mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION...
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-7-27

my amendment defends religious organizations under attack from the radical left. politicians' distrust of religious entities does not entitle them to ban them unconstitutionally from participating in Federal programs and contracts. prgtoken President and other politicians continue to target faith-based entities despite repeated rebuke from the U.S. Supreme Court. ' unfounded fear of religious Federal contractors is, in fact, a form of discrimination. Religious organizations that contract with the Federal Government must still abide by nondiscrimination laws. prgtoken We must protect the valuable Department of Labor regulation that provides certainty and predictability for Federal contractors and upholds the rights of all Americans. prgtoken Religious freedom is a nonnegotiable right. My amendment upholds the Constitution and supports the right of religious organizations to do business with the Federal Government. prgtoken , I urge all Members to vote ``yes'' on Foxx amendment 16.
Remembering Mike Enzi (Executive Calendar)
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2021-7-27

like all of our colleagues, I was stunned to wake up this morning and find out that our friend and colleague Mike Enzi had been killed in a tragic accident, I think involving a bicycle, and I think we are still reeling from that. prgtoken I just want to share a couple thoughts, if I could. I see the Senator from Oklahoma is here to speak after me, and I will be brief. prgtoken I think maybe one of the last bills that Mike Enzi introduced, I was privileged to cosponsor with him. It was a postal naming bill. We do those from time to time, as the Presiding Officer knows. There is a post office in Wyoming that under the bill would be named after the late father of Bobbi Barrasso, Senator John Barrasso's wife. Her dad had served in the military--I believe in World War II and the Korean war, as I recall--with great honor and courage. He was awarded a number of military awards, I think including the Bronze Star, maybe the Purple Heart and others. I was privileged to cosponsor that bill, and it got passed in wrap-up in Congress last December. prgtoken One of my first memories of serving in the U.S. Senate also involved Mike Enzi. I was the Presiding Officer sitting right where you are sitting, Mr. Presiding Officer, and Mike Enzi took the floor and began to speak. He talked about something called the 80-20 rule, and I didn't know what he was talking about. I heard several iterations of an 80-20 rule. But I listened to him talk. He talked a bit about how he and Ted Kennedy, one of the most liberal Senators in the Senate, and Mike Enzi, one of the more conservative Members of the Senate, how they managed to work together and get a lot done as senior members of what would become the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the HELP Committee, here in the Senate. prgtoken I didn't know Mike Enzi. I was brand new here, and he had been here a couple of years before that. prgtoken When he was finishing up, I asked one of the pages to give him a note. The note said: Dear Senator Enzi, before you leave the floor, would you come and chat with me? prgtoken I was sitting right there. It was a slow day, so he finished up, and he came up to chat with me while I was sitting--presiding as Presiding Officer. prgtoken I said: Mike, what is the 80-20 rule, and how does it apply here? prgtoken He talked about his relationship with Ted Kennedy. He said: Ted Kennedy is one of the most liberal in the Senate, and I am one of the more conservative s. He said: We get a lot done. prgtoken And they really did. It was a very productive committee. prgtoken I said: How does the 80-20 rule work? prgtoken He said: Ted and I agree on about 80 percent of the issues that come before our committee, and we disagree maybe on another 20 percent. He said: What he and I have agreed to do is just--we focus on the 80 percent where we agree, and we just say the other 20 percent, we will set that aside and take it up another day
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION...
Jackie Speier (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-7-27

I thank the chair of the Appropriations Committee whom I deeply adore. prgtoken , I rise in support of my amendment which highlights the Defense Department's abject failure to maintain its child development centers and its barracks and the need for a $15 billion investment. prgtoken Our associates in the department and the generals all talk about how important it is to take care of the whole servicemember. I always say that when a servicemember serves, so does his or her family. prgtoken Now, we know by their own admission that there are 135 childcare centers that are in either poor or failing condition, and we have more than 9,000 families with children on waiting lists in the military. prgtoken But having all that knowledge, , you would think that they would elevate this issue. But only one childcare center has been considered in their budget request. There are 135 that are poor or failing, and they chose to only fund one. prgtoken While the Army announced with great fanfare some time ago a $10 billion, 10-year project to replace substandard barracks, that would require $1 billion a year in which they would invest in barracks, but they have only committed and requested $262 million--they are clearly, not on track to complete this $10 billion project over 10 years. prgtoken I thank the Appropriations Committee for adding $300 million for barracks and child care centers over the Department's request, but this does not excuse the military from its responsible. Talk is cheap. Action is what we want to see. prgtoken , I call on the Department to do a better job in the next year's budget. I urge my colleagues to prgtoken include $15 billion for these quality of life matters for our military families in the forthcoming reconciliation package.
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION...
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-7-27

. Madam , as everybody knows, I had the delightful opportunity of serving on the Appropriations Committee as an active member for 23 years. I am on leave, and I may be on leave forever, who knows, but I care a lot about these bills. These are the only bills that have to pass. They are the only bills that if they don't pass, the government shuts down. prgtoken They are the bills that used to bring us together. It is relatively easy to compromise on figures, but it is difficult to compromise on other issues. Although, I will say, as I begin my remarks--and I am not going to be that long, but as I begin my remarks, I voted for, in the 1980s and 1990s and over the last 20 years, for appropriations bills in which there were contained issues that I severely disagreed with, and I know Ms. DeLauro has as well. prgtoken But I know that overall we had to pass the bills, and that I thought then, and I think now, that the bills were largely dealing with what the American people wanted us to deal with. prgtoken So I rise today, Madam , in support of these bills, the seven in this package, and hopefully, three to come, and the two thereafter, whenever we bring them to the floor. prgtoken Last Congress, after took control of the House majority, we passed legislation to fund nearly all of government before the end of the summer. I was very proud of that. We passed it in June of 2019, and we passed it in July of 2020. We have done that 2 years in a row now. What we haven't accomplished, however, is the passage of these bills prior to September 30. That is what we should be doing. prgtoken I know the chair feels that way, and I think the ranking member feels that way. I haven't talked to her specifically about that, but I think she does. prgtoken Moving the appropriations process along on time made it easier to forestall shutdowns and fund the government for the American people. prgtoken Now we are doing so again and with a ic-controlled Senate and White House, we are passing bills of which every Member of this body can be proud. And I predict that every Member of this body will go home and claim credit for something in these appropriations bills, whether you voted for or against. prgtoken The appropriations bills we are bringing to the floor in this minibus package deliver for all of our constituents. They invest in economic growth; they expand infrastructure; they care for our veterans; they make college more affordable; advance research into combatting the next pandemic and curing rare diseases; protect America's public lands and keeping our air and water clean. prgtoken They help farmers, small business, and large business. They help farmers and invest in rural communities, and combat hunger and provide housing, among other things. prgtoken These investments in the American people will help us build back better from the pandemic and enable our businesses, workers, students, and farmers to get ahead in the glo
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4502, LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT...
Lois Frankel (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2021-7-27

. Madam , I rise in support of this bill that invests in the love and commitment we have for our families, from the very young to the very old. prgtoken It gets our children off to a good start with historic funding for pre-K and child care, and makes sure all children have access to high- quality public education regardless of their ZIP Code. prgtoken We want our children to have a chance to live out their dreams, so we make unprecedented investments in Pell grants for college students, including DACA recipients. prgtoken And our grandparents have given us so much. To help them age with dignity and comfort, the bill increases funding for home and community- based services and research on Alzheimer's and other conditions that impact older Americans. prgtoken And, of course, we want our families to be safe and healthy, so this bill doubles funding for research on gun violence, pluses-up mental health treatment, and makes historic investments in combatting climate change and protecting Florida's Everglades, drinking water for millions. prgtoken And this is a country that honors our veterans. I am proud to champion Centers of Excellence for Student Veteran Success programs that help veterans transition from Active Duty to civilian student life. prgtoken And today we celebrate reproductive freedom with historic investments in Title X Family Planning program, which provides health service to millions of low-income patients in our prgtoken most underserved communities, and we eliminate provisions blocking the use of Medicaid funding for abortion. prgtoken No matter how we feel about abortion, politicians should not deny someone's health coverage just because they are struggling financially. Women must have the freedom to decide when and if to become a parent. This is monumental. prgtoken This is a bill filled with love and hope and justice that lifts up our families. I am proud to support it.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4502, LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT...
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2021-7-27

. Madam , I rise in strong support of this rule and the underlying legislation, which funds key health, education, and other priorities that our Nation has simply underinvested in for much too long. prgtoken I am particularly appreciative for the increased investments in TRIO--and I would mention that is a bipartisan initiative--and WIC-- Women, Infant, and Children--among other things. prgtoken I want to talk now about two amendments that I have offered to this bill, which were made in order under this rule. The first is a bipartisan amendment to increase the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program funding by $10 million. In the United States, 40 million households every year are unable to afford their basic household energy needs. prgtoken I know in my State the temperature ranges between 55 degrees below zero to over 100 degrees. So it is not optional to have heating or cooling. prgtoken In many cases this means choosing between food, medicine, and electricity needs to make ends meet, or leaving a home that is unsafe and unhealthy because of the upper or lower temperatures. prgtoken In Wisconsin, only 31 percent of eligible households received LIHEAP assistance in 2020. Increasing the funding available for this program will help ensure that more of our most vulnerable citizens have adequate resources to prevent their energy needs from further straining their budgets. prgtoken The second amendment, Madam , would provide an additional $2 million for school breakfast expansion grants included in the 2010 child nutrition reauthorization. I am so proud that the committee included $10 million for this program in the underlying bill. Every child deserves a morning free of hunger and to have the opportunity to learn, grow, and focus in school without worrying where their next meal will come from. prgtoken Currently, out of the 97,000 schools that participate in the school meals program, over 7,000 of them do not provide breakfast. With these additional funds, we can close the school breakfast gap.
HONORING NAREH MANOOKI AS A 28TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Adam B. Schiff (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-7-27

. Madam , I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our Nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Nareh Manooki of Burbank, California. prgtoken After graduating from high school, Nareh attended the University of California San Diego (UCSD). During her junior year at UCSD, Nareh started to work part-time for the Boeing Company, joining full time after graduating from UCSD with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering, followed by a Master of Science degree in Product Development prgtoken Engineering from the University of Southern California. At Boeing, she assumed leadership roles in extracurricular groups, including Boeing Women in Leadership and the Amelia Earhart Society. Nareh learned complicated processes and procedures when working on the 787 nacelle, and became lead of the project, receiving awards for her work on the project. prgtoken Nareh decided to make a shift in her career after the birth of her son. An experienced engineer who never lost sight of her passion for tutoring and helping people, she joined Glendale Community College (GCC) in 2018 as an instructor of engineering, where she currently teaches several classes including Introduction to Engineering and 3D Printing and Modeling. Soon after, Nareh was also hired to teach at Los Angeles Pierce College and Los Angeles City College, where she continues to teach today. prgtoken In addition to sharing her personal and professional experiences in the engineering industry with her students, Nareh also supports her students outside of the classroom with hands-on opportunities that benefit them and the community, especially supporting underrepresented minorities in STEM. When the coronavirus pandemic hit and everyone was sent home, the work outside the classroom seemed to be at a standstill. While Ms. Manooki was working remotely, she wanted to do something to help frontline workers, and while researching on line, she came across articles about 3D printing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). With the support of the GCC leadership, Nareh brought home the school's 3D printers to test different designs she had found for clinically tested products to donate to hospitals. She also discovered that there were many like-minded college instructors in California, with whom she shared the approved mask designs and learned the agreements and processes they established with local hospitals for donations. prgtoken Soon, the networking between GCC and local hospitals blossomed, and donation agreement forms were coming in. Nareh was printing with two or three 3D printers in her home from morning until evening, while simultaneously fulfilling her teaching and parental responsibilities. To meet the demands faster, she reached out to colleagues
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION...
Jerry McNerney (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-7-27

. Madam , I thank the chairwoman for her hard work on this excellent piece of legislation, the staff and ic members of the committee, and all Members across the aisle for their hard work on these very important issues. prgtoken I rise today in support of my two amendments to division B of H.R. 4502. prgtoken These two amendments draw much-needed attention to the energy-water nexus. Energy and water development systems have become more vulnerable as water scarcity and uncertainty have become more pronounced in the West. prgtoken It is time for a more integrated approach to addressing challenges and opportunities, and my amendments encourage our government agencies to improve underlying data collection and analysis. prgtoken My first amendment encourages the Energy Information Administration to conduct a more robust analysis and data collection of water consumption in the commercial and residential surveys and to make the information publicly available. prgtoken My second amendment encourages the Bureau of Reclamation to address the energy consumption from their pumping stations to better understand the opportunities for energy efficiencies and to reduce energy use measures. prgtoken Better data and analysis are foundational to identifying efficiencies in the face of climate change, especially in States where water processing uses a large portion of the energy budget. prgtoken Madam , I urge the adoption of these amendments.
FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE
Maxine Waters (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-7-27

. Madam , let me start off by making one thing clear. The 15th amendment of the United States Constitution says, ``The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.'' prgtoken And so, I challenge the Supreme Court's decision that gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court's interpretation does the exact opposite of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution. But since the 2020 election that broke voter participation records and gave us a democratic majority, Georgia has been ground-zero for voter suppression efforts in this country. prgtoken Because Black people came out to vote in record numbers, lawmakers in Georgia moved with lightning speed and surgical precision to restrict voting rights. State lawmakers reached deep into their bag of tricks, including eliminating ballot drop box locations, limiting voting days and hours, instituting strict ID requirements, and even going as far as trying to make it a crime to distribute food and water to people waiting in long voting lines. It's clear that these laws aren't about protecting voters. It's about punishing voters for exercising their right to vote. prgtoken But it's not only Georgia. Since Election Day, we have been experiencing an all-out anti-democratic assault on our voting rights. Eighteen states, all led by governors, have enacted voter suppression laws because they know that when we vote, they lose. They're playing scared, but we have got to play smart. prgtoken We have seen this type of backlash before. And just as we did in the 1960's, we must pass new civil rights legislation, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act, to protect and expand voting rights. prgtoken The legislation named after my dear friend and civil rights icon, the late Congressman John Lewis, would restore the Voting Rights Act to its full strength, and stem the tide against this flood of voter suppression laws. prgtoken The For The People Act establishes automatic voter registration. It prohibits the most common forms of voter roll purges. It increases access to the polls. It restores voting rights for the formerly incarcerated, among many other democracy saving provisions. prgtoken After an election filled with big lies and scare tactics, that culminated in the violent January 6 insurrection, the American people deserve hard assurances that their vote and their voice will continue to count. So, if the Senate needs to eliminate the filibuster to protect voting rights, then that is exactly what it must do. prgtoken This fight that we are in to protect our sacred right to vote is critical and urgent. Our democracy is on the line, and we are not without options to try and save it.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4502, LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT...
David J. Trone (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-7-27

. Madam , I want to thank Chairman McGovern for yielding, and also for his leadership on the Rules Committee and, equally important, his relentless leadership in the House to help those that are unacceptably hungry in America. prgtoken I rise today as a member of the House Appropriations Committee to urge support for the rule and the bill, which includes important investments to fight our Nation's substance use and mental health crisis, and significant funding for the National Institutes of Health. prgtoken The COVID pandemic has only worsened our Nation's addiction and mental health epidemics. The data is alarming. Last year over 93,000 people died in America from an overdose. That is a 30 percent increase in our country. This year more people are reporting frequent thoughts of suicide and self-harm than ever before. prgtoken Unlike COVID, there will be no vaccine for addiction, no vaccine for mental health. prgtoken It is going to take consistent, increased funding to meet the needs of our most vulnerable Americans. I am happy to say this bill does that. I am also happy to have secured over $6 million in this bill for critical projects in Maryland's Sixth District that invest in important social services for the most vulnerable and job training in our community for those that need it the most. prgtoken I want to thank Chair Rosa DeLauro for her work to lead this committee and invest long term in this important funding for our country. I urge a ``yes'' vote.