mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
THE ILLEGAL ALIEN INVASION AT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER
Bob Good (Republican, VA) \u2014 2024-3-20

I thank my friends, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy) for speaking so effectively on this issue. prgtoken We cannot talk enough about the border. In my district, we just did a survey asking my constituents what is the most important issue, what is the number one issue facing the country, and the southern border was the overwhelming response. They realize that is hundreds of miles from them geographically, but it is coming home to them in my very district in Bedford and Campbell Counties, just outside greater Lynchburg. They are otherwise as peaceful and as safe places to live as anyplace in the country. Both of these counties have recently had sexual assaults committed by illegal aliens allowed into this country. Wait, let me check myself: helped into this country, purposely helped into this country by this President and his open-border policies. prgtoken It gets worse every day. We have spoken many times, and we need to continue to speak about Laken Riley, the young lady from Mr. Clyde's area of Georgia, brutally murdered by an illegal alien helped into this country by this President's open-border policies. prgtoken To what lengths will this administration go to keep the borders open? They are fighting the very State of Texas, which is trying to secure their own border, trying to defend their own citizens, and the administration is literally suing and fighting and challenging them and prohibiting them from securing their border and defending their citizens and trying to keep them safe. prgtoken Just in the last couple of days, we had a Lebanese illegal who worked for Hezbollah for 7 years, who thankfully was apprehended. He said that he was coming to go to New York City to make a bomb. How many like that individual might be among the 2 million got-aways? Not the 8 million who come and surrender to Border Patrol to take advantage of the generous policies: the free housing, the free travel, the free healthcare, the free social services, the free education, and all the rest. The administration takes the ones who surrender in with open arms at taxpayer expense, provides them with benefits that American citizens do not receive, makes sure, by the way, that they have their Second Amendment rights in place, as we saw in the State of Illinois just recently. prgtoken However, then there are the 2 million who don't want that and actually pay the cartels more to evade apprehension, to evade encounter with Border Patrol because these are the criminals. These are the gang members; these are the traffickers of drugs and children and sex trafficking and the ones with the criminal backgrounds. How many more among that 2 million are like that individual from Lebanon, the Hezbollah member who said he wanted to go to New York to make a bomb? prgtoken What is going to happen this Friday? We think it is going to be Friday. We don't have bill text yet. We are going to v
Border Security (Executive Session)
Tommy Tuberville (Republican, AL) \u2014 2024-3-20

here we go again. I cannot believe I am here today on the Senate floor talking about Americans dying at the hands of illegal aliens. prgtoken I said I would do this every week and give an update on the young people and people of our country who are dying at the hands of illegal aliens--specifically young people. Our kids are dying because of 's immigration policies. prgtoken I was on the floor last week talking about the death of Laken Riley, a young woman who was running around the University of Georgia, minding her own business, when she was abducted and brutally beaten-- unrecognizable--by an illegal alien from Venezuela. prgtoken Just a week ago, I came to the floor to talk about the death of Washington State Trooper Chris Gadd. He was on duty at a DUI checkpoint when Raul Benitez Santana, an illegal alien from Mexico, drunk behind the wheel, crashed into Trooper Gadd's police cruiser. Trooper Gadd was 27 years old. prgtoken There are so many other young people who need and deserve to be recognized and remembered, so many sad examples of the deadly impact this administration's open border policies have had in this country. It is a shame. prgtoken In December, Travis Wolfe, a 12-year-old boy from Missouri, was riding with his parents when their car was struck head-on by another vehicle driving down the wrong side of the road, 70 miles per hour--the wrong side of the road, 70 miles per hour. Court documents reveal that the driver of the other car that crashed into Travis Wolfe was an illegal alien from Venezuela. prgtoken Twelve-year-old Travis spent the last 3 months on life support. He died on March 6. His family hasn't received an apology from . They are not going to get an apology from Secretary Mayorkas. They just buried their 12-year-old son. Do my colleagues care? Do they care? prgtoken Last August in Ohio, a minivan driven by Hermanio Joseph, an illegal alien from Haiti, collided with a bus that was carrying 52 kids and was headed to school for the very first day. Although he was from Haiti, Joseph illegally entered the country through the southern border. Twenty-six kids were hospitalized--26. prgtoken One child, 11-year-old Aiden Clark, was ejected from the bus and pronounced dead at the scene. In Aiden's obituary, his family wrote that he loved daily vegetable gardening with his dad, trampoline jumping with his sister, and snuggling with his mom. Eleven years old. prgtoken Aiden's life was taken far too soon. Travis Wolfe will not get to grow up. Trooper Gadd had a wife and a 2-year-old daughter. His daughter will never see her father again. Laken Riley will never become a nurse. She will never hang out with her friends again or celebrate a victory at the University of Georgia with friends and family. prgtoken Losing a child is a parent's worst nightmare. We can't possibly imagine what their families are going through, but we can work to prevent more deaths from occurri
HONORING THE PLANO EAST PANTHERS
Keith Self (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-3-20

. Madam , it is with great honor I rise today to recognize Sergeant Nicholas B. Lovren of the Fairview Police Department as he retires after 20 years of dedicated service in law enforcement. prgtoken Sergeant Lovren's steadfast dedication to serving and assisting those in prgtoken need has been a constant motivation throughout his career. His deep understanding of the noble responsibility entrusted to him as a guardian of the community was always evident. prgtoken Sergeant Lovren exemplified his commitment to protecting the community during the May 6, 2023, mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, displaying exceptional bravery and professionalism in the face of intense adversity. prgtoken His passion for his profession was recognized not only by his colleagues but also by the community he served, as evidenced by commendations and accolades throughout his tenure. prgtoken Beyond the call of duty, Sergeant Lovren is active in various outreach programs in his community and is a devoted family man to his wife, Lendsie, and their three children, Alice, Hunter, and Libby. prgtoken As he embarks on this new chapter of his life, I commend Sergeant Lovren for his outstanding contributions to law enforcement and the community, and I want to extend my congratulations and best wishes for a well-deserved retirement.
Russia (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-3-20

over the weekend, the Russian Federation held a Presidential election. And surprise, surprise, officials declared a landslide victory for President Vladimir Putin. By their account, Putin won a fifth term in office with a whopping 87 percent of the vote--the highest level of support in any previous elections. prgtoken This reminded me of a story--I think maybe true, maybe apocryphal--of a reporter who was traveling with a driver in Iraq in the run-up to the Iraq war. And as was typically the case in dictatorships, the report was that Saddam Hussein won 100 percent of the vote. And the reporter asked the driver, he said: Well, you have been with me; clearly, you haven't been able to go and cast your ballot. To which the driver responded: Well, I guess Saddam knew what was in my heart. prgtoken As implausible as that result was and as implausible as this result is, it is entirely predictable. After all, elections in Russia are unlike elections here in the United States or any other democracy. prgtoken In Russia, elections are carefully orchestrated by the Kremlin. The candidates are hand-selected. The results are predetermined. And the opportunity for change is nonexistent. prgtoken In short: Russia's elections are a sham. They are neither free nor fair, and it is no surprise that Vladimir Putin will continue to lead the corrupt and morally bankrupt Kremlin. prgtoken The result of this election was always guaranteed. And the only real question is: What comes next? What, if anything, will change with the start of Putin's new term in office? prgtoken Well, there is widespread speculation this could signal the beginning of a new military mobilization into Ukraine. The Kremlin has made a habit out of rolling out unpopular policies in the period after a Presidential election. prgtoken Following 2018, for example, the Kremlin raised the retirement age--a move that was deeply unpopular among the Russian people. prgtoken Putin even alluded to this new strategy when speaking to reporters in Moscow. He said: All the plans we have created to develop Russia will certainly be carried out and their goals achieved. prgtoken He added: We have come up with grandiose plans and will do everything to carry them out. prgtoken Well, this should be an additional warning sign that cannot be ignored by the United States or our allies. We are at a critical juncture in Russia's war against Ukraine, and more support is desperately needed. prgtoken It is in America's national security interest to help Ukraine because Vladimir Putin will not stop in Ukraine, just as he did not stop with the invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014. prgtoken He will keep coming and coming and coming. And he doesn't have very far to go after Ukraine to encounter NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And we have a treaty obligation with those countries under article 5 to come to the defense of any one prgtoken of those co
BRADLEY FREE CLINIC CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF REMARKABLE SERVICE
Ben Cline (Republican, VA) \u2014 2024-3-20

I rise today to address President 's war on American energy, which seeks to undermine our Nation's energy independence and impose the radical visions of the left's Green New Deal upon the American people. prgtoken Under the guise of environmental progress, the administration has embarked on a campaign that has directly assaulted the backbone of our energy infrastructure. From day one, from the senseless restrictions on liquefied natural gas export terminals to the absurd proposals to ban gas stoves and target gas-powered vehicles, this administration has shown a reckless disregard for American energy dominance and the welfare of the American people. prgtoken Furthermore, in a misguided effort to cushion the blow of his own policies, President has depleted our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its lowest level since 1984. This depletion not only threatens our national security but weakens our position on the global stage. prgtoken The consequences of these actions are evident in rising gas prices, which continue to be a painful burden for the American family. In 2022, we witnessed the national average for a gallon of gas exceed $5 a gallon for the first time in history. prgtoken Almost exactly 1 year ago, I gave a speech on this floor in support of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. I urge us to continue to act in furtherance of this agenda.
RECOGNIZING LACLEDE COUNTY, MISSOURI, AND THE CITY OF LEBANON, MISSOURI, ON 175TH ANNIVERSARY
Eric Schmitt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2024-3-20

I rise today to honor the 175th anniversary of the organization of Laclede County, MO, and its county seat, Lebanon. prgtoken As America expanded westward in the 1800s, Laclede County and Lebanon served as a crossroads. On February 24, 1849, the city and county were established. Pierre Laclede, a French fur trader and the founder of St. Louis, MO, is the county's namesake. The region witnessed the rapid change ushered by innovated modes of transportation like the railroad and later the highway system, including the famous Route 66 in the 1920s. Today, I-44 traces a similar route in this area and Laclede County continues as an intersection between time periods of history. prgtoken The citizens in Laclede County, which include the cities and villages of Conway, Lebanon, Richland, Evergreen, Phillipsburg, and Stoutland, maintain their commitment to preserve the community's history for future generations. The county is proud to be the hometown of prominent figures like Jim Bohannon, a renowned radio news and talk show host, Michael S. Hopkins, an esteemed NASA astronaut and Air Force colonel, and Betty Wagoner, a professional baseball player for the South Bend Blue Sox. Today, Laclede County is home to more than 36,000 proud Missourians, and more than 14,000 of that number reside in the city of Lebanon. prgtoken Both Laclede County and Lebanon hold great significance to the State of Missouri, and I hope the region continues to thrive for many years to come.
CONGRATULATING THE PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM
Jeff Duncan (Republican, SC) \u2014 2024-3-20

I rise today to congratulate the Presbyterian College Women's Basketball team and Coach Alaura Sharp. prgtoken The Blue Hose, as they are known, made history after beating the third-seeded Radford Highlanders to claim the Big South Championship title for the first time ever. prgtoken Now, they are in the Big Dance. They play tonight, and I wish them the best of luck in their game tonight.
RECOGNIZING THE NATIONAL DEBT AS A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2024-3-20

I come to the floor this evening to talk about our national debt, and I will be introducing a resolution here in a moment. prgtoken Our national debt, to put it in perspective, had never been much before the year 2000. Cumulatively, it was $5 trillion. That is a lot of zeroes behind a 5. That is a lot. But that is what it took from the beginning of the country--most of it did occur from the 1960s to 1980. That is when we started doing deficits, but it really started to get to where they became entrenched in standard operating procedure in the year 2000. prgtoken We did put two wars on the credit card. In 2000 to 2008, we went up to $10 trillion--all of a sudden, a lot more zeroes, with an extra zero and a 1. From 2008 to 2016, we went from $10 trillion to $16 trillion. prgtoken Now it gets to be a little more repetitive. I got here--elected--in 2018. By 2018, we are adding $1 trillion a year. Stick with me here. That is $16 trillion, 17, 18. So I get here as a Senator, alarmed by that when you come from a place like Indiana and you ran a business for 37 years, and if you even did anything close to that, I guarantee you your line of credit wasn't going to get renewed. prgtoken Since then--and we had a pandemic in there--it has gotten to where we have put a burden on future generations that I never imagined. I didn't think we would see it in this short a period. Well, we did roughly put $4 trillion more on the books through the worst pandemic we ever had. I think many of us question whether that was necessary or not. We probably could have done better. But we had already gotten into the routine of maybe erring on the side of doing more rather than less. prgtoken Well, since then, we have gone into enterprising through government. When we were borrowing just a few years ago $1 trillion annually, now we are doing it every 6 months. If you are good at math out there, try taking interest rates, which now are around 5, 6, 7 percent, depending on how the government is borrowing it, start applying that to $34 trillion or $35 trillion, and the only blueprint we have for us would be from the administration that puts us $52 trillion in debt in 10 years. prgtoken That is a burden on our kids and grandkids. They will have to figure out how to pay it off. All of us here seem to be unconcerned about it. I think it would be a little different if we were knocking things out of the park. prgtoken So those numbers never go away. Sooner or later, interest is going to--well, it is going to be sooner. I think next year, we are going to spend as much on our entire defense industry and budget as we will on interest. It doesn't take long to where that is going to amount to--in 3 to 4 years, 5--what we spend on all discretionary spending here, domestic and defense. prgtoken The government has grown from never being more than 20 percent of our GDP to now the new baseline is 25 percent of our GDP. Our economy has onl
HONORING BENNY HAWKINS
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2024-3-20

I rise today to congratulate Ms. Carol Bell for being honored as Woman of the Year by the group United Way of the Coastal Empire. prgtoken Born in Selma, North Carolina, Carol Evelyn Hodges Bell received an M.P.A. from the University of Georgia along with a B.S. in mathematics and a master's in divinity and Christian education from Shaw University. prgtoken Ms. Bell's life of service began in 1976, when she was elected as the first African-American female manager for the city of Savannah. prgtoken Ms. Bell has held many other leadership roles serving Savannah as well, such as being on the Governor's Children and Youth Coordinating Council, UNCF's telethon, and Gamma Sigma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Moreover, she has served as mayor pro tem and alderperson-at-large on the city council. prgtoken Presently, Ms. Bell serves as an alderperson at large, post 1, for the city of Savannah. prgtoken , Carol is a true public servant, someone who is very deserving of this award. Honoring the Life of Frank Vande Linde
Guy Reschenthaler (Republican, PA) \u2014 2024-3-20

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise in support of this rule and in support of the underlying legislation. prgtoken House Resolution 1085 provides for consideration of six measures: H.R. 1023, H.R. 1121, H.R. 6009, H. Con. Res. 86, H. Res. 987, and H.R. 7023. prgtoken The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 1023, the Cutting Green Corruption and Taxes Act, under a closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees, and provides one motion to recommit. prgtoken Additionally, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 1121, the Protecting American Energy Production Act, that being under a closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Natural Resources or their respective designees, and provides one motion to recommit. prgtoken Further, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 6009, the Restoring American Energy Dominance Act, under a closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Natural Resources or their respective designees, and provides one motion to recommit. prgtoken The rule also provides for consideration of H. Con. Res. 86, expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy, that being under a closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means or their respective designees. prgtoken The rule provides for consideration of H. Res. 987, denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the administration, under a closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees. prgtoken Finally, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 7023, the Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act, under a structured rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or their respective designees, and provides one motion to recommit. prgtoken The rule makes in order eight amendments. prgtoken , since President took office, energy costs for Americans have risen by 28.6 percent. On January 20, 2021, a gallon of gasoline was--wait for it--$2.39. prgtoken During President 's Presidency, the average price has reached a record high of $5 a gallon. This is a direct result of the President's dangerous, extreme, far-left agenda, the Green New Deal agenda that spent trillions of dollars and enacted costly regulations on the American family. prgtoken The underlying legislation before us this week will help unlock and unleash Amer
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE {time} 1715
Blake D. Moore (Republican, UT) \u2014 2024-3-20

I sit on the same committee as the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline). We call one of those opportunities reverse the curse, the budget resolution. I do my best to show my constituents this is the hope that we have, that we didn't get here overnight, but we can build back toward fiscal responsibility, building a 10-year balanced budget and finding all those opportunities to extract waste out of our system so we can thrive and operate. prgtoken I thank the gentleman for culling out all of those differences. I appreciate it. prgtoken Now to my good friend from the greatest State--we call it the great State of Utah, but we both know that it is the greatest State--to share some of his thoughts for this important week. prgtoken , from Utah (Mr. Owens).
HONORING THE O'NEAL SCHOOL ON WINNING THEIR FIRST GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TITLE
Richard Hudson (Republican, NC) \u2014 2024-3-20

I rise today to congratulate the O'Neal School's varsity girls basketball team on winning their first ever state basketball title. prgtoken Last month, for the first time in school history, the women of the O'Neal School won the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) 2A basketball state championship. The Falcons won this year's championship by a final score of 48-32 over Wayne County Day School. This victory caps off what was an incredible year for the Falcons, who finished the season with a 30-1 record. This is a momentous and well-deserved achievement. prgtoken The coaches and players of the O'Neal School's girls basketball team have brought great pride to both their school and the whole of Moore County. I wish them all the best and hope to see them continue their great success next season. Go Falcons. prgtoken , please join me today in congratulating the coaches and athletes of the O'Neal School on their victory in this season's NCISAA 2A basketball state championship.