mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
BURMA UNIFIED THROUGH RIGOROUS MILITARY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2022
Claudia Tenney (Republican, NY) \u2014 2022-4-6

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , it is an honor for me to represent New York's 22nd Congressional District, which is home to generations of Burmese refugees, dating back to the first family arriving in the early 2000s, and where nearly 5,000 Burmese refugees reside. prgtoken On February 1 of last year, Burma's military seized power in a violent coup, ending 5 years of flawed, but promising, democracy, dragging Burma back into a brutal military rule. prgtoken Over the last year, the world has watched in horror as the military targeted innocent Burmese men, women, and children. The latest estimates indicate that over 1,700 people have been murdered and more than 13,000 arrested by the junta. prgtoken In the face of this violence and repression, the resilience of the people of Burma is no less than inspiring. The legislation we are considering today is an important step forward in standing with the people of Burma and holding their perpetrators accountable. prgtoken The BURMA Act will impose mandatory sanctions on the military regime, as well as entities that continue to support it. prgtoken While the White House has begun to take steps to reimpose the sanctions regime that the former ic administration prematurely lifted, it is time that the Burmese military is again sanctioned as a matter of law, especially now that the United States prgtoken has finally recognized that their crimes against the Rohingya amount to genocide. prgtoken Now, more than ever, I urge all to remain committed to the people of Burma's quest for democracy, for peace, and freedom, and to oppose this affront to human dignity. prgtoken I thank Chairman Meeks and Congressman Chabot for championing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure. prgtoken , .
RECOMMENDING THAT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FIND PETER K. NAVARRO AND DANIEL SCAVINO, JR., IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS
Jim Jordan (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-4-6

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken The majority leader, just a few minutes ago said--used the term ``danger to our democracy.'' Danger to our democracy. prgtoken Think about this. have closed the Capitol, allowed proxy voting, kicked s off committees, won't let s serve on this select committee--the first time in the history of the Congress the minority leader was not allowed to put on a select committee the individuals he or she selected; first time in the history of our Nation. prgtoken The are trying to end the electoral college; trying to end the filibuster; trying to pack the Court. prgtoken This committee, the January 6th Committee, altered evidence and presented it to the American people as if it were true. And they accuse us of being a danger to our democracy? prgtoken Mr. Gaetz was right. We have got a border that is complete chaos. We have $6 gas in California, $4 gas everywhere else in the country. We have crime at record levels in every major urban area in this Nation. And we have an inflation problem that is at a 40-year high. prgtoken And this committee has more contempt resolutions for a purely political reason. I think the whole committee is pure political, designed to do one thing; keep President off the ballot in 2024. prgtoken The gentlewoman from Wyoming, in her opening comments, used the term, ``false message.'' False message. She used to say big lie. Now I guess it is false message. When she said it, I started jotting things down. prgtoken Think about all the false messages we have got from them in the last few years. They told us the protests in the summer of 2020 were peaceful. We got a billion dollars' worth of damage around our cities that says it wasn't. prgtoken They told us the dossier was real. They told us it was s, s who wanted to defund the police. That one is almost laughable, if it wasn't so serious for our law enforcement and for the families who live in those areas where mayors and city councils did defund the police. prgtoken They told us the FBI didn't spy on the campaign. We know that wasn't true. We have got inspectors general reports that tell us all kinds of things of what they did in front of the FISA Court. prgtoken They said colluded with Russia. We have got a Mueller report, 19 lawyers, 40 FBI agents, 30 million hard-earned American tax dollars in that report that said that false message was just that, false. prgtoken They told us COVID didn't start in the lab; sure looks like it did. prgtoken They told us the lab wasn't doing gain-of-function research; sure looks like it was. prgtoken They told us the vaccinated can't get it. We know that is wrong. Every day there is a new announcement: Member of Congress is getting it; fully vaccinated, boosted, and everything else. prgtoken They told us those who are vaccinated can't transmit it. They told us that was wrong. prgtoken And you talk ab
Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson (Executive Calendar)
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2022-4-6

there has been a lot of conversation in the past several weeks about Judge Jackson's judicial philosophy-- rightfully so. This is a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Supreme Court. It is a serious position. I don't know a single Senator in this room that doesn't take their responsibility seriously. This is a big issue when you put anyone on the Supreme Court for a life appointment. prgtoken Everyone has had the opportunity to be able to go through case law, cases that she has handled, things she responded to, things that she has written, ways that she has responded. Actually, I had time last week to sit down with her for about 45 minutes in the office just to be able to talk and to be able to get back-and-forth with her a little bit. prgtoken I want to give a little bit of context to that because many Americans watched all the hearings that happened last week--a full week of just conversation with her, asking her all kinds of different questions. I don't serve on the Judiciary Committee so I am on the outside looking in. That is why I got time individually with her for about 45 minutes to be able to ask her questions and get to know her. prgtoken By the way, I had folks in Oklahoma say: You had the opportunity to sit down with her; what is she like? prgtoken To all of them, I answered the same way. She is actually the kind of person you would want to invite over for dinner, just to be able to sit and visit with--extremely pleasant, outgoing, personable, smart, sharp, wonderful smile and interaction. You would want to invite her over to dinner to be able to visit with. prgtoken But my decision is not about whether to invite her over for dinner to be able to spend time with. My decision is, How will they handle a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court and how will they handle the law? prgtoken The difficult part of this conversation has been interesting. It really circled around judicial philosophy. How would you handle cases? prgtoken We can't ask: How are you going to actually rule on this specific case? Because if she answers, then she has to recuse herself from that case in the days ahead, and everyone knows that. prgtoken So we are always trying to determine: How will you treat cases in the days ahead and what lens will you look through? That is a reasonable conversation. prgtoken Her response has been interesting. Her response was that she had a ``methodology'' as a judge, and it has three aspects to it: Neutrality, which is a good thing; receiving all the appropriate inputs, which is making sure everyone is heard; and looking at the factual record and the text of the statute. That is actually a very good starting point with this. prgtoken The question then goes to the next set of questions on it: How do you handle the U.S. Constitution and where does that document fit in? Is it living? Is it changing? Is it the original text and the meaning of it, or does it have a living version that changes? <
Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson (Executive Calendar)
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2022-4-6

I have come to the floor today to go into a little bit more detail about why I will not be voting for and in favor of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation to the Supreme Court. prgtoken Now, as we have all heard and as we appreciate, there is no doubt that Judge Jackson is highly educated; she has an impressive resume; she is cordial; she was very gracious with her time, but as I listened to her responses over a 2-day period of time, I was really dissatisfied with the specifics. prgtoken As I got home to Tennessee and talked to Tennesseans, they had wanted to hear specifics from her and were disappointed that she did not come forward with those specifics. prgtoken My colleague Senator Durbin, helpfully, pointed out this morning that Judge Jackson did, indeed, make the rounds up here prior to her hearing. Yes, indeed, she did do that. She came to my office, and we spent about an hour together talking about her record. I, of course, didn't give her a list of questions to study, but I did clue her in on some of the things that I thought were going to be important for us to discuss. prgtoken Some are items we had discussed when she came before us for her appellate court hearing. Some of those things we never got a complete answer to, but we needed to get that complete answer. This is a lifetime appointment, and it was disappointing that we did not, even now, get that complete answer. prgtoken What I have learned is, normally--as we at Judiciary Committee conduct these hearings for judges for the Federal bench, for Supreme Court nominees--they walk into the hearing room, and they are prepared. They kind of come loaded with their remarks and their answers. They have a general idea of what is going to come their way from different ones of us because we have spent the time meeting with them individually, making certain that they know what is going to be important. prgtoken So there is no doubt she knew that I was going to press her on her lack of a clear articulation on a judicial philosophy, and she knew that there were concerns and criticisms of her record and some of the decisions that she had made. She knew that we would ask tough constitutional law questions about abortion, substantive due process, and interstate commerce. prgtoken And I know that I--and I think most of my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee--would say that I expect nominees to be familiar with all of these things, to have an opinion and be willing to share that opinion. This is an appointment, as I said a moment ago, a lifetime appointment to the prgtoken highest Court in the land. This is not supposed to be an easy process. This is to be tough questions that are appropriately placed. You know, tough questions are not attacks. Tough questions are placed in search of answers--answers for the people we represent. But instead of showcasing what we were told was her extraordinary prowess for the law, Judge Jackson's hearing tu
Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson (Executive Session)
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-4-6

I rise today ahead of the Senate's vote on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. There are few responsibilities the Senate has that are more important than confirming judges and, in particular, confirming Justices on the Supreme Court of the United States. prgtoken The Supreme Court is charged with the responsibility of defending and upholding the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It is charged with the responsibility of upholding the rule of law and protecting your rights and my rights. prgtoken Judge Jackson is someone that I have known personally for 30 years. She and I went to law school together. We were both on the law review together. Judge Jackson is someone who, on a personal level--she is smart; she is talented; she is charming. I have always liked Judge Jackson. But the responsibility given to the Senate is not to make an assessment on a personal level, but rather to assess a nominee's record and the kind of job they would do for the position to which they have been appointed. prgtoken Now, many in this Chamber and their cheerleaders in the corporate media insist that we cannot examine Judge Jackson's record. They insist, in fact, that any scrutiny of her record, any difficult questions directed her way, and, certainly, any opposition to her nomination must, must, must be rooted in racism or sexism. Sadly, this is a common talking point for . Whenever anyone disagrees with them on substance, you must be a racist. If you are not a socialist, you are a racist. That is their standard go-to. prgtoken And in this instance, all should acknowledge and should celebrate the historic milestone that would be having the first African-American woman serve as a Justice on the Supreme Court. Given our Nation's troubled history on race, that is a major important milestone. I would note, though, that the celebrating that fact--patting themselves on the back--there is more than a little irony in their celebrating that fact because the reason that we have not, to date, had an African-American woman on the Supreme Court--a major reason--is that the who are so proud of themselves filibustered a qualified African-American woman nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. Her name was Janice Rogers Brown. She was a justice on the California Supreme Court, and 20 years ago, President , a , nominated her to the DC Circuit. And Senate realized that a qualified African-American woman on the DC Circuit was a real threat to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken Janice Rogers Brown is a conservative and a constitutionalist, and for , that was unacceptable. So filibustered Janice Rogers Brown. Chuck Schumer filibustered Janice Rogers Brown. filibustered Janice Rogers Brown. Dick Durbin filibustered Janice Rogers Brown. Pat Leahy filibustered Janice Rogers Brown.
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE, NATIONAL SECURITY, AND FOREIGN POLICY
Mike Kelly (Republican, PA) \u2014 2022-4-6

today I rise to address some of the biggest problems facing the United States today and, quite frankly, the world. prgtoken As the war between Russia and Ukraine wages on, many Americans have been quickly reminded of just how global our economy really is. prgtoken Now, prior to the war, Russia provided the United States with 8 percent of our Nation's oil and refined products. A war involving Russia can suddenly spike fuel prices at your local gas station. Like many nationwide, drivers in my home district of western Pennsylvania have seen gasoline at over $4 a gallon for well over a month. prgtoken The interruption of our Nation's oil supply and subsequent skyrocketing prices are just the latest reminder that we need to refocus our energy policies in Washington and produce more energy right here at home in America. prgtoken Let's go back to May 2021, when two things happened: the United States imported a record amount of Russian oil, and President waived sanctions on Nord Stream 2. That is the Russian natural gas pipeline set to supply much of Europe with energy. prgtoken Now, 4 months earlier the President canceled the Keystone XL pipeline between the United States and Canada. That pipeline would have delivered an additional 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day. That is 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day. prgtoken That would have gone to U.S. refineries, and it would have created thousands and thousands of jobs. That is more oil than the United States imports from Russia each day. This is a no-brainer. Just bring back the pipeline. It is so easy to do and so easy to institute. prgtoken Why would we not do that? prgtoken Why would we not be energy independent? prgtoken We can't depend on bad foreign actors such as Russia, Venezuela, or Iran to help provide our Nation's energy. Above all I applaud the collective effort right here in Washington to stop bankrolling the Russian war machine by buying their products. prgtoken According to the Council on Foreign Relations, revenue from the energy sector is responsible for more than 40 percent of Russia's federal budget. Some quick, back-of-the-envelope math, the 8 percent of Russian oil we imported equates to 672,000 barrels of oil per day. prgtoken But this moment calls for a broader push to end our reliance on foreign energy sources. prgtoken To start, President should reverse his executive order banning the Keystone pipeline. prgtoken Next, we must return to -era energy policies that made the U.S. energy independent. To amend the former President's famous tag line, let's change it to make North America great again. prgtoken According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 61 percent of U.S. crude oil imports come from Canada. Another 11 percent comes from Mexico. Seventy-two percent comes from our neighbors to the north and our neighbors to the south. prgtoken We should be expanding oil imports from our allies and neighbors rather than paying our adve
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail (Executive Calendar)
Mitt Romney (Republican, UT) \u2014 2022-4-6

. When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained glass windows. In spite of my shattered dreams, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand. But again I have been disappointed. I have heard numerous southern religious leaders admonish their worshipers to comply with a desegregation decision because it is the law, but I have longed to hear white ministers declare: ``Follow this decree because integration is morally right and because the Negro is your brother.'' In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: ``Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern.'' And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular. I have traveled the length and breadth of Alabama, Mississippi and all the other southern states. On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at the South's beautiful churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward. I have beheld the impressive outlines of her massive religious education buildings. Over and over I have found myself asking: ``What kind of people worship here? Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification? Where were they when Governor Wallace gave a clarion call for defiance and hatred? Where were their voices of support when bruised and weary Negro men and women decided to rise from the dark dungeons of complacency to the bright hills of creative protest?'' Yes, these questions are still in my mind. In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love.
RECOMMENDING THAT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FIND PETER K. NAVARRO AND DANIEL SCAVINO, JR., IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS
Liz Cheney (Republican, WY) \u2014 2022-4-6

the balance of my time. prgtoken , it does not feel really good today. It feels sad, and it feels tragic that so many in my own party are refusing to address the constitutional crisis and the challenge that we face. prgtoken The ranking member of the Judiciary Committee went to law school. I am not sure if he passed the bar. But he knows that we all have an obligation to abide by the rulings of the courts. prgtoken So, yes, it was a false story. Yes, it was a big lie. In fact, former Vice President has said that what President wanted him to do was ``un-American.'' It was also unconstitutional, and it was illegal. prgtoken , what gives me tremendous hope though is although so many in my party in this body have put loyalty to ahead of their oath to the Constitution, the committee has interviewed scores of s from around the country who, in fact, have shown the kind of tremendous bravery and dedication to public service that every American can be proud of: s who were appointed by President to posts in the Department of Justice; s who stood firm; s who threatened to resign and who refused to participate in President 's efforts to corrupt the Department of Justice with the stolen election lies--yes, lies--that led to January 6. prgtoken We have heard from s serving in State legislatures, in State and local governments who also stood firm. prgtoken , it is crucially important that this body hold these gentlemen in contempt. It is crucially important that they have to abide by their subpoena. prgtoken I urge a ``yes'' vote, and .
RECOMMENDING THAT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FIND PETER K. NAVARRO AND DANIEL SCAVINO, JR., IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS
Ronny Jackson (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-4-6

. Madam , from Indiana for the time. prgtoken Madam , I rise today to speak about two great patriots who I am proud to call my friends, Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro. These two men have served our country honorably. Sadly, they are now targets of the political witch hunt simply because they served our country and they are loyal to our great former President, Donald J. . prgtoken The illegitimate January 6th Committee's ruthless crusade against President and his close allies is yet another smear on this great body. It will go down in history as another failed attempt by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to bring down good people simply because they disagree with their political beliefs. prgtoken As someone who has been a target of the left and their ruthless tactics in the past, I know firsthand how damaging this can be. The American people are tired of this partisan January 6 circus. It is time to stop this nonsense now. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to stand up against this charade and oppose this baseless resolution.