mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CUBA
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-7-15

I rise today to discuss the protests we have seen erupt in Cuba over the past several days. prgtoken On Sunday, shouts of ``libertad!''--freedom!--were heard in dozens of cities and towns all over Cuba as people took to the streets to protest the communist government that has had a stranglehold on that nation for 62 years. prgtoken This socialist regime has tortured, killed, silenced, denied freedom, and driven into exile generations of Cubans, forcing many, including my family, to flee or to be murdered. It has cut off Cuba from the rest of the world. It has destroyed its economy so that, today, Cubans stand in long lines for food, for medicine, for basic supplies. They endure energy blackouts, and government officials can shut off their censored internet service on a whim--as they did on Sunday when the regime panicked about the protests. prgtoken This battle for freedom is personal to me. When Fulgencio Batista staged a coup in Cuba and became a brutal dictator in the 1950s, my father fought against his regime. My dad was imprisoned and tortured. His captors broke his nose and bashed in his front teeth so they were dangling from his mouth. My father fled Cuba--the country he had fought for and had been brutalized for trying to save--and in 1957, my father came to the United States. He went to Texas with $100 sewn into his underwear. He had nothing. He attended the University of Texas on a student visa and got a job washing dishes, making 50 cents an hour. prgtoken In the summer of 1959, soon after Castro had taken over Cuba, my father returned to visit his family, and he was horrified by what he saw. It quickly became evident that Castro was even worse than Batista had been. My father's sister, my tia Sonia, was still there, and she became part of the counterrevolution against Castro. Like her brother, my tia Sonia was thrown in prison, and she was tortured by Castro's goons prgtoken In growing up, my cousin Bibi and I used to sit at the feet of my dad and my tia Sonia and hear stories about their fight for freedom, hear their stories about the battling in Cuba just like the heroic protesters on the streets are doing today. The freedom of America was the dream that allowed them to endure the brutality of Cuba. America was and is a beacon of hope for all of those who, like them, have endured oppression, and that is why we saw so many protesters in Cuba who were flying American flags on Sunday--because the American flag is a symbol of hope in Havana, in Hong Kong, and all across the globe. prgtoken America must respond. Over the past few days, the world has seen that the American people stand squarely with the men and women of Cuba in their noble fight for liberty. prgtoken Worryingly, however, the administration has stopped short of strong, clear support for the brave protesters who are marching in the street, and it has been reluctant to issue clear and unequivocal condemnation for the
Cuba (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-7-15

throughout my career, I have been proud to amplify the voices of freedom fighters around the world, brave men and women working to secure the blessings of liberty that we enjoy here in America. And I have repeatedly shone a floodlight on the oppressive regimes that stand in their way. I have championed the pro- democracy movement in Burma, the brave advocates for freedom in Hong Kong. prgtoken Right now, the loudest cries for liberty are coming from pretty close to home. After enduring 60-plus years of socialist tyranny just 90 miles from American soil, the people of Cuba are telling the world they have had enough--had enough. They have had enough of a regime that has stolen their dreams for decades. They have had enough of its stranglehold on information and on prosperity. They have had enough of its intimidation and its repression. prgtoken The past week's demonstration in the streets of Havana should represent a major turning point in the Cuban people's movement toward liberation. The regime's failed communist ideology has saddled generations of Cubans with a backward economy, inadequate services, and no means of justice or dissent. prgtoken Now, some naive Americans on the left seem intent on once again running interference for the Cuban regime. They still buy the propaganda that Cuba is a socialist paradise--paradise--with a model healthcare and education system that we should actually emulate. But the Cuban people see a different reality: an open-air prison that communism has run right into the ground. prgtoken Since the 1950s, the blight of Castro rule has driven many Cubans to flee to the United States. Generations of immigrants and their descendants have lived out and are living out American dreams of prosperity, achievement, and service. We are blessed to call them fellow Americans. prgtoken As Senator Rubio put it so well this week, ``The only country on this planet where Cubans are not successful is Cuba.'' prgtoken My hometown of Louisville is actually home to one of the largest Cuban-American populations in any American city outside of Florida. In recent days, this vibrant community has rallied by the hundreds in support of Cuban protesters. As one of these fellow Kentuckians of mine put it, ``The only voice they have is us.'' prgtoken The brave men and women who have taken to the streets in Cuba are demanding freedoms they have been denied their entire lives. They deserve our strong support. I am proud to cosponsor a new resolution with Senator Rubio and several other colleagues to communicate precisely that.
The Economy (Executive Session)
Tommy Tuberville (Republican, AL) \u2014 2021-7-15

Members of the Senate were all home last week for 2 weeks during their State work period. It was a good time to get back--to get back to reality, as I call it, because we all know here in Washington, people aren't always operating in reality. If we were, we wouldn't be seeing some of the policies that are coming out as we speak. prgtoken These State work periods are a great time to hear directly from the people we represent, and that is who we work for--what they care about and how they are affected by what is happening here in our Nation's Capital. prgtoken This is what folks back in Alabama were talking about. They were talking about small businesses that can't find people to work because the government is paying more in unemployment benefits than folks make on the job. And that is understandable. We have to understand that, and we have to understand the problem and how we rectify prgtoken that problem. We need workers in the State of Alabama in the worst way, almost in every business and in manufacturing. prgtoken They were talking about an economy that is hurting--really hurting-- for hard-working Americans. They were talking about the real costs of rising inflation--rising prices on goods and services that the average family possesses. prgtoken While driving around, I fill my truck up with gas. The cost was double what I spent just a few months ago, and that affects every American in this country. prgtoken By the way, in June, consumer prices increased 5.4 percent. I got an earful from people about bread, eggs, and milk, all across the State of Alabama. I am sure that the people of Alabama are not alone in their concerns. prgtoken This didn't happen by accident. This is the direct result of us up here spending way too much money, flooding the country with money that is out--I call it invisible money--out there just going into people's pockets that either they are saving, putting in the stock market, or spending on goods. prgtoken This makes the timing of the President's proposed tax increases even worse. Simply put, President 's proposal is launching an all-out assault on the working Americans in this country, people who work hard for the money they put in their pocket to pay for the things that their family needs. prgtoken Altogether, President has called for 30--let me repeat that--30 different tax increases on the American people that total over $3 trillion. prgtoken This is the worst time--the worst time--that we could be pushing a new tax increase, especially during this pandemic, which we thought was coming to a close, but it looks like we are not even close to that. So this would be the worst time for us to be raising taxes. Businesses and families have worked very hard to make progress after a very, very tough year and a half, and it has been tough. Higher taxes would set most, if not all, back even further. prgtoken The President's budget laid down a marker. It lays out straigh
REMEMBERING POLLY BEMIS
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2021-7-15

the State of Idaho has had a long history with Chinese immigration to both our cities and the wilderness areas of Idaho. Today, I am pleased to honor Polly Bemis, the United States' most famous Chinese pioneer woman. prgtoken There have been many articles, books and even a full-length feature movie about Polly and her pioneering life in the mountains of Idaho. Born in China in 1853, she was sold by her parents and smuggled into the United States. In 1872, Polly was brought to recently settled Warren, ID, as a slave. There, she met Charlie Bemis, a saloon owner and deputy sheriff, whom she wed in 1894 despite a State law prohibiting marriage between a White and non-White person. prgtoken Soon after Polly and Charlie wed, they moved to their homestead, the Bemis Ranch on the Salmon River, where they resided for many years. Polly was famed for her vast knowledge of medical treatments and her hospitality to friends and travelers alike venturing down the Salmon ``River of No Return.'' Charlie died in 1922; however, Polly continued to live on her 27-acre ranch until shortly before her death in 1933 at the age of 80. Fifty-five years after her passing, Polly's cabin on Bemis Ranch was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. prgtoken As an early settler of the Idaho Territory and an enterprising Chinese immigrant, Polly Bemis left an exceptional legacy and an indelible mark on Idaho's history. While she did not receive U.S. citizenship during her lifetime, we honor her strength, industriousness, and pioneering spirit in our Congressional Record.
American Rescue Plan (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-7-15

I just heard the leader refer to the American Rescue Plan as a grand socialist experiment. Remember that plan? That was President 's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. How many s voted for it? Not one. Not a House Member nor a Senate Member of the Member supported it. prgtoken So what was in this socialist experiment? Well, the premiere piece was to make sure we distributed the COVID-19 vaccine to every American. Obviously, some people think that is socialism. I think it is common sense. And the more and more Americans who are immunized, the more we escape the grasp of this pandemic; 99.5 percent of those who are admitted to the hospital today with serious COVID-19 symptoms are unvaccinated. prgtoken So this was socialism? I don't think so. How about the aid we gave to small businesses to stay open or reopen? That was in the American Rescue Plan. That was 's plan. There was not a single vote for it. prgtoken Money to help businesses to reopen is socialism? Is that what the Senator from Kentucky is suggesting? Or how about the fact that today we are going to see across the United States of America help to families, middle-income families, working families, low-income families to raise their children? prgtoken So when writes a check for $2,000 to every American family, that is just fine, but when the and want to give money to families raising children, particularly those who are struggling to raise children, that is socialism? I think not. It is common sense. prgtoken If we really value families, we are going to invest in their future. And the money that is being sent starting today to these families will lift half of the children in poverty in America out of poverty for the first time. That is a dramatic achievement. It should be a bipartisan achievement. Sadly, it is a ic achievement because the s boycotted the vote over and over. prgtoken There is one thing that the Senator from Kentucky fails to mention when he talks about the budget resolution--maybe two things are worth saying. First is this budget resolution, which we are going to bring to the floor next week, according to the leader, is going to do dramatic things across America in terms of pre-K education, 2 years of community college and the like. And in this circumstance, it is paid for. It is all paid for. prgtoken So to say it is inflationary is to suggest that it is not paid for as adding to the debt. Who pays for it? Those making over $400,000 a year in income and corporations. That is who pays for it. And the net result of it: The biggest tax cut in the history of the United States for middle-income and working families. That is the reality. prgtoken I am going to yield the floor. I see the Senator from South Dakota has come to the floor and I know he wanted to speak. We have a few minutes left. .
The Economy (Executive Session)
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2021-7-15

I see a very different country, apparently, from my colleague. And I respect Senator Cornyn. prgtoken I sat at this desk on March 6. We had been voting, as the Presiding Officer from Hawaii remembers. We had been voting all night. It was a Saturday at about 12:30. We had voted for about 11 hours. And we defeated by one vote an amendment where Senator Grassley and my colleagues from the Finance Committee and the Senate s tried to delete the child tax credit from the American Rescue Plan. We then took a second vote around noon on Saturday, after 11 or 12 hours of voting, where we passed the American Rescue Plan by one vote. prgtoken Two different times, the Party, which always votes for tax cuts for the richest people in the country, always on party-line votes, always under the very discredited theory that with tax cuts the dollars trickle down to workers and to the middle class and the rest of the country--they will always vote for a big tax cut for rich people, but they opposed twice--unanimously opposed, every single one opposed--the child tax credit. (Mr. KING assumed the Chair.) prgtoken Today is the magic day. I remember saying to Senator Casey, when we passed the American Rescue Plan, that this is the best day of my career in public service because we are going to reduce the child poverty rate by 50 percent. prgtoken This isn't a tax cut for rich people, so they can buy another home or another yacht or another vacation place. This is money in the pockets of working-class and middle-class and struggling people from Maine and Ohio and Texas and Iowa and all over the country. prgtoken So, today, people should start checking their bank accounts, looking at their phones, checking their bank accounts, looking in their mailbox. Starting today--today, Friday, Saturday, Monday--the great majority of American families will see this tax cut. They will see this $250 or $300 a month. They are going to start receiving it. There will be $250 if the child is 6 or over. There will be $250 6 to 17. If they are 5 or under, it will be $300 per month per child--on July 15, August 15, September 15, October, November, December. prgtoken Then, with the second half of the tax cut, they will get a lump sum starting next year when they file their taxes. Ninety-two percent of kids in my prgtoken State--92 percent of children under 18--are eligible for this. prgtoken These are all numbers and these are all statistics, but here is what it means. I did a series of roundtables in Cleveland and Columbus and Dayton and Cincinnati and Toledo and Youngstown and Fremont and Bryan and Defiance, OH. Here is what I heard. One woman said: You know, my son, for the first time in his life, I can send him for a week at summer camp because of this child tax credit. prgtoken A father said: I can buy the equipment for my daughter to play fastpitch softball now. prgtoken Another said: I am so anxious--I heard this many ti
NATIONAL MOTH WEEK
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2021-7-15

today I rise to recognize the 10th annual observance of National Moth Week, which will be celebrated this year from July 17 to 25. prgtoken What began as a plan for a statewide moth night in my home State of New Jersey evolved into a national week of recognition and quickly became an international citizen science project. In 2012, residents from East Brunswick, NJ, founded this initiative to promote the appreciation and conservation of moths and their important role in the ecosystem. Since then, thousands of people in all 50 U.S. States and 100 countries have participated in observing and documenting moths during this week. prgtoken National Moth Week encourages people of all ages and abilities to shine a light on nighttime nature and record what they see. Moths are incredibly diverse members of the Lepidoptera order of insects, with estimates of 150,000 to more than 500,000 moth species. They serve as pollinators of crops and flowers and a food source for birds and other fauna. Enriching mothing events have been held at U.S. National Parks and Monuments; State, county, and local parks; museums, libraries, nature centers, and backyards. prgtoken This scientific event is an all-volunteer effort coordinated by the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission with the assistance of a team of entomologists, researchers, educators, and enthusiasts around the world. In addition, country coordinators in Asia, Africa, Europe, Central and South America, and Australia are helping to increase awareness, study and appreciation of moths, their incredible diversity, and ecological importance in their own countries. prgtoken National Moth Week has brought people together from many different cultures and ethnicities for the purpose of observing and protecting an important natural resource and dispelling the negative conceptions some may have of moths. It proudly represents the best of the Garden State and its concern for the health of our environment and all of its inhabitants. prgtoken It is my great honor to recognize the anniversary of National Moth Week and celebrate the vibrant research and scientific community in the State of New Jersey.
ORDERS FOR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2021-7-15

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m Monday, July 19; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
SENATE RESOLUTION 306--TO AUTHORIZE REPRESENTATION BY THE SENATE LEGAL COUNSEL IN THE CASE OF JENNIFER GRAPPELL V. ALBERTO M. CARVALHO, ET AL
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-7-15

on behalf of myself and the distinguished leader, Mr. McConnell, I send to the desk a resolution authorizing representation by the Senate Legal Counsel and ask for its immediate consideration. prgtoken , this resolution concerns a lawsuit filed in Federal court in Florida that names a range of local, State, and Federal defendants, including Senator Rubio. Plaintiff's sole allegation against Senator Rubio is that he did not respond to plaintiff's request to introduce legislation that plaintiff urges him to present to Congress. Plaintiff's claims against the Senator based on this allegation are subject to dismissal on jurisdictional grounds and for failure to state a claim. This resolution would authorize the Senate Legal Counsel to represent Senator Rubio in order to seek dismissal of the claims against him.
Introductory Statement on S. 2361
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-7-15

today I am joining Senator Collins in introducing the Green Retrofits Act of 2021, which seeks to boost energy efficiency in multifamily residential homes across the Nation. prgtoken The legislation would accomplish this goal through two complimentary paths. First, the bill would authorize a public-private partnership program to make energy efficiency upgrades to properties currently receiving assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Second, it would direct the Secretary of HUD to create a program to distribute grants and loans for energy efficiency and home health upgrades in multifamily homes. prgtoken One of the most important investments we can make for our environment and our economy is in energy efficiency. Indeed, building a cleaner, more efficient energy system will increase America's global competitiveness, support job growth, and save families and businesses money through reduced energy consumption--all while reducing our carbon footprint. Further, investments in efficiency can be undertaken quickly and provide immediate benefits. prgtoken According to the U.S. Energy Information Association, more than half of energy consumption in U.S. households is for two basic needs: heating and cooling. As our constituents in Maine and Rhode Island know all too well, these bills can get quite high during New England winters, and no one should be forced to choose between staying warm in the winter and buying groceries and medicine for their families. Improving the efficiency of building components such as heating, cooling, and lighting systems will help households lower their energy bills, reduce health and safety risks, and improve the quality of life for residents. prgtoken Our legislation is supported nationally by the National Center for Healthy Housing, and in my state by the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources and Rhode Island Housing. These state agencies have both made significant strides in clean energy and energy efficiency policy and I am glad this legislation will provide more resources to bolster those efforts. prgtoken With our economy still recovering from the pandemic, and the threat of climate change continuing to mount, it is more important than ever that we take steps to reduce costs for American families and decrease energy consumption. prgtoken I urge our colleagues to join us in supporting this commonsense legislation.