mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO CARL LEOGRANDE
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2021-12-7

today I rise to recognize Mr. Carl Leogrande, a remarkable man and World War II veteran who turns 100 on January 3, 2022. prgtoken Following the invasion of Normandy, Mr. Leogrande served as a tank driver for the 12th Armored Division. After his tank was hit with artillery, Mr. Leogrande was transferred to the medical unit. While there, he efficiently deployed his first aid training from his days as a Boy Scout. This methodical, effective work earned Mr. Leogrande the attention of an officer. Soon, he received warfront training and was quickly assigned as a medic on the front lines. prgtoken Mr. Leogrande's division pushed eastward. Along the way, they passed concentration camps that were being liberated by other units. The indescribable sights and smells left Mr. Leogrande with trauma that he speaks of to this day. prgtoken At the age of 22, Mr. Leogrande returned home unharmed. Not long after, prgtoken he went on a blind date with a young woman named Annabelle. She ended up becoming the love of his life, and the two married a year and a half later. prgtoken In the 1970s, Mr. and Mrs. Leogrande moved to Mystic, CT, which they would call their home for the rest of their lives. They became proud member-owners of the Steamboat Wharf Condominium Association. The two were married for over five and a half decades, until Mrs. Leogrande passed away in 2003. prgtoken Mr. Leogrande continues to attend every reunion of the 12th Armored Division. Though 782 members were lost during the war, 14 of them still remain, and Mr. Leogrande looks forward to joining his fellow soldiers for their 2022 reunion, which will take place in Texas. prgtoken Mr. Leogrande's tireless service will be an enduring legacy. I applaud his many accomplishments and hope my colleagues will join me in congratulating Mr. Carl Leogrande on this milestone of his 100th birthday.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-12-7

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar No. 583, No. 584; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and that the Senate resume legislative session.
OCEAN SHIPPING REFORM ACT OF 2021
Adrian Smith (Republican, NE) \u2014 2021-12-8

I rise in support of H.R. 4996, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act. prgtoken I thank Mr. Johnson, Mr. Garamendi, and others for joining me in raising the alarm back in March in a letter to the Federal Maritime Commission about the empty container ships leaving American ports. prgtoken This bill follows on that effort, offering necessary reforms to Federal regulations overseeing the ocean shipping industry in order to address problems like this that have been discussed. prgtoken Agricultural exports are critical to not only feeding the world but to the livelihood of the producers I represent in Nebraska. prgtoken We cannot do that if container ships leave American ports completely empty. prgtoken This bill prohibits foreign ocean carriers from refusing U.S. exports unreasonably and gives the FMC more tools to ensure these carriers are held accountable and held to a high standard. prgtoken Trade only works if exports reach their final destination in a reliable and affordable way. prgtoken This bill is great step toward facilitating exactly that. prgtoken It is a reasonable bill, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Pell Grant Program (Executive Calendar)
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2021-12-8

since being elected to the U.S. Senate about 3 years ago, I have spoken often about the dangers presented by communist China. I have not been alone in this. Colleagues on both sides of the aisle--s, , and Independents in this body--have been vocal about the threats we face from General Secretary Xi and his communist regime. prgtoken While we may not always agree on the solutions to the problems caused by communist China, I feel we are united in a truth: the good people of China are being brutally oppressed, censored, intimidated, and manipulated by the Chinese Communist Party--a regime that wants nothing more than to dominate the world and extinguish the democratic values and true freedoms we so proudly stand for. prgtoken Communist China's actions have repeatedly made this fact clear to all freedom-loving people across the world, and its latest attack on liberty and freedom of Peng Shuai demand our attention. prgtoken Ms. Shuai is one of China's most recognizable athletes. She is a three-time Olympian and was ranked the No. 1 doubles player in 2014 by the Women's Tennis Association. She has won championships at Wimbledon and the French Open and has represented her country at the highest levels of tennis competition. prgtoken So when she shared her story of sexual abuse by a former Vice Premier of the Chinese Communist Party last month on social media, it rightfully caught the attention of the world. prgtoken And communist China's reaction to these disturbing allegations have both shocked us all and completely verified all of our fears. prgtoken Instead of taking Ms. Shuai's claims seriously and investigating these allegations, the communist Chinese Government followed its authoritarian playbook--silence, deflect, and cover up. prgtoken General Secretary Xi and his Communist thugs are so thin-skinned, weak, and intolerant of any questioning of their conduct that the government immediately silenced and disappeared Ms. Shuai. prgtoken For more than 2 weeks, a global outcry arose, led by the Women's Tennis Association, asking ``Where is Peng?'' prgtoken Then, communist China's state media released what it said was an email from Ms. Shuai to the Women's Tennis Association reversing her allegations. It read like a hostage note and only raised more concerns as to her whereabouts and safety. prgtoken Then, the communist Chinese Government shared a couple of videos of Ms. Shuai at various structured public events and staged two video calls with the International Olympic Committee. Shockingly, the International Olympic Committee didn't ask about her disappearance. They didn't ask about her allegations of abuse. But are any of us surprised? prgtoken I have been pressing the International Olympic Committee to speak up against communist China's genocide, attacks on democracy, and other abuses for 2 years. They have been completely silent. prgtoken The IOC's failure to ask these questions reveals it
CONDEMNING THE ONGOING GENOCIDE AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY BEING COMMITTED BY THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Steve Chabot (Republican, OH) \u2014 2021-12-8

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken , I rise in support of H. Res. 317, legislation which condemns China's genocide against the Uyghurs. prgtoken As ranking member of the Committee of Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, I strongly support this legislation and I commend both the chairman of the committee, Mr. Meeks, and the ranking member, Mr. McCaul, for their leadership on this particular issue. prgtoken They have been stressing this. They have been pushing this. They have been speaking out on this for quite some time now, and I am very pleased to see this come before the floor today. It is far beyond the time that action needs to be taken on this. prgtoken , the consistent undermining of human rights, perhaps the Chinese Communist Party's most fundamental challenge to the free world. China's totalitarian government, they have no use for human rights. Their bloody history demonstrates that. Relative to political freedom in China, one sees abuses from Tiananmen Square to Hong Kong. Freedom of speech? The great firewall shuts that down. Freedom of religion? The CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, persecutes Christians; they persecute the Falun Gong; they persecute Tibetan Buddhists; and they even want to dictate who the next Dalai Lama will be. prgtoken And the Chinese Communist Party has taken this campaign to a whole new level in Xinjiang where the Uyghurs are subject to forced labor, to torture, to sexual abuse, to religious persecution, and to onerous restrictions in every facet of their lives. prgtoken Over a million people, the vast majority of them Uyghurs, are in concentration camps today currently. While we are here, they are in concentration camps in China. The hallmark of genocide is the intent to destroy, to eliminate an entire people, and that intent is clear here. The Chinese Communist Party is snatching Uyghur children from their parents, imposing severe birth quotas on Uyghurs. They are conducting forced abortions. They are sterilizing a sizable percentage of the population against their will, and up to 80 percent in some areas of Xinjiang forced sterilization is occurring right now. prgtoken As a result of all this, the birth rate in Xinjiang fell by 24 percent--one out of four--in 2019 alone. This is genocide, and it is high time that the world got serious with the PRC, the People's Republic of China, about what they are doing to the Uyghurs. They have been doing it to a whole range of groups for a long time, but it is particularly brutal when it comes to the Uyghurs, and American businesses have to make sure that they are not profiting by this essentially slave labor, whatever businesses those are. prgtoken So there are things that we can do here in the United States but, ultimately, it is up to the PRC and it is up to the world to shine a light on this because this is happening right now. A million people or so are in these gulags right now. <|p
Vaccine Mandate (Executive Calendar)
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2021-12-8

I come here this evening, but I have been back home on recess breaks ever since there has been this idea of a vaccine mandate. prgtoken We have got a modern miracle in having vaccines available like they have been. It is part of the long journey against COVID. Along with therapeutics now, they are miracles. Yet getting vaccinated should be a decision between an individual and his or her doctor. It shouldn't be up to any politician, especially in a mandate coming down from that highest authority--our President--and he ought to be consistent with what he has said in the past. He said he would never make vaccines mandatory. He didn't keep his word. prgtoken Overreach--I have been here a little under 3 years, and I see it in so many arenas, a lot of it with good intention. We try to solve things here. I think the American public sometimes scratches its collective heads to say: Where are the results? Why does it cost so much? But in this case, you have got to also take into consideration our Constitution, our personal freedoms. It is at stake today. prgtoken The Federal Government has no authority to make anyone choose between getting a vaccine and keeping their job. Today, this body will stand up against this overreach. prgtoken Main Street--Main Street--is where I come from. When you have to explain to people constantly when they are scared by actions like this, can this possibly happen; will the government go through with it; will it somehow fall apart--well, when you have bad ideas, that eventually happens. And it is going to start here this evening. We have seen it in the courts. It has been repeated earlier here this evening how unpopular it is with the American public. prgtoken We did everything we could to keep individuals with their employers. We have spent billions, trillions of dollars doing so. The threshold for a small prgtoken business then, when we were helping, was 500 employees. Now we have lowered it to 100. It has got people frightened across the country. prgtoken Small businesses face enough hardships. Most are finally getting some type of equilibrium with everything that has happened over the last year and a half, and now they have to contend with this. prgtoken As mentioned earlier, any businesses could get fined up to $14,000 per employee. That is more than we were lending them--money--in some small businesses over the recent past. prgtoken A lot of stuff just does not make sense. Listen to the number of organizations, ones that all play into telling us how they like to keep free enterprise going, keeping the private sector healthy: the National Federation of Independent Business, NFIB; National Retail Federation; National Restaurant Association; Association of Wholesale Distributors; American Trucking Associations; Associated Builders and Contractors; Associated General Contractors; American Pipeline Contractors; National Lumber and Building Material Dealers; Distribution Contract
IN RECOGNITION OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF CONNECTED NATION
Brett Guthrie (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-12-8

. Madam , I rise today to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Connected Nation. Beginning in 2001 at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Connected Nation has grown and evolved to the national non-profit it is today. prgtoken For the past 20 years, the people behind Connected Nation have devoted their efforts to expanding access to and the adoption of broadband and related technologies. The non-profit's work includes job skills training, research, mapping, and free connectivity and devices to at-risk youth. prgtoken The non-profit's mission statement reads in part, ``Everyone belongs in a Connected Nation.'' Closing the digital divide is critical for Kentuckians and Americans across the country. Federal and private partnerships are key as we work to expand broadband access. Congratulations to Connected Nation on more than 20 years serving communities across the country.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2021-12-8

. Here is what I am asking in this letter. There is very strong evidence that at least four senior political appointees at the Department of the Interior who have been involved in many of these 20 Executive orders and Executive actions shutting down my State were actually, in their previous jobs, working on the very same issues and advocating for the very same outcome--meaning they are working with a special interest group to say shut down the Willow Project. prgtoken And then when it came to the Interior, they are working on whether or not to shut down the Willow Project. Now, most of us know, if that is true, that is clearly illegal and clearly unethical. prgtoken We have documented this letter--four senior Department of the Interior officials, all of whom who are trying to prgtoken shut down my State--and I think there is strong evidence that they are violating ethics laws and violating the law. So I have asked for a detailed investigation by the Department of the Interior Inspector General into whether or not these individuals have violated Federal ethics laws in their quest to hurt working families in my State. prgtoken Let me conclude with this. I am a supporter of responsible resource development in America of all of the above: energy, wind, solar, oil-- in every part of our great country, in Alaska, of course, in New Mexico--all across our great land. And I am a supporter of the great men and women who do this in Alaska and New Mexico and Texas and North Dakota. prgtoken What is happening in my State right now, this is just wrong, and I am going to fight. And any other Senator who would be going through what my State is going through, with your constituents being harmed, you would be down on the floor fighting, too. prgtoken The vast majority of the U.S. Senators here-- and s--I think deep down in their hearts know that this is just wrong. You don't come in with a new administration and say, Hey, let me target one State and beat the heck out of their working families. It is just wrong. prgtoken And I am hopeful that my colleagues here--and I am asking them because we need the help. I have great people I represent--proud, tough people, but I can't fight the whole damn Federal Government when they are focused on shutting you down. So I am hopeful that my colleagues-- all of my colleagues; I will share the list of the 20--that you can help me get the administration and some misguided hypocritical U.S. Senators to enact a cease-fire in their war on working families and Native communities in the great State of Alaska. prgtoken .
Government Funding (Executive Calendar)
John Hoeven (Republican, ND) \u2014 2021-12-8

. I would like to thank my colleague from Missouri. As my colleagues have pointed out, we rise to support Senator Kennedy's UC-- unanimous consent request--his legislation, because we have consistently supported funding for Medicare and funding for our farmers and our ranchers who work hard to provide food, fuel, and fiber for our Nation. prgtoken That is why I support both the UC request and the amendment that Senator Graham is sponsoring. I am cosponsoring that amendment as well. That would ensure that we fund these priorities. prgtoken I do not support linking these funds with an increase in the debt ceiling, as the bill from the House would do, without our amendment. prgtoken We should not be tying the debt ceiling to important legislation that ensures healthcare providers can continue to care for our seniors and protect our farmers who produce the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. prgtoken So I strongly support and have cosponsored the Graham amendment which would strike the fast-track debt ceiling process from this bill. As we are saying very clearly, we support the funding for Medicare. We support the funding for our farmers and ranchers. prgtoken Now, , who control the White House, the Senate, and the House, are trying to use reconciliation to pass a trillion-plus tax- and-spending bill on a purely partisan basis. Given that, they obviously can use reconciliation to pass a debt ceiling increase on their own. They do not need this House legislation to do it. prgtoken And with that, I will yield to my colleague from Kansas. prgtoken Mr. MARSHALL: for yielding. I am honored to be here this evening to support my colleague from Louisiana. I want to take this Nation back to a year ago, a year ago this spring in April 2020. COVID was on the rise--our first variant, our first wave ripping through this country. Our ERs were overflowing; the ICU beds were full; and doctors and nurses across this Nation ran to the sound of the battle. prgtoken We didn't have vaccines. There weren't therapeutics, but we took an oath to take care of our fellow man. I joined those doctors. I went to an ICU in Southwest Kansas where we had 8 beds, 12 patients, and 9 ventilators. prgtoken So how are we going to reward those doctors today? We are going to cut their pay. We are going to cut most doctors' pay 2 to 11 percent. Even before COVID, there was a doctor shortage. There was doctor burnout. Because of this pay cut, even more doctors will quit. More doctors are going to stop taking Medicare. prgtoken Yesterday, the leadership on the other side of the aisle just wanted to kick doctors, but today I found out they are kicking farmers in the shins as well. Holding doctors and farmers hostage is no way to run a government. I, too, am tired of seeing doctors and farmers used as pawns for political gain. prgtoken I support Senator Kennedy's bill, and I am honored to turn it back to him.
NASA ENHANCED USE LEASING EXTENSION ACT OF 2021
Brian Babin (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-12-8

the balance of my time to close. prgtoken , passage of this legislation will allow NASA to better manage their infrastructure, maintain their facilities, and support the commercial space industry. The provision is fiscally responsible, as it helps NASA collect revenue from its underutilized properties. prgtoken Congress will continue to provide oversight of how NASA uses this authority in the coming years to ensure that taxpayer interests are protected and that the authority is not misused. prgtoken I would like to thank Representative Frank Lucas, the ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, for his leadership on this important topic. He is a strong advocate for not only our Nation's space program but for our entire scientific enterprise, both public and private. prgtoken I would also like to thank Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, my colleague from Texas, and also my friend, Chairman Don Beyer, for their efforts to expedite this bill, as well as the majority and minority staff of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. prgtoken I would also like to thank the NASA civil servant and contractor workforce. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, NASA employees and contractors have been able to accomplish phenomenal achievements. From once again launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil, to landing a rover the size of an SUV on Mars, to flying the first helicopter on another planet, NASA has not missed a stride. These achievements are a credit to the perseverance and fortitude of the entire NASA family, and I look forward to witnessing many more amazing feats in the coming weeks and months. It is an exciting time. prgtoken Finally, I would also like to recognize the passing yesterday of Mark Geyer, the former Director of Johnson Space Center. Mark was a stalwart leader, a skilled engineer, and a thoughtful friend. prgtoken Representing the Johnson Space Center afforded me the opportunity to work with Mark over the years, and I can tell you that he had a profound impact on our Nation's space program. prgtoken I would also like to wish his wife, Jackie, his three children, and the entire Geyer family my heartfelt condolences and thank them for Mark's service to NASA, the American people, and the noble endeavor of space exploration. prgtoken , .
Government Funding (Executive Calendar)
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2021-12-8

I want to thank Senator Kennedy for his help and his leadership in this effort. We simply have to support America's healthcare providers, farmers, and ranchers. Doctors and the entire medical community are still struggling after being unable to perform nonemergency procedures during the pandemic. prgtoken With an aging population and more physicians not accepting Medicare because of insufficient payment, Medicare beneficiaries would face a reality of less access to quality care. That is why I introduced my own legislation to prevent these damaging cuts from harming our physicians, our providers. Our agriculture community is also struggling, and we must protect our farmers and ranchers by ensuring their operations can stay afloat and keep producing the most abundant and safest food supply in the world. prgtoken For all of these reasons, I support Senator Kennedy's bill. prgtoken I understand that my fellow Senator from Missouri also has some concerns, and so I yield to him.