mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CHILD TAX CREDIT
Deborah K. Ross (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2021-12-9

. Madam , I rise today to discuss an important lifeline to so many North Carolina families, the child tax credit. prgtoken In North Carolina alone, millions of families have benefited from the child tax credit. The first monthly payment lifted 3 million children out of poverty and significantly reduced childhood hunger. No family should have to worry about whether they can afford their next meal. prgtoken The child tax credit also helps pay for childcare, helps pay for school supplies, helps when the car breaks down, and helps families living paycheck to paycheck. prgtoken Recently, I heard from a mother in North Carolina who told me that the child tax credit takes away a layer of stress that is inherent in trying to return to the workforce and financially plan for a new setting. prgtoken In just a few weeks, these monthly payments are set to expire unless Build Back Better is passed. We cannot fail the next generation. We must pass this transformative legislation in the Senate and have the President sign it.
PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRACY ACT
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2021-12-9

. Madam , I rise in support of H.R. 5314, the ``Protecting Our Democracy Act,'' spearheaded by my friend and colleague on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, Adam Schiff. prgtoken This bill bolsters congressional oversight authority and the important powers vested in Congress by Article I of the Constitution. It also includes a host of other good-government measures to make our entire government more ethical and more accountable to the people we serve. prgtoken As chairman of both the Committee on Homeland Security and the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, I know firsthand how important congressional oversight is to our legislative process. And I have seen how dedicated the forces aligned against representative democracy are. prgtoken Protecting our democracy is protecting our homeland, and protecting our homeland means protecting our democracy. prgtoken I am particularly supportive of title IV of this bill, which amends the United States Code to reaffirm the House's right to enforce its subpoenas through civil suits in Federal court. The title would also expedite consideration of those suits in the courts and enhance penalties for noncompliance with congressional subpoenas. prgtoken While I firmly believe the House already possesses the ability to seek civil enforcement of its subpoenas, some recent court decisions have questioned it. This bill leaves no room for such doubt. prgtoken Almost a century ago, the U.S. Supreme Court said that Congress needs information to govern wisely and effectively, and it must often seek out others--often by compulsion--to obtain it. To effectively exercise our legislative duties, the Constitution implicitly grants enforcing processes. prgtoken Madam , this bill furthers our ability as legislators to do our job wisely and effectively. I encourage my colleagues to join me in voting for the ``Protecting Our Democracy Act.''
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-12-9

shortly, I am going to be making a unanimous consent request in regard to the confirmations of several nominations that are currently pending before the U.S. Senate. prgtoken My colleagues have been pointing out that these are unprecedented times with the number of Presidential nominations that have cleared our committee and cleared committees with overwhelming votes--in some cases, near unanimous votes--of people who are well qualified for the positions to which they have been nominated, but they cannot take their responsibilities, their oaths, until after we have confirmed them before the U.S. Senate. prgtoken So, for reasons unrelated to their qualifications or the need to have confirmed nominees in positions, we have seen individual objections to allowing these nominations to go forward--objections from Members of the U.S. Senate. I say that because these are unprecedented. We have never seen mass numbers like we have seen in this Congress. prgtoken We have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to confirm Presidential nominations so that they can carry out the missions that we want them to carry out and the responsibilities that go with the reasons why we think it is important enough for the Senate to confirm those nominations. We then have a responsibility to take these nominations up in a timely way and act on them. prgtoken Secondly, when we have a confirmed person in position, we get greater accountability on the responsibilities of prgtoken that Agency. We have a person whom we can hold accountable because of the actions that we have taken in confirming that individual. Both are missing in regard to not having these confirmed positions. prgtoken I chair the subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that deals with the management of the State Department, and I am going to be asking unanimous consent in regard to seven nominees who passed out of our committees a long time ago and have been pending in the Senate for months. There is no question as to the qualifications of the individuals, but they are not able to take on the responsibilities for why we decided it was important enough to have nominations with the confirmations of the Senate. That is just not right, and I think we need to point that out. prgtoken First, I want to just talk about the individuals, and then I will make my consent. prgtoken One is Adam Scheinman, as the Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation, with the rank of Ambassador. The nomination has been pending before the full Senate since October 19-- for over 50 days. prgtoken Adam Scheinman is the Special Representative of the President for the Nuclear Nonproliferation, a position that is essential to national security as a U.S. Special Representative on the nuclear nonproliferation treaties and the support of activities to strengthen global nuclear nonproliferation regimes. Can you think of a more important positi
PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRACY ACT
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2021-12-9

. The amendment indicates that violation by officeholders be treated as a violation of oath of office for purposes of ineligibility to hold public office under the 14th Amendment. prgtoken And so the collective actions, not a person, but if your actions suggest that you are violating democracy, you should not ever run again. prgtoken Madam , I look forward to this amendment becoming law, and I look forward to this bill becoming law because we must protect democracy. The Constitution says that we have been created to create a more perfect union. I insist that we create a more perfect union. Support this great legislation.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-12-9

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations: Calendar No. 359 and 361; 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 the Senate resume legislation session.
PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRACY ACT
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2021-12-9

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership, alongside Chairman Schiff, on this very important legislation. prgtoken Madam , the previous administration played fast and loose with the American people's hard-earned tax dollars. And just as seriously, it exposed dangerous faults in our democratic institutions that, if left unaddressed, will erode the American people's trust in our democracy. prgtoken That is why I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Protecting Our Democracy Act, which restrains Presidents from abusing the public trust. prgtoken Of particular importance to me as chair of the Appropriations Committee, this bill will ensure that every President, regardless of party, will be subject to the Congress' constitutional power of the purse. prgtoken It will strengthen congressional control and review over funding to ensure that Federal dollars are being used as directed by the Congress. prgtoken It will require the Office of Management and Budget to publish how it apportions the appropriations provided by the Congress to executive agencies. prgtoken Finally, the Protecting Our Democracy Act will increase reporting to Congress on the executive branch's compliance with the Impoundment Control Act and the Antideficiency Act, two bedrock laws that were enacted to protect Congress' appropriations power. prgtoken The American people deserve a voice in how their money is spent. Through their duly elected Representatives in the Congress, the Protecting Our Democracy Act gives the American people that voice. prgtoken Madam , I strongly urge support for this important piece of legislation.
PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRACY ACT
Madeleine Dean (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2021-12-9

. Madam , I thank the chairwoman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , speaking of running roughshod, no President-- or --is above the law, but some have tried to be. The previous President and his sad followers ignored subpoenas, punished whistleblowers, and invited foreign interference in our elections. Congress--s and --must act to protect our democracy from any future reckless Presidents, which is why the Protecting Our Democracy Act is crucial. This bill will strengthen our institutions against future Presidents who seek to abuse their power. prgtoken January 6 showed us that Presidential abuse can find its way to a joint session of Congress in a deadly way--140 police officers injured; several police officers dead; desecration; trauma. That is why the work of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is so critical. Their subpoenas cannot be ignored. prgtoken My Congressional Subpoena Compliance and Enforcement Act, which is included in this bill, will standardize and streamline the process so that no one can ignore a subpoena with impunity. prgtoken The previous President's abuses reveal the dangerous fault line.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2021-12-9

I rise--I want to thank Senator Schatz for making that motion and his fight for these nominees to get the government running, when the chairman of the Senate Campaign Committee and others continue to block one nominee after another nominee after another nominee. prgtoken I rise to honor an Ohio public servant who is retiring this month after 32 years of service on the bench in Northeast Ohio. prgtoken Judge Patrick Carroll, whom I knew 30 years ago before he was on the bench, as a--just a good citizen of Cuyahoga County, has dedicated his life to serving Ohioans, including serving as Lakewood Municipal Court Judge for some three decades. prgtoken He grew up in Northeast Ohio. Judge Carroll spent his life in the community, from Cleveland State to the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, to the county prosecutor's office, to the local bench. prgtoken He not only served the public in the courtroom, he has been a lifelong teacher--by many different definitions--mentoring young attorneys and judges at his law school and then on the faculty of the Ohio Judicial College. prgtoken Twice in the last 3 years, Judge Carroll received the President's Award for Judicial Excellence from the Association of Municipal and County Court Judges of Ohio. prgtoken I had the privilege of joining him earlier this fall, along with Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, for a bipartisan event of highlighting the innovative work that they were both doing. prgtoken Judge Carroll--the innovative work that they have done preventing evictions during the pandemic helped get the word out to more Ohio judges about what they can do to connect Ohio with the emergency rental assistance that we provided back months ago from the Congress. prgtoken In the American Rescue Plan, we provided grants to State and local governments for emergency rental and utility assistance to families across the country. The last thing we wanted was a wave of evictions during the health crisis. We know people move in with family members, the COVID spreads even faster. We know that happened too often. prgtoken This eviction prevention effort was a lifeline for so many families that that might have happened to. prgtoken We know what it does to families even during normal times. Think about the upheaval that that causes, especially for children. Their health suffers. They may get pulled out of their school to go to a different school. They may have to give up their pet because the pet costs too much money. You can't bring them to a new apartment. They don't feel stable. It is much harder for their parents to get back to work using public transportation, if they are even served, and to earn a living. prgtoken As all of us know, when people are evicted, they end up in crowded shelters or moving in with family. It makes them more vulnerable to coronavirus. It makes it more likely to spread, especially among people who are not vaccinated. prgtoken We
ROBERT ``BOB'' BRIGGS
Ed Perlmutter (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2021-12-9

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Robert ``Bob'' Briggs of Westminster, Colorado who passed away on December 2, 2021. prgtoken Bob was born December 24, 1937 in Greeley, Colo. as one of eight children and the oldest son. His family moved to Westminster, Colo. in 1943, where Briggs graduated from Westminster High School. He earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Colorado State University, both in horticulture. According to a January 2020 profile in Orchard Living, ``he majored in horticulture because he did not want to wear a tie for a living.'' Bob married his wife Shirley on September 8, 1957. prgtoken Bob had a long career in local and state politics, serving as Adams County Commissioner for four years beginning in 1979, as the local Board Member for the Regional Transportation District for four years beginning in 1999, and a State Representative for District 29 from January 2003 to 2005. He served two terms on the Westminster City Council from 2007 to 2015, including a stint as the Mayor Pro Tem. He also served as charter President of the original Westminster Chamber of Commerce in 1967. That group merged with the Adams County Chamber in 1982 where he also served as a board member. In this free time, Bob spent his time serving the Colorado Greenhouse Grower's Association, the Westminster Open Space Board, the Westminster Rotary, the Jefferson County Historical Commission and was still serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the Butterfly Pavilion upon his passing. He was a longtime proponent of local rail and helped found the advocacy group, Rocky Mountain Rail. prgtoken Bob was a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather. Bob and Shirley raised two children and enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren. I am deeply grateful for his lifetime of service to our community.
SOCIAL SECURITY 2100: A SACRED TRUST
John B. Larson (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2021-12-9

. Madam , I rise this afternoon to use this hour to discuss ``Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust,'' or, as Martin Luther King would remind us, the fierce urgency of now and Congress' need to act on Social Security. prgtoken Let me start with the fact that Social Security is the Nation's number one insurance program, the number one insurance program that some on the other side call an entitlement. There is nothing further from the truth, and this is easily verifiable. All you have to do is look at your pay stub. It says FICA. FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. Whose contribution? Every citizen in the United States who pays into the program. prgtoken It is an earned benefit, and one that has never missed a payment. It is a guarantee, and that is why it is so vitally important to every American citizen. prgtoken Congress has been negligent. It has been 50 years since there has been an enhancement to the program. It has been more than 38 years since there was an attempt at solvency. Yet, 38 years ago, Congress enacted a cut that will take place this January. prgtoken The time to act is now. No more procrastination. For all of our C- SPAN listeners, make sure that you contact your Member of Congress in both Houses. prgtoken We are pleased that 200-plus people are original cosponsors of the bill. You will hear from some of them today. prgtoken We have taken the liberty of pointing out to every Member of Congress how many people in their district receive Social Security benefits and what that brings into their district on a monthly basis. I assure you, there is no more greater economic development plan for Members' districts than what happens on a monthly basis to those who need it most. prgtoken Let me reiterate again: Social Security is the number one antipoverty program for the elderly and the number one antipoverty program for children as well. prgtoken I have here, Madam , something we have done for every Member of Congress. In this case, we are illustrating our great leader, Representative Jim Clyburn, who is a proud cosponsor of this bill. prgtoken In his district, in South Carolina's Sixth, there are 149,433 Social Security recipients who receive $189 million in monthly benefits. That is monthly benefits. There are 1.2 million Social Security recipients in South Carolina who receive $1.7 billion in monthly benefits as well. prgtoken For about half of senior beneficiaries, Social Security provides a majority of their income. Now imagine that, for half the seniors in the country, Social Security provides a majority of their benefits, yet there hasn't been an enhancement or an increase in over 50 years in a COLA. That doesn't even come remotely close to what people need. prgtoken For more than a quarter of our seniors, it provides 90 percent or more of their income, 90 percent for a quarter of our seniors. At a time when the wealth disparity is the greatest it has ever been in our country, the wealt
PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRACY ACT
Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-12-9

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I congratulate her on her great leadership chairing an important committee of the House, and thank her for bringing this legislation to the floor today. prgtoken , I thank Mr. Adam Schiff for his leadership in putting this legislation together, and I will get to that in a moment. prgtoken But first, I just want to say how proud we are today. Every day that we serve in this House, a House of the people, is a privilege. No matter what honors others may bestow on us in this House, whether we are , or leader, or whip, or whatever, nothing, no honor is greater than to be able to step on the floor and say that we speak for the people of our district; that they have chosen us to come here, as was intended by our Founders. prgtoken , 245 years ago, in an act of daring that would redefine the world, our Founders--imagine the courage they had--declared their independence from an oppressive monarch. They said: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'' The pursuit of happiness was written into the founding document. prgtoken And they continued: Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the people's duty to throw off such government, to provide new guards for their future security. prgtoken They were speaking about England. prgtoken Our Founders would then forge those guards for our own government, the democratic institutions enshrined in the Constitution which, for nearly 2-1/2 centuries, have safeguarded the security and well-being of the American people. prgtoken But, disturbingly, the last administration saw our democracy in crisis, with a rogue President who trampled over the guardrails protecting our Republic. prgtoken Now, Congress has the solemn responsibility and opportunity to safeguard our democracy, ensuring that past abuses can never be perpetrated by any President, of any party. prgtoken The Protecting Our Democracy Act ensures the strength and survival of a democracy of, by, and for the people, defending the rule of law, revitalizing our system of checks and balances, and restoring our democratic institutions. prgtoken Thank you to Chairman Adam Schiff and the chairs of the committees of jurisdiction, Judiciary being one of those, the Committee on Oversight and Reform, another, and many cosponsors for their leadership on this transformative package of democracy reforms which will put in place essential safeguards to prevent any President from abusing the public trust, no matter what his or her party is. prgtoken This legislative package is sweeping and future-focused, looking to the future, designed to restate the rule of law now and for generations to come. prgtoken Our chairs have crafted a robust reforms package that can stand up to and prevent
PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRACY ACT
J. Luis Correa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-12-9

. Madam , I thank Congresswoman Maloney for yielding me time. prgtoken My first amendment, No. 9, will strengthen the ability of Congress to do our job of oversight of the executive branch. It closes a loophole in the Freedom of Information Act that effectively lets Federal agencies ignore congressional requests for information. prgtoken Amendment No. 10 will require all congressionally mandated reports to be transmitted to Congress in a machine-readable format. It is a commonsense way to search and find information within thousands of pages of reports. prgtoken These two amendments are about the government, and they are about transparency. Our government should not have anything to hide. Both of these are supported by the Project On Government Oversight. prgtoken Madam , I urge an ``aye'' vote on en bloc No. 1 and to support amendments No. 9 and No. 10.