mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Filibuster (Executive Calendar)
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2022-1-11

we are in the same spot in the Senate we have been at five times before in the past 12 months. My Senate colleagues are bringing up a bill on voting to federalize our elections. prgtoken This time is different. This time their demands have changed. It is not just, ``Vote for my bill or take a vote.'' It is, ``If you don't do this, we will blow up the Senate permanently.'' Oh, that is a different thing. So let me set some context on this because this requires some conversation about where we are, what this conversation is all about, and what this really means for the future. prgtoken So first let me begin with the bill itself. There is no question 100 Senators here have all been through an election process. We are all experts on elections. We have walked through it in a way that most Americans have never walked through before. We are passionate about fair elections. We are passionate about the people who actually vote because those are the people who are actually engaged in our society. As we have millions of people who check out, don't care, and don't vote, we encourage people to vote, to pay attention. prgtoken The laws in our States are a little bit different on voting because each State is a little bit different. That is not something new. That is actually written into the U.S. Constitution. It has been that way since 1789. They have always been a little bit different. prgtoken In 1965, our Nation took a strong, bold step to be able to make sure that we protected the rights of every single individual to be able to vote because there was a season in American history where Black Americans were being pushed out. There were poll taxes. There were Jim Crow laws. There were things that actually pushed people away from voting. prgtoken So, in 1965, our Nation passed the Voting Rights Act. I will talk a little bit more about that in a moment. That Voting Rights Act still stands today to be able to protect the right of every individual in America to vote. If a single person or group of people are suppressed in their voting, are prohibited from voting, Federal courts today have the right to be able to step in on any jurisdiction, any State in America, to be able to protect the rights of individuals to be able to vote. prgtoken I bring that to this body as a reminder because, for some reason, an enormous portion of this body on the left side of this room is running around the Nation and saying, ``If we don't do something right now, there will be voter suppression in America, and we have to change that,'' when they all know, in 1965, we passed the Voting Rights Act, and that act still stands today to be able to protect the rights of individuals. prgtoken I hear people wander around the Nation and get on news channels and say the Voting Rights Act has been kicked out by the Supreme Court, when they know that is a lie. They know it is. One section of the Voting Rights Act the Supreme Court took out sever
PAYING TRIBUTE TO AMERICA'S ABOLITIONIST HEROES
Burgess Owens (Republican, UT) \u2014 2022-1-11

. Madam , if I can add to that, because I think the most important thing about our Nation is to remember our history, to really understand that we have within our hearts, because of our foundation, this desire to want others to succeed. We want to feel good that we have been part of something that makes a difference. And it is not just the 2000s, it is actually throughout our country's history. prgtoken And to know what happened, again, from my great grandfather, throughout our history, again we can find those moments in which we have helped each other. We have all given some credence, something given back to this country, the more we know about that, the more we will feel better about who we are today and our vision for the future. So we have to make sure we keep that in mind, for sure.
RECOGNIZING ERIC BERGREN'S 27 YEARS OF SERVICE TO KENTUCKY'S SECOND DISTRICT
Brett Guthrie (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-1-11

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Eric Bergren's 27 years of service to Kentucky's Second District. prgtoken Eric, a graduate of UMass, started working for Kentucky's Second District in 1994. Eric worked his way up from an intern to become the chief of staff under Congressman Lewis, my predecessor. During that time, Eric met his wife, Kathy Reding, a native of Howardstown, Kentucky, in the Second District. Eric and Kathy are now proud parents of Cecelia and Julia. prgtoken Eric has been at my side since 2009 when I was sworn in. I believe I have had the best chief, and others have affirmed that. On a personal note, we have both watched our kids grow up and shared with each other the joys of being a father. prgtoken Madam , I am losing a chief but I am not losing a great friend. Thanks for everything, Eric, and I wish you the best for your next chapter.
Filibuster (Executive Calendar)
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2022-1-11

I come to the floor to congratulate and commend the remarks by the senior Senator from Alaska. She certainly knows from whence she speaks. prgtoken I remember so well the discussion that she just mentioned with regard to the energy bill and HRCs and the effort for a cleaner environment, and it was through the process that we were able to come up with legislation that we believe--all believe--was a better result for the Nation and for the environment. prgtoken It took longer than any of us wish it would have taken, but it was through that process. And had we been in a situation without the ability to filibuster, we would have never gotten to such a good result because a 50-50 Senate is--basically it is a mandate to move to the middle. prgtoken So I commend the senior Senator from Alaska. She knows from whence she speaks. She is very high up in seniority in the institution. She has institutional memory, more than many, many Members of this body, and when she says what goes around comes around and the shoe is, at another time, on the opposite foot, she knows what the implications of those are and why what the are proposing now is in the wrong direction for the country. prgtoken So I believe it is misguided, and I concur with her comments. Nord Stream 2 prgtoken , I come to the floor today on another matter, and that is to support sanctions on Vladimir Putin and his Nord Stream 2 pipeline. prgtoken This body will be voting on that very issue in the next day or so, and I am urging my colleagues to support S. 3436, which is known as Protecting Europe's Energy Security Implementation Act. prgtoken Let me just explain why this is so important. And it is important because right now, Vladimir Putin has mobilized close to 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine. They are nearly encircling the country of Ukraine. Our intelligence community has warned of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine in the next month or so. prgtoken So why is this happening? Well, Vladimir Putin has always wanted to control and dominate Ukraine. This is nothing new. He invaded in 2014. He illegally annexed Crimea and continues to occupy Crimea today. Now, he wants more, and he is now also flush with cash. With in the White House and the energy policies, Vladimir Putin has hit the energy financial jackpot. prgtoken You don't have to take my word for it; take it from the administration. 's Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs is one of his top Russia experts for our own State Department. She has spent her entire career working on issues related to Russia, Ukraine, and Europe. prgtoken Well, in December, she testified before the Foreign Relations Committee. She testified about increasing Russian aggression on the Ukraine border. She said, ``Energy is the cash cow that enables these kinds of military deployments.'' prgtoken She said Vlad
2021 ACADEMY NOMINATIONS
Greg Pence (Republican, IN) \u2014 2022-1-11

. Madam , I rise today to acknowledge the importance of service academy nominations in Indiana's Sixth District. Every year, my office has the honor of nominating students to the various service academies throughout the country. The Academies demand the best of the best. In November, we had 13 bright high school students throughout Indiana's Sixth District interview for service academy nominations. I'd like to thank my Service Academy Advisory Board for taking the time out of their day to interview these students: prgtoken Tom Schneider, Merchant Marine Academy graduate of Madison, Indiana; prgtoken Kelly Poltrack, Naval Academy graduate of Batesville, Indiana; prgtoken Nate LaMar, West Point graduate of New Castle, Indiana; and prgtoken Bob Morrow, Air Force Academy graduate of Centerville, Indiana. prgtoken I wish our service academy nominees the best of luck with their future endeavors.
RECOGNIZING DR. HAROLD BLACK
Tim Burchett (Republican, TN) \u2014 2022-1-11

I rise today to recognize my dear friend, Dr. Harold Black. The University of Georgia, his alma mater, recently announced it will name a new residence hall in his honor. prgtoken He was the first Black student to enroll in the university's Terry College of Business, graduating with a bachelor of business administration in economics. He completed his education by earning his master of the arts and Ph.D. in economics from Ohio State University. prgtoken Dr. Black then led an accomplished career working for financial institutions. He served as Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Research and Analysis in the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Director and Chairman of the Nashville branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and consulted for several major banking corporations. prgtoken Dr. Black later used his public and private sector experience to teach finance in the higher education system. Following tenures at several universities, Dr. Black eventually settled at my alma mater, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. prgtoken Dr. Black shared his knowledge with students in the Haslam College of Business for 24 years until his retirement in 2011. Throughout his career, Dr. Black published his financial research in outlets like the American Economic Review, the Journal of Banking and Finance, and the Journal of Monetary Economics. He received many awards for his teaching and research. Dr. Black continues to write, publishing a weekly column in my favorite newspaper, the Knoxville Focus. prgtoken Congratulations on your recent recognition from the University of Georgia, Dr. Black. Our community is proud of your achievements, and I for one enjoy reading your views on economics, and for making it so even a person of my intelligence level can understand what you are saying. I really appreciate it. Honoring Petty Officer Second Class Chris Al-Brett
Recognizing the NDSU 2022 NCAA Division II Championship Title (Executive Calendar)
John Hoeven (Republican, ND) \u2014 2022-1-11

before I turn to my colleague Senator Cramer, I want to mention that I was at the national championship game. It was just fantastic. prgtoken As I say, Bison Nation, which is all our Bison fans from North Dakota and across the country, and the coaches, the staff, President Bresciani, and, of course, these great student athletes who had such a wonderful game--it was a great show. They turned out in force in Frisco, TX. We are starting to call Frisco Fargo South, which is actually the name of one of the high schools up in Fargo, which is kind of fun. But our fans travelled down there so well, filled the stadium, and they did once again. It was just a wonderful atmosphere. It was on national television, so they performed on a national stage, and people from across the country got to watch a wonderful game. prgtoken But leading up to that game, in the semifinals, they played James Madison University, which has a tremendous football program as well. That was on a Friday night, and it was the Friday night where we were last here several weeks ago voting until about 2 o'clock in the morning. prgtoken The reason I bring up the story is because we must have had--you were there, --we must have had like north of 20 votes at least. So we started early in the evening and went until 2 in the morning or thereabouts. prgtoken But the semifinal game between the North Dakota State University Bison and the James Madison Dukes was on television that Friday evening, so between votes, we were going into the cloakroom, and we had it on television there. So between votes, all the Senators--at least in the cloakroom--we had it on, and we were watching the game. prgtoken It was a lot of fun and helped, you know, with the long evening, but it really demonstrated how this program has done so much in terms of for the State and NDSU and really providing an awareness nationwide of these great student athletes we have, because all of our colleagues got to see them, and they commented on not just the caliber of the football that our team played--it was a hard-fought game. James Madison has a wonderful program as well; again, really just a class operation. So the Bison won in a hard-fought game. prgtoken But the other thing that was fun--we have a dome. We call it the Bison Dome. Go figure. And remember that Bison is B-I-S-O-N, but it is a Z, not an S, when you say it properly. But they showed all the fans having fun and the noise in the dome, which makes it so hard to come up and play North Dakota State on our home field in our dome. Everybody, of course, is dressed in green and gold. But what an incredible sports atmosphere. prgtoken For anyone who likes collegiate athletics, this is one of the most iconic, greatest venues in the country. Again, it is Bison Nation. It is the fans. It is everybody--the coaching staff, President Bresciani, his whole team, the staff and faculty, and, of course, most of all,
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1836, GUARD AND RESERVE GI BILL PARITY ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4673, ENSURING VETERANS' SMOOTH TRANSITION ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Guy Reschenthaler (Republican, PA) \u2014 2022-1-11

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , I am a veteran in the Navy. I was a naval officer. I deployed to Iraq. I will talk about veteran issues all day long, and we can start by talking about the VA loan that needs reform so veterans can actually use this loan in a hot market where sellers simply will refuse to accept that loan. I will sit up here and talk about that all day, and I have been talking about veterans' issues. prgtoken But let's just step back. We have had almost 1 year of one-party rule, one party controlling the White House, the Senate, and the House for 1 year. prgtoken And what has that given us? prgtoken It has given us an absolute crisis--a disaster--at the southern border. It has given us rampant COVID deaths that actually exceed what they were last year despite the fact that this President inherited from President Operation Warp Speed which gave him three vaccines and a list of therapeutics that could be used. Despite all that, this is still an unmitigated disaster that and his ic colleagues have created. prgtoken We also have inflation and stagnation. American workers have less money to buy the goods and services they need. We have Russia poised to invade Ukraine. We have Communist China daily invading the airspace of the free and independent nation state of Taiwan. And don't even get me started on the fact that we ceded Afghanistan to the Taliban after 18 months of stability in a nation that saw zero American fatalities and stability for our Afghan allies, and we handed it over to the Taliban. prgtoken That is what 1 year of one-party rule has given this country: an unmitigated disaster. prgtoken Now, getting back to schools, I know that my colleagues on the left want to say that this is just an issue for Chicago or some other city. Forty-five hundred schools shut down the first week of January is a national issue. prgtoken Madam , I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Louisiana (Ms. Letlow) to talk more about it.
Filibuster (Executive Calendar)
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2022-1-11

there has been a lot of discussion on the floor, certainly today and the days leading up to this, as we talk about the importance of protecting minority rights here in the Senate and the consequences of weakening the legislative filibuster to a 50- vote, majority-serving threshold. There is a lot to say, and there has been a lot said already. prgtoken I was here listening to the comments from my friend from Utah and have had an opportunity to hear much of what has been said throughout the course of the day. But I am here perhaps as the sole Senate who will vote to begin debate on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act because I happen to believe that it is important that we focus on improving our election laws, but I also believe very, very strongly that the way to do that is through the regular order process. It might sound kind of boring, but that is actually how you get the good work, the enduring legislation done. prgtoken I am also here, I guess, as a senior Member of the Chamber now. I have been around for almost 20 years. I have spent time in both the majority and the minority. But I am also here because I care--I really care--about legislating. I understand what it takes to prgtoken work across the aisle to bring good policy into law. prgtoken One of the things that I can tell you from firsthand experience is, it is hard. It is hard work. It is hard work to bring people together, particularly on some of these challenging and difficult issues that we have. prgtoken When the problems are hard, that means usually the solutions are equally hard. But that is our job as legislators--to bring sides together, to find that common ground. prgtoken That is what legislating is all about. And so with all of that in mind, I tell you I believe that weakening the current 60-vote threshold would be a major mistake, a damaging mistake, especially in light of the already deep division that we have within our country today and within the divisions that we have represented in this body today. prgtoken So the nuclear option is reportedly coming our way to change the threshold for cloture on legislation--on legislation to 50 votes and to do this with just 50 votes. But I would suggest to you that this will do nothing to cure what actually ails the Senate, and, therefore, we should reject it. prgtoken I mentioned that the job that we have as legislators is to come together to knit the good ideas from one side to the other, to really build that consensus that will allow for enduring policy and enduring laws. Gutting the filibuster is not going to do anything to bring both sides together. It will not help bring the parties together. It will, unfortunately, just serve to push them further apart, split us further apart. It would not lead to better or consensus legislation. prgtoken It effectively allows the majority to do what it wants to do, when it wants to do it, how it wants to do it without the mino
Elections (Executive Calendar)
Roger F. Wicker (Republican, MS) \u2014 2022-1-11

a few years back, I was watching a television news show and I saw video that struck me as strange. It was a video taken by a security device outside of a residence. Basically, someone is knocking on the door--multiple doors at this particular apartment--and the person knocking on the door basically said this: I am a volunteer for the ic Party, and I am here to collect ballots from those who wish to vote in the next election. prgtoken I found that strange until I learned that that practice called ballot harvesting is perfectly legal in the State of California; in other words, it is all right for me as a volunteer for my party to go and knock on the door and say: I am here to collect your absentee ballot but only if you are voting for the candidate I am for. prgtoken That is perfectly legal. That is called ballot harvesting. I hope my colleagues can see the opportunity for abuse in this particular practice. prgtoken I think most State legislatures that have prohibited this sort of practice see the opportunity for abuse. What is to stop me from saying, ``Knock. Knock. Knock. I am a volunteer for party X, and I am here to collect ballots for people who like to vote for candidates of party X,'' getting those ballots and then perhaps forgetting to turn them in or perhaps losing them or not turning them in at all? prgtoken That sort of practice is rife for abuse, and I think it is the reason that most States prohibit that. prgtoken Soon we will be taking up a bill, which I am told, if it comes to us in the form that it is in now, would allow that sort of ballot harvesting. To me, if California wants to try this, that is their right. I think it is rife for abuse, and I wish they wouldn't do it. But to impose these sorts of requirements on the rest of the Nation-- our friends on the other side of the aisle propose this week to vote on destroying a provision that has served this Senate and this Republic well for over two centuries, and that is what is known as the filibuster but what I call the consensus-building, 60-vote rule. prgtoken This is a time-honored way that this body has been unique, and it has enabled us to craft some of the most long-lasting and widely accepted legislation in the history of this Republic. The Civil Rights Act of 1994 was passed with consensus because this Senate had to have 60 votes or more. In that case, it may have been a 66-vote rule. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed with that consensus-building technique. Medicare, Social Security--time-honored legislation that has served this Republic and its citizens has been passed with this consensus- building tool. prgtoken And the leadership of my friends across the aisle would bring a measure to the floor later this week to repeal that and make us just like the House of Representatives, make us just like every Parliament in socialist countries around the world: majority rule, 51 votes--you get it--destroying t