporate profits and polluters over children's health and demonstrates an irrational ignorance of basic principles that have worked for and against the American economy throughout the years. The budget wastes money on a border wall and deportation force that will not make America any safer and will tear apart families and communities. prgtoken President fails to uphold the promise he made as a candidate to protect American workers and seniors, and he breaks new ground in the level of uncertainty he is willing to inject into our economy, our local communities, and relationships with our historical allies and economic partners. More than any other Presidential budget in recent memory, this budget must be considered dead on arrival. prgtoken President 's full budget for fiscal year 2018 is an exercise in extremism. President wants to ax $610 billion from Medicaid--the program that lifts up America's veterans and the most vulnerable men, women, and children, capping the funding in order to finance tax cuts for big businesses and the wealthiest among us. The budget further slashes the social safety net by cutting the food stamp program and eliminating critical social services programs. It directly hurts children by cutting $6 billion from the Children's Health Insurance Program. The President wants to choke off funding for essential scientific research at the National Institutes of Health and infectious disease detection and response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while also slashing funding for key global health initiatives that ensure economic stability. prgtoken Further demonstrating his misunderstanding of the ripple effect Federal investments can have, the President inexplicably wants to end the economic development assistance programs to rural and economically distressed communities. I was particularly disappointed that he would eliminate the Appalachia Regional Commission, which is very important to the people in the western part of my State as an economic tool that can bring badly needed jobs to Appalachia country. prgtoken He wants to put the American dream out of reach for would-be homeowners and seekers of safe and affordable housing with the elimination of HUD's rental assistance and homeowner partnership programs. The President c
BROKEN PROMISES OF THE TRUMP BUDGET
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-5-24

yesterday President laid out his budget request for next year. It represents the most draconian disinvestment in our country by any President in modern history, and it is littered with broken promises and fundamental errors in simple math. prgtoken It is a budget that makes very clear that this President is not fighting for working Americans and their families, and, in fact, he is breaking his promises to make their lives better. It is shockingly devoid of the basic policy details necessary to back up its deficit- cutting bravado. It includes an accounting discrepancy so large--over $2 trillion--that it can only be characterized as willfully hiding the ball from the American public, an exercise in extreme incompetence, or both. prgtoken The purpose of a budget is to lay out the most complete description of a President's governing vision for the country. By that measure and many others, this budget is an embarrassment. It is no wonder that it has already been panned by Members on both sides of the aisle in this House. My friend, Representative Mike Simpson, was absolutely right when he said of proposals like this one that the House can't pass this budget. Nor will it. It is dead on arrival in Congress because and s both understand that we can't provide economic security to the American people and keep them safe from threats if we gut our investments in doing both. That is what the President's budget would do. prgtoken As The Washington Post eloquently pointed out, the budget ``is fundamentally at odds with what told voters.'' President promised middle class American workers he would fight for them and their families. If implemented, his budget would make it harder for them to send their kids to college, access job training to get ahead, or even just stay in the middle class, and devastate seniors' long-term care. The dramatic cuts he makes to nutrition assistance, elimination of heating assistance during the winter months and Meals on Wheels will hit low-income Americans and seniors hard, particularly in rural communities. prgtoken And those, , are just a selection. He is breaking his campaign promise not to cut Medicaid and Social Security, taking $1.4 trillion out of Medicaid over the next 10 years, without offering a policy to achieve those cuts, and slashing funds for the Social Security disability insurance programs that serve 10 million Americans. Frankly, the President made fun of those with disabilities during the course of the campaign, and now he cuts billions of dollars from the ability of the disabled to maintain some degree of dignity and health. prgtoken President also pledged that the American taxpayer would not pay--would not pay--for the border wall he wants to build. Of course, his budget asks the U.S. taxpayer to pay for that wall. When it comes to keeping Americans safe from threats overseas, President 's budget fails
Healthcare Legislation (Executive Calendar)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-5-24

. It would disqualify you or raise your premiums because you are a woman. We got rid of that gross discrimination against women when we did the Affordable Care Act. We shouldn't have a similar level of discrimination when it comes to writing any improvement in this Affordable Care Act. prgtoken This is a big enough Senate and a big enough place for us to all gather around the table and make sure we do this in the best interests of all Americans, regardless of gender, regardless of background, regardless of where you live. That is the way we should approach something as serious as an item that accounts for $1 of every $6 in the American economy--an item that is literally life and death for families all across Illinois, New Hampshire, and all across the United States. prgtoken The Congressional Budget Office said it all today. It is time for us to put 2.0 to rest and try to come up with something which really is befitting this great Nation. prgtoken . prgtoken .
REQUIRING AN ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS RELATING TO THE USE OF OFFICIAL TIME BY FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
Brenda L. Lawrence (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-5-24

I thank Congressman Connolly. prgtoken I rise today coming in saying I would support this bill. Many people know I served 30 years as a Federal employee working in HR, understanding labor relations, safety issues, environmental issues, diversity issues, and knowing clear well that the official time that is allotted to employees to sit down with their representative of the union to talk about if they feel like they are being sexually harassed, if they feel like they are in an environment that is not safe for them, official time is extremely necessary. prgtoken What happens in official time? It allows a lot of grievances to be processed and resolved through communication between union and management. prgtoken There have been several legislative reform proposals introduced to address the way union representatives are allowed to utilize official time. prgtoken Now, I was taken back when my colleague said ``criminal activities.'' , criminal activity is something that is in a whole different venue. If you are a Federal employee and you create an illegal activity, you do not need official time to do that. I have never known, in the time that I served in HR, in labor relations, and served in all of the different capacities, have I seen someone doing criminal activity on official time. prgtoken It would be a different thing if we were clear that this bill was about reporting the time, which I would not oppose. But when you present this scenario about official time, as it being something that is negative, something that is being used in a criminal capacity, that is totally something I would be opposed to. prgtoken Let me tell you some examples of what representatives can use it for: If there is a whistleblower accusation, an employee would go to their union steward and ask for official time. prgtoken If it was a grievance on behalf of the employee, they can use it.
TRUMPCARE
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-5-24

. Finally, , a word on healthcare: The attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, combined with the administration's refusal to commit to making key cost-sharing payments that help keep healthcare costs low for working Americans, have created great uncertainty in our healthcare system. This uncertainty has already caused insurers to flee the marketplace or propose rate increases for next year. prgtoken A spokesman for America's Health Insurance plans--that is the insurance industry's main group; again, it is not a politician--said: We need swift action and long-term certainty [on the cost- sharing program]. It is the single most destabilizing factor in the individual market, and millions of Americans could soon feel the impact of fewer choices, higher costs and reduced access to care. prgtoken My colleagues, remember, if you continue to allow the President to do this, if we don't make cost sharing permanent, the system will deteriorate, and guess whose back it will be on? Yours, my friends. You are in charge. And when people get a bad healthcare bill, you can blame anyone you want. You are in charge. Fix it. prgtoken Refusing to guarantee the cost-sharing payment is nothing short of sabotage, and the repeated attempts to pass Care will only make things worse. prgtoken The White House ought to step up and say once and for all that they will continue to make the cost-sharing payments permanently, and s in Congress ought to drop their repeal efforts and, instead, work with us on stabilizing the market and improving our healthcare system. prgtoken Now, today the Congressional Budget Office will release its analysis of the House healthcare bill--Care. I remind my colleagues how unusual it is for a CBO score to come out nearly 3 weeks after a bill has passed. It is like test driving a brand new car 3 weeks after you have prgtoken already signed on the dotted line and paid the dealer in full. prgtoken s in the House were so worried about how bad the CBO score might be, they rushed Care through--no hearings, no debate, no score. Never mind that this legislation remakes one-sixth of our Nation's economy. It has life-and-death consequences for millions of American families. prgtoken s were haunted by the ghost of CBO scores past, so they went ahead without one. prgtoken When the CBO analyzed the first version of Care earlier this year, it concluded that 24 million fewer Americans would have health insurance if it became law. We also learned the bill would gut Medicaid, crush seniors with higher premiums, and would increase out- of-pocket expenses for Americans of all ages with higher deductibles and copays. prgtoken Given that there were few differences between the first and second versions of Care, we can expect that today's CBO analysis will likely show many of the sam