mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2021-6-22

this afternoon, we will have before us, as Members of the Senate, legislation that is entitled the For the People Act. prgtoken Before I speak to the For the People Act, S. 1, I want to make clear to colleagues that I have been keenly focused, interested in ensuring that when we have elections in this country, that they are free, they are fair and they are accessible to all, that barriers to voting should be placed on the sidelines. prgtoken For the past three sessions of Congress now, I have been the only cosponsor of the Voting Rights Advancement Act. This was a measure that in prior Congresses was led by Senator Leahy, and I was pleased to be able to join him as a cosponsor. That measure has now been introduced on the House side as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, a measure to basically reestablish the preclearance system, which was in place until 2013, and then it was pretty much upended with the Supreme Court ruling in Shelby. prgtoken I certainly and absolutely intend to cosponsor that measure again under its new name, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. I will work with Senator Leahy, I will work with Senator Manchin--I will work with anybody on this initiative to help update this formula to ensure that we do have just exactly that, access to voting that is equal, that is fair, that is free from discrimination. prgtoken I note at the outset of my comments this morning the support for that legislation so that, again, folks understand that I fully understand that access to the ballot in this country is not perfect and, again, that I have stood behind legislation to ensure that our elections prgtoken are fair. We have come a long way. We have come a long way, but I think we all recognize that there is a long path ahead of us. prgtoken So let me turn to S. 1, the For the People Act. My fear is that this measure does not move us further down the path. If you look at the bill, it is wholly partisan. Unlike the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which is very narrowly focused on voting rights, S. 1 has been described as sprawling. It has been described as ambitious, which is fair. Ambitious is not a bad thing, but it is clearly, clearly very broad, and it certainly contains some noteworthy goals, but I fear that there are provisions contained within S. 1 that take it too far or that I think are bad policy or that I simply think are beyond the power of Congress to regulate. prgtoken My concern, and I shared this with many, is that the bill that we have in front of us is not so much about voting rights as it is a Federal takeover of the election system--and a partisan Federal takeover of the election system. prgtoken The way the bill is being advertised--that somehow or another, we can't count on States to do elections right or fairly--is a premise that I have a problem with. I come from a State where we were under preclearance for a long period of time. We recognize that. We had a history th
REMEMBERING EMMANUEL LARRYN SLACK
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2021-6-22

Emmanuel Larryn Slack, age 17, entered into eternal rest on Friday, June 4, 2021, at Oschner LSU Hospital in Shreveport, LA. Emmanuel was born on January 18, 2004, to Melvin G. Slack, Jr and Bridgette L. Wililams in Shreveport, LA. While attending Union Spring Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Roosevelt Seaberry, he was an active member of the youth choir and the drill team. Upon changing residences, he later accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior under the leadership of Pastor Joey Ketchum at the Western Hills Baptist Church. He was a faithful and active member in the ministry. Gifted with reaching young people, he became active with Bible studies, Vacation Bible School, and Youth Group activities under both leaders. Emmanuel attended Huntington High School, where he was a member of the Yearbook club and participated in JROTC. When thinking of career choices, he was originally certain he wanted to be a police officer or an FBI agent, but it was after he took an interest in politics and the Party that he began to thrive. He became active with the Texas Young s and Women of Bossier, where he expressed his beliefs in American individualism, rule of law, the Constitution, and the Holy Bible, which guided him to greatness and continual self-improvement. Emmanuel expressed his views across Louisiana and Texas lines and considered himself to be bipartisan, a conservative , a proud soon-to-be Texan, upholding traditional values like bravery, courage, leadership, and principle, and above all, a follower of Christ. Emmanuel was actively working on an internship with Rhonda Anderson of Longview, TX. He was embraced by Governor Greg Abbott's office; Tarrant County Young s of Fort Worth, TX; attorney general of Louisiana Jeff Landry's office; Caddo Parish Commissioner Jim Taliaferro; Commissioner Mario Chavez of District 10; Congressman Mike Johnson of the Fourth District of Louisiana; Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana Billy Nungesser; Women of Bossier; and Ouachita Parish Women. His hope was to become a Governor, Senator, or President. prgtoken Preceding Emmanuel in death were his maternal grandmother Marel D. Williams, grandfather Larry N. Williams, Sr and paternal grandfather Melvin Slack, Sr a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He leaves to celebrate his life parents Bridgette L. Williams and Melvin G. Slack, Jr.; paternal grandmother Jackie Spivey Slack; brothers Triston M. Williams, Nehemiah C. Slack, and Melvin Slack III; sisters De'Angelique Slack and Jasmine Slack; Godparents Tamra P. Thompson, Michael Pennywell; Pastor Handy Giles and First Lady Charlene Giles; aunt Yolanda Y. Williams-Brown; uncle Larry N. Williams, Jr.; special friends Mario Chavez, Jenna Marie Kimball, Tayler Davis, Clayton Quinn, Parker Ward, and Whitney Scates; mentors, Christ Henry and Joshua Harvey; as well as several
IN RECOGNITION OF DAVID JOHN SHAWVER
Michelle Steel (Republican, CA) \u2014 2021-6-22

. Madam , I rise today to recognize David John Shawver as he completes his tenure as Chairman of the Orange County Sanitation District Board of Directors. Chairman Shawver served in this capacity from December 2018 through June 2021. Throughout his tenure, Chairman Shawver has been committed to providing an affordable service to the community and understands the importance of keeping with OC San's mission of protecting the public health and the environment. Under his leadership, Chairman Shawver and the Board of Directors understood the financial hardship COVID-19 created for many of our ratepayers, ensuring the service cost for consumers was less than $1 per day. Chairman Shawver's commitment to affordable water and water reuse has allowed OC San to move in the direction of recycling 100 percent of its reclaimable flow through the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), a joint project between OC San and the Orange County Water District. Upon completion of this project in 2023, GWRS will produce 130 million gallons of high-quality water every day, which will be enough water for 1 million residents in north and central Orange County. We thank Chairman Shawver for his years of service and dedication to OC San and the community he serves.
REQUEST TO CONSIDER H.R. 18, NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION ACT
Elise M. Stefanik (Republican, NY) \u2014 2021-6-22

. Madam , as a new mom expecting a child this fall, I will never forget my husband and I hearing our child's heartbeat for the first time, truly the greatest miracle of life. But sadly, that culture and value of life are under attack. prgtoken The Hyde amendment has historically been supported by both s and for more than 40 years. prgtoken American taxpayers should never be forced to pay for abortions, and since 1976, this Chamber has agreed and passed the Hyde amendment with bipartisan support. But now, President and House caving to the far left are trying to reverse course and strip the Hyde amendment from the budget. prgtoken It is unacceptable that President is destroying a policy that has saved over 2.4 million innocent American lives. prgtoken Every President since Carter has signed the Hyde amendment into law. It is a critical lifesaving protection that goes beyond party-line politics. It is about human life and protecting the most innocent among us. prgtoken The majority of Americans agree that taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund abortions. should listen. prgtoken Madam , I ask unanimous consent that the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2021-6-22

when I look at this substitute, I am reminded of the adage, the new boss is the same prgtoken as the old boss. In this case, the new bill is the same as the old bill. It has a different number, but it still maintains the same flawed policies that S. 1 maintains. prgtoken Obviously, the majority would like to pass this bill or they wouldn't have labeled it their most important piece of legislation for this Congress. The House of Representatives labeled the same bill, ``H.R. 1,'' their most important piece of legislation for this Congress. prgtoken The changes basically give election officials more time to implement policies that I don't think we need, and I think the changes don't make the bill less bad. In fact, what the bill does is it creates a new boss for elections, but the new boss is the Federal Government. It is not about voting rights. It doesn't add any group or any individuals to the group of people who can vote, the kind of thing that Congress has done in the past, starting in the first century of the country and moving on until today. It is, frankly, a politically motivated, Federal takeover of the election systems that would make, in my opinion, elections more chaotic, less secure, less nimble in their ability to deal with individual circumstances that occur on election day. (Mr. MARKEY assumed the Chair.) prgtoken The strength of the election system is the diversity of the election system. This is what President thought in 2016. He may not still believe that, but I still believe it. prgtoken S. 1 would force a single partisan view of elections on more than 10,000 voting jurisdictions across the country, taking control away from States, taking control away from local officials--frankly, they are the closest people to the voters--and instead giving it to people in a far-away national capital without the same sense of importance of the people believing that what happened on election day at your precinct is what the voters intended to have happen that day and that the people who were voting were the people who were legally able to vote, not people who may have voted somewhere else--not people who may no longer live in the jurisdiction they are voting in and no longer qualified to vote for that county official or that State representative or whoever, but people who are legally able to vote. prgtoken I think this makes fraud easier to commit and, frankly, harder to detect. What we should be doing is making it easier to vote and harder to cheat. I think what we are doing here is making it easier to cheat and harder to find it out. prgtoken We allow, in this bill, if it was the law, unlimited ballot harvesting. This is where anybody can go around and collect ballots and, theoretically, be sure that they get to the election authority, but who knows? Who knows what ballot got lost in the mail and what ballot never got in the mail? One of the things the ballot harvester would develop a
LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH
Jake Auchincloss (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2021-6-22

. Madam , as we celebrate Pride Month, I rise to recognize my constituent, my friend, Newton City Councilor Holly Ryan. Councilor Ryan is a long-serving activist in my district and my hometown. She is the first openly transgender woman to serve on a city council in Massachusetts and the first openly LGBTQ-plus person to serve on the Newton City Council. prgtoken Holly is a distinguished champion of equality, serving as the founding member and former co-chair of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. Her advocacy led to the passage of both the 2011 trans rights law and the 2016 public accommodation law, ensuring that no one in the Commonwealth can face discrimination because of gender identity. prgtoken I was fortunate to serve with Councilor Ryan on the city council before coming to Congress. Councilor Ryan is a trailblazer, paving the way for a more equal future. Massachusetts is better off thanks to her accomplishments.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-6-22

I rise today for the 13th time to call for every Senator to have the opportunity to vote on a commonsense, bipartisan bill, the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act. prgtoken This bill would ensure that members of our military would get the justice and the justice system that their sacrifices deserve. We do not have time to delay. I began calling for a floor vote on this bill on May 24. That is 29 days ago. Since then, it is estimated that 1,624 servicemembers will have been raped or sexually assaulted. More will have been victims of other serious crimes. prgtoken Many of them will feel that there is no point in even reporting the crime because they have no faith in the current military justice system. That is because right now, if a servicemember reports a crime, the case and their fate will be put into a commander's hands. prgtoken This bill argues, instead, that our servicemembers who are victims of serious crimes or who are accused of serious crimes should have those cases reviewed by an impartial, trained, military prosecutor. It does not say that commanders are removed from their responsibility with regard to the military justice system. It doesn't say that commanders are relieved of their responsibility of ensuring good order and discipline. Under this bill, commanders will still have the full array of tools to implement good order and discipline--counseling, restriction, confinement, protective orders, rank reduction, nonjudicial punishment, summary court-martial, and even special court- martial. None of these change under the law. prgtoken In addition, under today's system, only 3 percent of commanders have the right to do convening authority for general court-martial. So the truth is, it is a small number of commanders who will be even affected by this legislation. But I can promise you, the view from the servicemembers will be significant because they will now see that if they are someone who has been assaulted or harassed or had any justice need, that the person reviewing the case would be highly trained and unbiased. And if you are a Black or Brown servicemember who is disproportionately punished under the current system, you would know that the decision maker was impartial, unbiased, and highly trained. This change is something that will help both victims of sexual assault and also defendants' rights. prgtoken For serious crimes, we need both pieces of this puzzle, and this bill provides both. It will still allow commanders to take the administrative steps to send a message to their troops about what is or is not tolerated, and 97 percent of them have to do that prgtoken every day without having convening authority for general court-martial. It will allow for victims and their families to get real justice. prgtoken The Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act will deliver the results that our servicemembers and their families deserve without
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2021-6-22

when I got up this morning, the furthest thing from my mind was that I was going to have a chance to see you today. And since I am seeing you today, I want to say thank you. I want to say thank you for your role in this administration and in leading the administration to make a proposal that was passed in the American recovery plan that is going to cut childhood poverty in this country almost in half this year. prgtoken And what people should know is not only that the President--the President sitting here--led that effort at the White House, but she led it from the very beginning. She was one of the original sponsors of that legislation. And even though the President's budget has said we ought to make it--extend it to 2025, I just want to let you know that we are still fighting here to make it permanent, and I think we should make it permanent. prgtoken We have already had--this is why I am here today. But we have already had Columbia University tell us that there is going to be an eight times annual return on the investment that we make as part of the recovery because instead of mitigating for the problem of kids in poverty, we will actually be eliminating poverty for almost half the kids in this country--for millions of American children. And not only that, over 90 percent of American kids are going to benefit from this - tax cut that is in this package. prgtoken So I just want to say thank you for that. And we have got to keep working on it, and I agree that it ought to be extended for years and years and years. For me, that means permanent. We are going to keep trying to do that, so thank you. prgtoken And thank you for leading on the issues that we are here to talk about today because this is the moment that we are challenged in ways that we have never been challenged before. prgtoken Five months ago--a violent mob stormed this floor 5 months ago trying to stop the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. And they took us out of this room, and they took us to one of the Senate office buildings. And I was watching the television as I was there, and all I could think about was what is the rest of the world thinking about when our Capitol is being stormed by a violent mob of our own citizens--by a violent mob of our own citizens--and not just what our adversaries are thinking, not what is Russia thinking, what is China using with this footage, what are the Iranians going to do with this footage, but what are people like my mom and her parents who were Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust and, after making it through one of the worst moments in human history, were able to rebuild their shattered lives in this country, in the United States of America? prgtoken And to think about similarly situated people all over the planet for whom this is the greatest hope still for freedom and for liberty, for democracy itself--that is what is at stake, as least as
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-6-22

I am delighted to follow the majority leader and his strong remarks about the beginning of the process of passing S. 1, not only to deal with the question of voting rights but to deal with the question of the dark money plague that is infesting our democracy and taking the power over decision making in this body and in this building away from regular people and putting it into the hands of not only special interests but of special interests who are happy to operate in secret. prgtoken One of the ways in which this power has been deployed has been with respect to the judicial branch of government. And I am here now for my third speech in ``The Scheme'' series to draw attention to this problem. prgtoken In the first two ``Scheme'' speeches, I described the corporate power game plan offered by lawyer Lewis Powell to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the subsequent effectuation of that game plan by Justice Lewis Powell, appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court 2 months--2 months-- after his secret corporate power game plan went to the chamber. The execution of the Powell plan was one of three converging threads that led to the scheme to capture the Court. prgtoken The Powell plan, thread one, was a political response recommended for America's traditional corporate elite, which had been traumatized by the social upheaval of the 1960s. The second thread, thread two, was a separate strain of American ire that had been simmering on our society's fringe for many decades. The extremists on this simmering fringe were traumatized by things long accepted as mainstream by most Americans. prgtoken The fringe resentments shifted with the varying tides of news and events but regularly boiled over against several targets. One was the role of Jewish people in finance, the press, Hollywood, and--after FDR--in government. Another was the improving economic and social condition of minorities. Another was the arrival of immigrants, particularly non-European immigrants; but backlash to immigration from Ireland and Italy had been profound, as my home State experienced back under the Know-Nothings. Other resentments sprang from imaginary events, conspiracy theory delusions, and crackpot ideas. prgtoken This persistent strain along the American fringe was chronicled in Pulitzer Prize-winning Richard Hofstadter's 1964 essay, ``The Paranoid Style in American Politics,'' later a popular book. This latent strain of paranoid extremism showed itself in groups like the John Birch Society, which never gained social or political acceptance. It was fed and nurtured by a handful of rightwing foundations set up by a few colossally rich and politically irate and frustrated families. It boiled up in the Presidential campaign of Senator Barry Goldwater, which ended in one of the worst landslide defeats in American history. It drove the occasional aspirations of the Libertarian Party, whose extremist platform suffered predictable but humilia
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-6-22

I won't quote from this letter at length now, but I would just point out that the Chiefs are open-minded about changing the way we prosecute sexual assault and harassment within the ranks. So am I. In fact, I think that is something that I hope becomes clear in our progress legislatively moving forward. But they nevertheless stress the importance of ensuring that any change Congress enacts must be carefully tailored to address the problems we are trying to solve, and the critical problem we are trying to solve is sexual assault, sexual harassment, any kind of crime dealing with sexual misconduct. prgtoken In addition, adequate time and resources must be afforded for implementing any of the changes that we propose. The nature and the magnitude of change we are contemplating here is complex; we have to make sure we do this right. prgtoken Further, we have heard over the past few years from the leadership of the military service Judge Advocate Generals' Corps, who have uniformly opposed these changes in nature and scope. These are the military lawyers, the very military justice experts to whom this bill would invest authority currently reserved to commanders. I believe we should listen to them as well and move prudently and deliberately to address the problem at hand. prgtoken So, as I have said a number of times already, I intend to include the administration's recommendations that derive from the President's Independent Review Commission in the markup of the Defense bill, subject to amendment, not to move the bill on the floor without the chance for my colleagues in the committee to have their voices heard. These ladies and gentlemen have dedicated themselves to military policy for many years. They are experts in different dimensions of this issue, and they will add significantly to the debate. prgtoken To simply take a bill and send to it the floor without amendments I think is not the way to proceed. I anticipate a bill that will be strengthened through debate and discussion and deliberation by the committee. prgtoken With that, I would reiterate my objection to Senator Gillibrand's request.