mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
OUR SOUTHWEST BORDER
J. French Hill (Republican, AR) \u2014 2024-1-18

s who were just on the floor discussing one of the biggest challenges that we face in this country, which is having a secure southwest border. It is, in fact, a national security problem and a homeland security problem, and it is the 's own policies that have caused this to happen. prgtoken This avalanche of humanity at our border that is a colossal challenge to our Nation is due to specific decisions taken by President and his lack of leadership to recognize it is a disaster. Then to do nothing about it, compounds it. prgtoken Since President took office, there have been 7.1 million known border crossings across our southwest border; almost a million got- aways, these are people that we don't know that crossed the border. prgtoken In December, as my colleagues noted, a record 300,000 migrants were apprehended at the border. Yet, President has still not agreed to work with Congress to solve this problem 300,000 in one month; never before have we seen numbers like that in 20 years. prgtoken , I went down to the border a few days ago with our new Mike Johnson. Over 50 of my colleagues were on that trip to Eagle Pass. That was my eighth trip to the border, which is about eight times more than has been to the border in 50 years of public service. prgtoken While there, we saw a group of Venezuelans come across the border illegally to the United States right in front of the new of the House as he was meeting with Texas Department of Public Safety. prgtoken Now, I can promise you, despite Secretary Mayorkas saying that the administration has operational control of the border, that is nonsense. It passes no smell test of any practical commonsense American to think that you could say, with 300,000 people interdicted in one month, that we have operational control. prgtoken President inherited an open border from President , but through many tough choices, over 4 years of trial and error and several homeland security secretaries, he got a strategy that began to work. prgtoken It was President on January 20, 2021, that threw those working policies away. Now, we have an avalanche of fentanyl coming across our border, an avalanche of human trafficking, and kids being trafficked across our border. prgtoken Over 300,000 people since the President has been in office that are on the terror watch list have crossed the border. Let that sink in. prgtoken What happened to them? How many people came across the border on the terror watch list that we did not catch. prgtoken As has been said, we have challenges: Criminal cartels making billions, not from selling drugs to our citizens, but criminal cartels making billions trafficking people across our border. prgtoken As we were told by the FBI in this House last month, this is the most serious moment for America since 2014, and some argue since 9/11, for the risk of a terror attack in our country. Yet, w
MARCH FOR LIFE
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2024-1-18

it is January. It is cold outside. In fact, it is snowing outside here in Washington, DC, today and tomorrow. It is late January, which means what it has meant for the last five decades: Pro-life Americans will gather by the hundreds of thousands in Washington, DC, and will converge on this city to say: We think every child is valuable. prgtoken Now, I have to tell you, every march I have been to--and I have been to a lot--they are all cold. They don't all have snow. This one will, but it won't dampen the spirits for a lot of students, leaders, moms, dads, and little ones who will come just to be able to say: We are in America, and we think life is valuable. We think children are precious. We think this is an important issue. prgtoken We haven't always had a March for Life. We had one for 50 years, actually. Interestingly enough, when Nellie Gray and some other pro- life leaders organized the March for Life starting after 1973--after the Roe v. Wade decision--they were recognizing an anomaly in American law. prgtoken Our Nation has been a nation almost 250 years, but abortion was only mandated in every State and every place just during that short time period under Roe v. Wade. For the other two centuries of our Nation, this issue about the value of life was decided in every State and among the people. prgtoken That is what has occurred again. We still have abortion in America. It is happening all over the country. But individuals are rising up and saying: Our State, our leaders, and even this Congress needs to have a conversation about when is a child a child and when does a child become valuable in our culture and when is a child disposable in our culture, and which child can be disposed of and which child is celebrated. prgtoken I love this side-by-side picture here. I don't know if you can really see it. This is an ultrasound that is actually happening in the womb, with this baby in this position with arms up over her head. prgtoken And a baby sleeps like that. In fact, both of my daughters often slept like that. We called that the ``touchdown position,'' when their hands were raised over their head. It is funny to be able to see this picture and ultrasound of this child in the womb sleeping just like the same way they would later sleep in the crib. prgtoken Do you know why? Because there is no difference between these two babies. That is a baby then, and that is a baby then. The only difference is time. The only difference between myself right now and myself 9 months ago was time--9 months of time. The only difference between this child in the womb and that child lying in a crib is just a little bit of time. prgtoken There are literally millions of Americans who have this very simple perspective. We should--as the march says this year--march with every woman, for every child, and we should stand up for those individuals and to be able to honor those families. We march in support of pregnancy
SUPPORTING PREGNANT AND PARENTING WOMEN AND FAMILIES ACT
Jason Smith (Republican, MO) \u2014 2024-1-18

at least four other States-- Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania--provide TANF funding to pregnancy resource centers, which meets the TANF purposes of assisting needy families and reducing dependence on government. prgtoken As Missouri's comment letter states, it is imperative that we protect this funding and the vital services pregnancy resource centers provide for our families and communities. prgtoken , .
CELEBRATING THE CAREER OF THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PREFORMING ARTS, KELLEY SHANLEY
Jared Moskowitz (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2024-1-22

I rise today to recognize Kelley Shanley, the President and CEO of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, for his 25 years of leadership and countless contributions to the industry. prgtoken As a patron of the arts, Kelley Shanley has made endless contributions to Broward County, including but not limited to a yearly $130 million financial impact, as well as opening the Rose Miniaci Arts Education Center, which has fostered a love of the arts for over 130,000 students annually. Under his leadership, the Broward Center has developed a reputation as a leader in the performing arts industry, with over 700 performances each year, viewed by more than 700,000 guests. It is known for bringing South Florida the finest arts and entertainment programs. The Broward Center has become a cultural anchor and beacon of community impact and engagement in the downtown arts district. prgtoken Shanley is admired for many things, but his commitment to innovation and how he has redefined the role of the performing arts center stand out the most. Through his hard work and leadership, the Broward Center and The Parker, a sister theater, have been revolutionized and transformed into world-class entertainment facilities. prgtoken , I ask that you join me in recognizing the President and CEO of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Kelley Shanley, for his outstanding career and leadership of the Broward Center in Florida's 23rd Congressional District.
Supplemental Funding (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2024-1-22

over the weekend, Senate and s and the White House continued negotiations on the national security supplemental. We have come a very long way since talks began 2 months ago, and remain committed to working in good faith on reaching an agreement. President has also made clear he is willing to work with s in a big way--in a big way--on border security. prgtoken All of us on the ic side are serious about getting something done. I remained in contact with the negotiators throughout the weekend. We remain hopeful, but it is certainly not a done deal yet. There are a handful of issues that have not yet been agreed to. On something as complicated as the border, it is not just what we do that matters; it is how we do it. So negotiations are not done yet. Nevertheless, remain serious about finishing the job. prgtoken Senators don't need to be reminded about what is at stake in this negotiation. The future of the war in Ukraine hangs in the balance. The security of our Western democracy hangs in the balance. The safety of our friends in Israel, our partners in the Indo-Pacific, and more humanitarian aid for innocent civilians in Gaza all hang in the balance. prgtoken Ukraine is already running low on armaments and munitions that were, in large part, provided by the United States. A mere month from now, the tide of the war could turn greatly in Russia's favor, to the detriment of the West and, in all probability, for many years to come. If America comes up short, if we abandon Ukraine in their fight against Putin, the consequences will reverberate for years. Make no mistake. Putin will not be satisfied with merely taking Ukraine. His military influence in Europe will expand westward. The costs to NATO to hold Putin at bay will increase greatly. prgtoken And, if we fail, our adversaries in Iran, in North Korea, and in the Chinese Communist Party will conclude that America no longer has the resolve to defend democracy in its hour of need. They have always bet on the fact that we would lose resolve. prgtoken On our side, here on the ic side, we are not losing resolve. We want to get this done, and we know a good number of our colleagues want to join us. We hope there will be enough. We cannot afford to go down a dark and ominous road where we abandon Ukraine and the consequences roll before us. The eyes of the world are watching closely what we do and how we respond. prgtoken Sadly, it is clear there are some in this Congress and beyond who wish to prevent bipartisan action on the border and on our national security challenges. Whether they are blinded by naked partisanship or cowed by political pressure, these minority voices are cynically working to stymie bipartisan cooperation. In the Senate, both sides must make sure these voices are in the minority. prgtoken For the sake of our national security, for the sake of our frie
HONORING THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF GUY STERN
Elissa Slotkin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2024-1-22

today I pay tribute to the life and legacy of a man who defined the word patriot. Guy Stern was just a teenager when he escaped the horrors of Nazi Germany and landed in this country, where he went on to live a remarkable life devoted to service, scholarly pursuit, and historical preservation. It is now incumbent upon us to share, learn from, and forever safeguard his incredible story, which stretched across more than a century. prgtoken Born Gunther Stern on January 14, 1922 in Hildesheim, Germany, the future hero was the son of a humble textile merchant and homemaker, and only 11 years old when Adolf Hitler seized power. Life under Nazi rule quickly became untenable for this Jewish family, and in 1937 the elder Sterns sent their son to live with his uncle and aunt in St. Louis. Sadly, the rest of the family were never able to escape; Stern's parents and two siblings were killed by the Nazis. prgtoken Wanting to adapt as best he could, Gunther changed his name to Guy on the advice of a high school girlfriend. But Guy sought not just to fit in but to serve his new country, and attempted to join the armed forces following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Rejected by the Navy because he was not native born, Stern was drafted by the Army in 1943 and took his oath of citizenship after completing basic training in Texas. He was then transferred to a highly secretive facility in Maryland where he became part of the so-called ``Ritchie Boys,'' an elite group of about 11,000 soldiers--many of them German-speaking European Jews like Stern--trained to use their language skills for interrogation, counter- intelligence, and psychological warfare. Stern landed in Normandy shortly after D-Day, and served in Germany, Belgium, and France until the end of the war. He rose to the rank of Master Sergeant and was decorated with a bronze star for his innovative methods of gleaning information from German prisoners of war, developing critical techniques that gathered actionable intelligence from captured Germans while remaining well within the bounds of the law of war. Ultimately, the Ritchie boys were credited with securing more than half of the actionable intelligence gathered in Europe during World War II, and were instrumental in the defeat of the Nazis. prgtoken Post-war, Stern turned to academia when he returned stateside, becoming a leading global scholar in German literature and culture. He taught for decades at Denison University then later at Columbia University, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Maryland, and finally, Wayne State University in Detroit. In 1978 he was named provost and vice-president for academic affairs at WSU, posts he held for 12 years before stepping down to return to the classroom as a professor in Wayne State's Department of Romance and Germanic Languages and Literature. During his tenure, he also founded the Academy of Scholars at Wayne State University, and was director of the In
Roe v. Wade (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-1-22

51 years ago today, our Nation's highest Court issued a ruling that protected a woman's right to make the most fundamental choice in her life. Roe v. Wade enshrined into law that in America, women would have legal autonomy over their own bodies. prgtoken As a result of the constitutional protections in Roe, America's women took a giant step forward toward gender equity: being afforded the right to choose whether, when, and how to start a family. prgtoken But after nearly 50 years of progress, in June 2022, this Supreme Court overruled Roe in its Dobbs v. Women's Health Organization ruling, taking women's rights back half a century. prgtoken The Dobbs decision was a win for extreme conservative activists who waged a relentless campaign to capture the Supreme Court and overturn Roe v. Wade, but it was a tragic loss for women in America. prgtoken Take the case of Kate Cox, a married woman, mother of two, from Texas. Kate was elated to learn that she was pregnant with her third child. However, tests revealed that her baby had trisomy 18, a genetic condition that is almost always fatal very soon after birth. The prognosis was grim. Moreover, carrying the child could damage Kate's future fertility for another child. prgtoken Kate and her husband made one of the hardest decisions. They made the decision to go forward with an abortion. But in Texas where they live, it is illegal in nearly all circumstances. The Cox family hoped that the exception in Texas law for the life and health of the mother would allow her to terminate this ill-fated pregnancy. prgtoken Shockingly, it did not. Although a State court judge initially ruled that Kate could obtain an emergency abortion, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately took legal steps to block Kate from receiving the care that she needed. prgtoken In addition to appealing the trial court's decision to the Texas Supreme Court, Attorney General Paxton sent a letter to hospitals and doctors, warning them that anyone involved in performing an abortion for Kate would face civil and criminal liability. prgtoken The Texas Supreme Court, controlled by s, joined in the rule against Kate. She was forced to leave her home State and go across State lines to terminate the pregnancy. prgtoken Let's take the case of Brittany Watts, a 34-year-old from Ohio. Brittany was arrested after miscarrying in her bathroom. Thankfully, just 2 weeks ago, a grand jury with empathy, common sense, and reason declined to indict her, understanding that miscarriages are devastating and extremely common, a pregnancy outcome that women should not be punished for. prgtoken But in a post-Roe America, these are the horrific situations that women and the doctors who provide them care often face. politicians in States like Texas and Ohio have made it clear they do not trust the judgment of women and their families in these matters. prgtoken But even amidst this devasta
CONGRATULATING EASTERN NEW MEXICO GREYHOUND SOUND
Teresa Leger Fernandez (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2024-1-22

I rise to honor Eastern New Mexico University's marching band, Greyhound Sound, for their remarkable victory in the inaugural Metallica Marching Band competition. Greyhound Sound's outstanding performance secured the top spot in the college competition for schools in Divisions 2 and 3, earning the school a well-deserved prize of $40,000 in marching band equipment. prgtoken The Metallica-themed competition, titled ``For Whom the Band Tolls,'' challenged marching bands to create a unique halftime show using Metallica's music. ENMU's entrance was nothing short of electrifying. It delivered a well-executed medley of four of Metallica's most iconic tracks and had spectators at the Portales Campus football field on their feet prgtoken I take great pride in representing such a beautifully diverse district where we can celebrate various music genres and cultures. The students' creativity is a testament to the supportive environment that ENMU fosters. ENMU's focus on providing affordable education and growth opportunities for students, both music majors and non-majors alike, is remarkable. prgtoken The dedication and solidarity of Greyhound Sound, under the leadership of directors Dustin Seifert, Sidney Shuler, and Emily Salgado, reflect the character of the great people of eastern New Mexico. prgtoken Founded in 1927, Eastern New Mexico University has a rich history of producing exceptional individuals, including renowned American author and Academy Award winner, Michael Blake. prgtoken The victory of this small school in a national competition shows us yet again that small places can achieve big things. As the proud Representative of New Mexico's Third Congressional District, which includes Eastern New Mexico University, I am immensely proud of Greyhound Sound's accomplishments and extend my heartfelt congratulations on this well-deserved victory.
INTRODUCTION OF THE FLOOD PREVENTION ACT OF 2024
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2024-1-22

today, I introduce the Flood Prevention Act of 2024. This bill would amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA) to include the District of Columbia in the definition of ``coastal state.'' Senator Tom Carpen the Chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, is the sponsor of this bill in the Senate. The House passed this bill as part of the Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act in the 116th Congress. prgtoken This bill would correct an apparent oversight in the omission of D.C. from the CZMA and thereby make D.C. eligible to receive federal funding and have oversight for federally issued permits, facilities and actions that affect its coastal waters. D.C. urgently needs the protection of the CZMA because of serious flood prgtoken risks that affect federal assets, residents and businesses in D.C including the National Mall and federal buildings in the Federal Triangle area. prgtoken The CZMA provides planning and technical services to assist states in protecting, restoring and developing coastal communities and resources. Once the federal government approves a state's coastal management plan, the state becomes eligible for grants. Federal actions must be consistent with the state plans and vice versa. prgtoken Even though D.C. is located on two rivers, and has suffered substantial coastal floods in the past, it was omitted from the list of eligible entities in the CZMA. It is notable that, under the CZMA, the term ``coastal state[s]'' includes the states and territories. D.C. residents pay full federal taxes and therefore D.C. is usually treated as a state for federal programs. It appears D.C.'s omission was a mistake. This oversight likely occurred because the CZMA was passed in 1972, which was before D.C. achieved home rule. prgtoken Scientists have predicted that the tides on the Atlantic Coast could rise two to four feet by 2100, causing property worth as much as $7 billion in D.C. to be routinely under threat by floodwaters. This includes private homes and businesses, the National Mall, federal buildings and three military bases. The Anacostia and Potomac rivers, which surround D.C are tidally influenced, part of an ``intertidal zone'' between high and low tides. In addition, the Maryland and Virginia coastal zones each include the tidal Potomac River, with Maryland's zone ending at the D.C. line. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Border Security (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2024-1-22

this week, Senator Lankford and several colleagues continue their work to finalize the most substantial border security policy in 30 years. This agreement would come not a moment too soon. Over the past 3 years, we have watched the flood of illegal immigration tick past 6.7 million encounters--6.7 million since President took office and an especially alarming surge just last year. December reportedly saw the highest monthly total for border encounters on record. prgtoken The President's open borders have meant booming business for the cartels who specialize in trafficking humans and smuggling drugs and far harsher realities for American communities grappling with lethal fentanyl and the thousands of people who have died trying to cross. prgtoken This is a crisis, whether the Washington are willing to call it one or not. The American people recognize what CBP and ICE are up against, even if their Commander in Chief does not. And the entire world understands what is at stake here in the Senate in the coming weeks. prgtoken America's national security begins with securing and maintaining our borders. It is a matter of basic sovereignty.