mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
John W. Hickenlooper (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2024-7-24

standing here listening to my distinguished colleague from Alaska, it is hard not to be angry at what we as a country did, and we are here today to reckon with this disgraceful part of our past. The Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act is the first attempt by the Federal Government to formally investigate and address this horrific period in U.S. history. This legislation and the truth that it will unearth is an essential step toward healing. prgtoken Now, from the early 19th to the mid-20th century, the U.S. Government established 408 Federal boarding schools across the United States. Now, these schools were created for the purpose of stripping Native American children of their language, their religion, and their cultural identity. In the over 100 years that these schools were in operation, our government took an estimated 100,000 Native American children from their homes and from their families. An estimated 40,000 of these children died alone, without their family, at government-sanctioned schools. prgtoken And this is the story of one of those schools. prgtoken Now, in 2022, I visited Colorado's Fort Lewis College. It is a wonderful, remarkable college. It has one of the highest, if not the highest, proportion of Native American students of any college in the country. But it traces its origin back to the Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School, and I went there to discuss the boarding school's history with students at Fort Lewis and with the Tribal Council of the Southern Ute and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribes. prgtoken It is because of the hard work of Fort Lewis College and the hard work of the Tribes that we can bring many of the details of this dark history to light. prgtoken Now, Fort Lewis was established in 1892 in Hesperus, CO. To call Fort Lewis a school really is--that is a bald-faced lie. Native American children were not given an education in reading or writing or math. The education model, instead, was based on assimilation into a White and Western way of life, and it came at a truly devastating cost. prgtoken From 1892 to 1909, an estimated 1,100 children attended this boarding school in southern Colorado. These children were forcibly taken from their families of the Southern Ute, Navajo, Apache, and other numerous Tribes. prgtoken Desperate to save their children, many Southern Ute families refused to turn their children over. As punishment, the school's superintendent Dr. Thomas Breen cut off the Tribe's food rations to try to force the children's attendance. prgtoken Breen's tactics failed. The Southern Ute Tribe was steadfast in their resistance and their refusal to give up their children. prgtoken Upon arrival at Fort Lewis, students were stripped of their clothing, their names, and, as Senator Murkowski said, their hair. Each day, the children were required to perform manual labor, like digging ditches and planting crops, oftentimes in the hot midaftern
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2024-7-24

I rise today in support of the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act and in remembrance of the thousands of Native children who died and suffered in these schools. prgtoken Thousands of children were ripped from their families in the name of assimilation. Thousands of children were the victims of physical and sexual abuse. And thousands of children were forbidden from practicing their culture and speaking their Native languages. prgtoken The operation of Federal Indian boarding schools by the U.S. Department of the Interior is one of the darkest chapters of American history, a chapter whose consequences are still being felt deeply by boarding school survivors, their families, and Tribal communities. prgtoken The Federal Government funded more than 400 Indian boarding schools over the course of 150 years, one of the earliest being the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where Wampanoag children from my own home State of Massachusetts were stolen from their families, sent hundreds of miles away, and subjected to cruel and inhumane assimilation practices. prgtoken When Captain Richard Henry Pratt founded the Carlisle Indian School in 1879, he imbued it with this model: Kill the Indian, save the man. prgtoken But we know all too well that these boarding schools did only the former. They acted as a violent means of assimilation and an essential tool in the U.S. Government's dispossession of Native people's aboriginal rights, land, and culture. Children as young as 4 years old were subjected to systemic, violent abuse. prgtoken The Department of the Interior's recent investigation found that children were renamed from Native names to English names; had their hair cut off; were discouraged or prevented from using their languages, religion, and cultural practices; and organized into units to perform military drills. prgtoken The Department of the Interior has since identified marked and unmarked burial sites at 53 schools. This is just the tip of the tragic, horrifying, unacceptable iceberg of our history. prgtoken In a confidential message to Congress, Thomas Jefferson said about Native people that ``when they withdraw themselves to the culture of a small piece of land, they will perceive how useless to them are their extensive forests, and will be willing to pare them off from time to time.'' prgtoken He directed Congress--Thomas Jefferson--to ``encourage them to abandon hunting'' so that ``the extensive forests necessary in the hunting life, will then become useless.'' prgtoken What was once a plot to take Native land also became the foundation of our Nation's century-long legacy of forced assimilation, displacement, and, ultimately, attempted eradication of Native language, culture, and the people themselves. prgtoken We have not simply a moral responsibility but a legal obligation to the welfare of Tribes across the country to uphold treaty rights and
KIDS ONLINE SAFETY ACT
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2024-7-25

after months of negotiations, the Kids Online Safety Act, KOSA, has been improved, thanks to hard work by Commerce Chair Cantwell and Leader Schumer. The changes that I, LGBTQ+ advocates, parents, student activists, civil rights groups and others have fought for over the last 2 years have made it less likely that the bill can be used as a tool for MAGA extremists to wage war on legal and essential information to teens. I want to take a moment to thank all of the advocates, parents, young people, and concerned citizens that have raised their views about KOSA with me, both in support of the bill and with concern about its implications. prgtoken Let me be clear, I strongly support elements of this bill, especially Senator Markey's Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, which will safeguard the personal information of young people online. Provisions regulating addictive design elements used by platforms to keep young people hooked are valuable safeguards that will make tech products safer. Unfortunately, KOSA's improvements, while constructive, remain insufficient. I fear this bill could be used to sue services that offer privacy-enhancing technologies like encryption or anonymity features that are essential to young people's ability to communicate securely and privately without being spied on by predators online. I also take seriously concerns voiced by the American Civil Liberties Union, Fight for the Future, and LGBTQ+ teens and advocates that a future MAGA administration could still use this bill to pressure companies to censor gay, trans, and reproductive health information. prgtoken For these reasons, I cannot vote for this legislation. However, if this bill is signed into law by the President, I look forward to working with my colleagues to conduct rigorous oversight of the FTC to ensure that my worst fears about this bill do not come true and that kids benefit from a safer internet. prgtoken Whatever happens to this bill, I look forward to working with my colleagues on other initiatives, including regulating harmful and manipulative platform designs, to tackle the vital topic of kids' safety online. I also remain convinced that this effort must go hand- in-hand with passing a strong baseline privacy law for all Americans.
STRONGLY CONDEMNING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND ITS BORDER CZAR, KAMALA HARRIS'S, FAILURE TO SECURE THE UNITED STATES BORDER
Nanette Diaz Barragán (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-7-25

. This resolution does nothing to address the challenges at our southern border, and s know that. They are not serious in addressing border security. This resolution is not about solutions, it is about politics. prgtoken , including Vice President , will continue our work to address the challenges everyday Americans face. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to reject these desperate tactics and this dishonest resolution.
CONGRATULATING DANIEL HOLT ON HIS RETIREMENT
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2024-7-25

I rise today to thank an incredible member of my team, my director of operations, Daniel Holt, who is retiring later this summer after 25 years of public service. prgtoken Daniel's title doesn't even begin to reflect all that he does. Daniel is a rock star. He always knows who to call, what to do, and how to get it done. He makes sure that everyone in our district has an open door to my office. He has served this institution, this country, and the people of Massachusetts with incredible integrity and dedication, and, in the process, he has made the world a better place. prgtoken On a personal level, Daniel is like family to me and my wife, Lisa, and my kids, Molly and Patrick. I also want to recognize his family: Denise, Eleanor, Isaac, and Ava. prgtoken I know Daniel will continue to do great things in the future. On behalf of team McGovern, we are full of gratitude to Daniel, and we will forever be grateful to call him a mentor, colleague, and friend.
HONORING FELICIA MICELI DURING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
Delia C. Ramirez (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-7-25

today I rise to honor my constituent, Felicia Miceli, a dedicated champion seeking to address opioid abuse among our youth. prgtoken Her beloved son, Louie Theodore Miceli, loved the outdoors, he was an exceptional friend, he made people laugh, and he was an athlete. He began taking opioids to treat a sports injury. At the age of 24, he died from a heroin overdose. prgtoken Since then, Felicia has worked to reduce the epidemic and ensure that other peoples' stories end differently. As the founder and president of LTM Heroin Awareness and Support Foundation, her efforts, including the passing of Louie's Law, protected the youth of DuPage County and beyond. Her commitment has honored her son's memory and has saved lives. prgtoken On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, I commend Felicia Miceli for her dedication to mental health awareness and her relentless pursuit of justice and support for our community. prgtoken I congratulate and thank Felicia.
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU'S JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2024-7-25

I rise to voice my opposition to the speech given in this chamber by Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. The speech given by the Prime Minister was outrageous. He disrespected his role as a foreign leader speaking before a joint session of Congress. He used the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to make blatantly political attacks on American citizens who disagree with his policies. He also made a full endorsement of former President . One wonders if the Prime Minister's attacks were an attempt to salvage his own political survival in Israel by making it appear that he has the full support of the American people, which he does not. prgtoken This was a disturbing day for many Americans and a tragic day for Israelis and Palestinians who are desperately looking for leadership-- not political grandstanding. What the American people want, and what Prime Minister Netanyahu failed to deliver, was a clear plan to end the violence and bring about a lasting two state solution in the region.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2024-7-25

I come to the floor today, and I congratulate the chairman of the Judiciary Committee for this important legislation that has been passed out of the Judiciary Committee. I encourage him to continue their efforts to hold large social media companies accountable for the way that information is used against American citizens, and I thank him for his good work. prgtoken I, too, want to come to the floor today and talk about the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act that I hope my colleagues will advance today on a cloture motion so we can get on this legislation and hopefully speedily pass it through the U.S. Senate. prgtoken It has been more than 3 years now where families from all across America have come to the Nation's Capital and said that they have lost children to suicide; they have had children harassed and bullied and had to leave school and move to a different location. They have had the safety and security of their children threatened, as my colleague just mentioned, some of the bullying and activities that take place. prgtoken So today is about advancing forward on privacy legislation aimed at protecting our children by giving new tools to the Federal Trade Commission, with new authority to take up this cause and to clearly outline what we in the U.S. Senate think needs to be done today to better protect children. prgtoken I mentioned the 3 years and the number of families that have come to the Nation's Capital because they have been here many times and walked away many times discouraged because the same big media platforms have then, after they have left, come here and tried to lobby Members on the fact that they can't accept these ideas. prgtoken But today, hopefully we will be victorious in giving a few very particular tools to help us, to help our families, and to help children try to address this growing crisis. prgtoken As we have met with many of these families, it was very clear that we needed to give them something that they can fight back with. So two pieces of the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act include two important pieces of legislation from the Commerce Committee. prgtoken The first is Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, led by my colleagues Senator Markey and Senator Cassidy. I want to thank them for their leadership on this important issue. It has really been a long time in coming, particularly with Senator Markey who led on original legislation to protect children under the age of 13 from targeted advertising. prgtoken Many people will remember when we tried to say we were going to ban advertising on TV specifically to kids; we have tried to follow that up with the internet. And today, we are taking another step. prgtoken The three things that this important legislation does is that it raises that age from 12 to 16 of those kids who will be protected so that they cannot be targeted for advertising and it creates a new knowledge standard. So many of these compan
ELIMINATE USELESS REPORTS ACT OF 2024--Continued
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2024-7-25

reserving the right to object, I have listened to my colleague from Kentucky, and in the interest of time, I think the very simple answer and the reason for my objection is: Read the bill. Read the bill. prgtoken If you read the bill, you will see, for example, there is no empowering of attorneys general to enforce this measure; there is no vagueness in these provisions. They were crafted narrowly to target specific evils--real evils--that destroy lives. prgtoken And if he thinks that this bill, as he has termed it, is ``crazy'' and ``bizarre,'' he should tell the parents and the young people who have come to us over these past years--to Senator Blackburn and myself--with harrowing stories of the destructive harm to their children's lives, and young people telling us about those harms to their own lives. prgtoken The principle of this bill is very simple: It does not empower those unelected bureaucrats--which, again, unfortunately, our colleague from Kentucky has misread. It empowers young people and parents. It gives them choices. It enables them to take back control over their own lives. It enables the strongest settings of safety by default. It requires companies to disable product features that are destructive. It gives young people and parents tools to opt out, to choose not to be a part of algorithm recommendations that fuel destructive mental health harms. It gives them safeguards to shield themselves against online predators and options to protect their own information. prgtoken Young people and parents deserve these kinds of choices to make on their own. That is the principle of the bill. prgtoken And so this mischaracterization is regrettable, but I know that my colleagues are going to see through it--they are going to see that this bill is very specific, not vague; narrowly targeted, not broad--to protect children and give parents and kids choices that enable them to take back control over their own lives. prgtoken And let me just say, there is no censorship in this bill--none, zero. It is about product design, much as it would be about a car that is unsafe and is required to have seatbelts and airbags. prgtoken We wouldn't credit an argument by a car manufacturer that somehow it is a First Amendment right of expression to eliminate those car seats and airbags that protect lives. It would be ludicrous. It would be laughable, and so are these objections that have been made by my colleague from Kentucky. prgtoken I am proud of the work that we have done on a bipartisan basis over these years. This bill is the result of bipartisan, careful, methodical, time-consuming work by Senator Blackburn and myself listening to those parents and young people but also--and let me be very blunt here--listening to the Big Tech companies. They have come to us, and they have said, in effect: Trust us. Trust us. We will take care of it. prgtoken We have seen this movie before. We know how it ends: No actio
TRIBUTE TO DR. TIMOTHY DONOHUE
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2024-7-25

I rise today to congratulate Dr. Timothy prgtoken Donohue for his accomplishments as a scientist over the past 40 years. I am honored to recognize this momentous milestone and Dr. Donohue's numerous contributions to science. prgtoken Dr. Donohue began his path with a bachelors of life sciences from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1975, followed by a master's in microbiology from Pennsylvania State University in 1977, before receiving his Ph.D. in microbiology from Pennsylvania State University in 1980. prgtoken In 1986, Dr. Donohue began as an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Bacteriology. He rose to associate professor in 1991 and full professor in 1996. During this time, he has come to be an internationally recognized expert on bio- and genome-based conversion of renewable resources into valuable products. His research focuses on microbial metabolic and regulatory pathways, genomic and systems biology, and the strategies that microbes use to grow and generate chemicals and alternative fuels from renewable resources. prgtoken Currently, Dr. Donohue serves as the director of the Wisconsin Energy Institute and is the Ira L. Baldwin Professor of Bacteriology and the UW Foundation's Fetzer-Bascom Professor. prgtoken During his tenure, Dr. Donohue has earned countless achievements. He is the past president and secretary of the American Society of Microbiology, an honorary fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology, and recipient of the 2018 Promega Biotechnology research award given by the American Academy of Microbiology. He has also served on numerous Federal and international advisory panels and led federally funded graduate training programs. prgtoken Since 2007, Dr. Donohue has also served as the principal investigator and director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy, a U.S. Department of Energy funded Bioenergy Research Center led by the University of Wisconsin- Madison. The center conducts pioneering research that develops sustainable biofuels and bioproducts made from crops with the goal of creating biofuels and bioproducts that are economically viable and environmentally sustainable. The center's renewable fuel and chemicals research has trained over 1,000 scientists and engineers, made advancements in over 250 patent applications and 100 licensed technologies, and provided the scientific underpinnings for five start- up companies. prgtoken Dr. Donohue's continued work in this vital field and dedication to research and education will continue to make a positive impact for many years to come, and I am proud to recognize his lifelong commitment to the pursuit of science and discovery.
THOMAS BATTS HONORED AS 2024 NORTH CAROLINA STATE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION AGENT OF THE YEAR
Donald G. Davis (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2024-7-25

let me tell you what the buzz is about in Wilson, North Carolina. Thomas Batts, a commercial horticulture agent with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Wilson County was honored as the 2024 North Carolina State Cooperative Extension Agent of the Year in recognition of his service to agriculture and beekeepers. prgtoken Thomas is known for his hands-on and engaging horticulture programming, which includes beekeeping school and commercial vegetable production workshops. Thomas was instrumental in forming the Wilson County Beekeepers Association, which now has over 125 members. prgtoken , I congratulate Thomas on this well-deserved award. His hard work is a testament to his care for eastern North Carolina.