mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Remembering Karon Kaye Tinsley Goolsby (Executive Session)
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2023-6-22

I rise today to honor an extraordinary Texan and prgtoken an incredibly dear friend. Karon Kaye Tinsley Goolsby passed away on Monday, June 19, 2023. prgtoken Kaye is someone who has been an incredible friend to me for two decades now. She lived in Katy, TX, and was married to the love of her life, Gary. Their son Greg was born in 1981. She loved her family. She loved her grandkids. prgtoken Kaye was a grassroots organizer unlike any other. Kaye was incredibly active in the Texas Federation of Women and in the National Federation of Women. prgtoken I still remember when I first met Kaye. It was 2004. It was at the National Convention. I was a 33-year-old young lawyer. I was serving as the solicitor general in Texas, and I had hopes to run for office, but I didn't know a whole lot of people in politics. At that convention, I met Kaye. prgtoken She lit up any room she was in. She had a personality that was incandescent. As Kaye would later observe, for some reason, this kid-- that would be me--just followed her everywhere she went. And at the end of the day, it wasn't complicated. Kaye knew everybody. prgtoken When I followed Kaye from one grassroots activist to another to another, Kaye would turn around and introduce me to one after the other, after the other, after the other and say: Have you met Ted? Have you met Ted? Have you met Ted? She had the energy of an atom bomb. It was unstoppable. prgtoken Kaye became one of my very closest friends and most trusted advisers. When I first launched a campaign for attorney general of Texas, I remember sitting in Kaye's car for about 3 hours trying to convince her to come support our campaign, that I needed her. She, quite rightly, said: Are you out of your mind? You don't have the support. You don't have the money. You don't have the name ID. How on Earth can you possibly win? prgtoken My answer was: Kaye, with your support, we can do anything. prgtoken After about 3 hours, her husband Gary, who is also a dear friend, told her: Kaye, just say yes. He is going to keep asking you until you do. prgtoken She finally laughed and said yes. prgtoken That race for attorney general never ended up materializing. The vacancy we thought existed ended up not happening. prgtoken But 2 years later, I launched a campaign for U.S. Senate, and Kaye was my grassroots chairman. I will tell you, in that race, I was supposed to have no prayer. My opponent in that race was the incumbent Lieutenant Governor, who was personally worth $200 million, who had put $35 million of his own money in the race, and I had never been elected to anything. The last thing I was elected to was the student council. But we had a weapon unlike anything else: We had Kaye. prgtoken You have to understand, Kaye would be on three cell phones at once, calling people relentlessly. She would greet them all the same way. She would go: Hey, sugar. And ``sugar''--she could drag that sec
CONDEMNING THE USE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL FACILITIES TO PROVIDE SHELTER FOR ALIENS WHO ARE NOT ADMITTED TO THE UNITED STATES
Anthony D’Esposito (Republican, NY) \u2014 2023-6-22

. Madam , I thank the chairwoman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , I rise today in support of H. Res. 461, legislation that formally condemns the use of public elementary and secondary schools as shelters for illegal migrants. prgtoken The safety and security of America's children should be the number one priority of lawmakers here in Washington, and placing illegal migrants within earshot of students presents serious threats to the safety of our children and the safety of our communities. prgtoken In New York, when Mayor Eric Adams attempted to house migrants in nearly 20 public schools, everyday New Yorkers stood up to city hall, rejected this attempt to threaten our students, and stopped the mayor from housing migrants in schools. Instead of learning from his mistakes and ending New York's sanctuary city status, Mayor Adams then decided that housing migrants in an abandoned warehouse at JFK Airport would be a better alternative. Placing migrants at a dilapidated warehouse in the heart of one of the largest transportation hubs in this country is both inhumane and presents a serious national security threat. prgtoken I keep hearing over and over again about trafficking and about being inhumane. You are correct. Seeking asylum is not illegal, but we ask that they come through the front door, and I would be confident that no asylum seeker comes to this country to live in a vacant warehouse at JFK Airport with no bathrooms and no showers. prgtoken We cannot allow politicians like Eric Adams to sacrifice the safety and security of this Nation to uphold their radical sanctuary city policies and compensate for President and Secretary Mayorkas' failing border security initiatives and their dereliction of their duties. prgtoken Our Nation's public schools should be places of learning for local students, not housing illegal migrants. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this measure to block illegal migrants from being housed in school facilities.
CONDEMNING THE USE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL FACILITIES TO PROVIDE SHELTER FOR ALIENS WHO ARE NOT ADMITTED TO THE UNITED STATES
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Republican, IA) \u2014 2023-6-22

. Madam , , Chair Foxx, for yielding me time. prgtoken I rise today in support of my resolution, H. Res. 461, which bans the administration from using schools to house illegal aliens. prgtoken As a mother and a physician, I do not see how my colleagues on the other side of the aisle can let this stand. prgtoken Using school facilities as shelter for illegal aliens, instead of as schools, as they were intended, creates a host of issues ranging from safety hazards for young children to a free fall of security issues as a result of not providing adequate accommodations or security screenings. At a minimum, it deprives students of their space for recess and physical education and imposes financial burdens on schools for cleaning and housing. prgtoken Municipalities such as New York City are using school gymnasiums as overflow housing for illegal aliens and setting troubling precedents for the future. It is easy to be a sanctuary city when you are not affected by the border until the administration opens those borders. prgtoken Diverting educational resources to illegal aliens, or any demographic, and not in a natural disaster--and in most cases we have little or no background information upon these individuals--provides an avoidable and incredible security risk. prgtoken We must protect America's children and save our educational systems from being robbed of their purpose. prgtoken The administration's open border policies have turned every State into a border State. And a broken immigration system, paired with the lack of responsibilities and execution of border security, is simply not good enough. prgtoken Speaking of the minority's comments on useless resolutions, last Congress, the introduced a total of 982 resolutions, of which only 176 passed. prgtoken H. Res. 461 sends the administration a clear message that their open borders and broken immigration system will not stand, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.
TAX CONVENTION WITH CHILE (Executive Session)
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2023-6-22

I certainly will continue to work with my friend from Massachusetts--and he is my friend, and I have a lot of respect for him. He and I work together on a number of things, but with all due respect, that was a bit of a rope-a-dope tapdance you just witnessed here on the Senate floor because he pretty much made the same arguments 16 months ago--16 months ago; the same arguments, right here, the two of us. Let me address a couple of these. prgtoken The issue of this tough on CBP to do this, it is not that tough. I have talked to the head of CBP. Heck, I have talked to the Secretary of Homeland Security. They can do this. The U.S. market demands a high level of scrutiny on seafood supply chains. We already have certification systems in place that require the kind of information needed to enforce my legislation. Any seafood supplier who is serious about their job knows that they have this information. prgtoken By the way, most seafood suppliers are getting off Russian seafood because they know what is happening. They don't want to support this Russian war machine. prgtoken Unfortunately, we are seeing some certification efforts, such as the Marine Stewardship Council--shame on them--allowing themselves to be pulled into a profit-driven mindset that is focused on one thing: money and benefiting Russia. What do I mean by that? prgtoken You can hardly believe it. When I heard the MSC--supposedly, an organization with a good reputation--the Marine Stewardship Council has recently prgtoken certified Russian fisheries as sustainable, this is a joke. It is ridiculous. Shame on you, MSC, helping fund the Putin war machine. prgtoken Regardless, I am 100-percent certain that any companies in America now laundering Russian product--and you know who you are--companies which, unfortunately, I worry my colleague from Massachusetts is defending--they absolutely have the ability to trace and certify exactly where the products are coming from. That is a fact. So this argument, which was made 16 months ago, still doesn't work. prgtoken On the job loss issue, we put into this bill a 90-day provision to prevent the disruption. U.S. harvests of seafood are largely from U.S. citizens, including thousands of independent owners and operators of fishing vessels and small businesses in coastal communities in Alaska, in Massachusetts, and all over this great country. And they are being hurt by this. prgtoken There are Massachusetts fishermen right now who want my bill to be passed--100 percent. We know that. Certainly, thousands of Alaskan fishermen. But if you want to compare jobs, let's go. Commercial fishing is the top employer in terms of jobs in my State, and it is a big employer in Massachusetts. prgtoken So to my colleague from Massachusetts, what I offered last year I still offer now. Let Alaskan fishermen send their fish to you guys. Or, heck, Massachusetts fishermen, don't rely on Russian fishermen laundered through th
U.S. SUPREME COURT
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2023-6-22

this month, the Supreme Court will issue some of the term's most consequential decisions. And if past is prologue, Washington will let the topline outcome of the cases determine their view of the Court's institutional legitimacy. prgtoken A year ago this week, the Court corrected a half-century of badly reasoned precedent under Roe v. Wade that cost our Nation millions of innocent lives. The ic leader responded by accusing an ``extremist MAGA court'' of bringing on ``one of the darkest days our country has ever seen.'' But almost a year later, when the same exact Court issued a ruling he agreed with, the ic leader celebrated that ``democracy held firm.'' prgtoken Democracy held firm--but only because the Court's opinion aligned with our colleague's political preferences. Unfortunately, this has been Washington ' playbook for years. They have taught their base that, when they can't accomplish their political ends from within our institutions, it is the institutions that need to go. prgtoken Last year, intimidation at the Supreme Court took an especially vivid turn. Activists threatened members of the Court and their families. One individual even plotted to assassinate a Justice. Here in Congress, have responded by trying to take hostage funding for the Justices' security unless a coequal branch of government restructured itself. prgtoken The nine Justices of the Supreme Court are empowered by the Constitution to function above the political winds. And they should continue to do exactly that, no matter how many Washington demand otherwise.
CONDEMNING THE USE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL FACILITIES TO PROVIDE SHELTER FOR ALIENS WHO ARE NOT ADMITTED TO THE UNITED STATES
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2023-6-22

. Madam , the balance of my time. prgtoken Madam , to sum up the debate, H. Res. 461 does four things. It sends a clear message about our values. It condemns lawbreaking where politicians have failed to do so. It tells parents that we are on their side. Most importantly, it reiterates that public school facilities should be used for educating children, not housing illegal immigrants, because the academic success and safety of America's students must be put first. prgtoken Therefore, I urge the House of Representatives and Congress to pass H. Res. 461, and .
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2023-6-22

I rise in support of Senator Kennedy's resolution of disapproval of the ATF's stabilizing brace rule. This rule is a dangerous attack on every American's Second Amendment rights. prgtoken I want to start by telling you why this is important. Where I live in Kansas, typically we will have one sheriff or a deputy on call at a time, and he is covering an area of 60 by 40 miles, so often the nearest law enforcement officer is 45 minutes to an hour away. prgtoken Like many States, we are seeing an uptick in the rise of crime, with fentanyl flooding across our border. Twenty tons of fentanyl has been seized. We can't imagine how much came across this open border. But along with the fentanyl and the open border, we are seeing crime on the rise. More and more families feel afraid that they are not secure. Even my own wife 2 weeks ago asked me to take her out to our family gun range and give her some lessons on how to handle a weapon as well. prgtoken By the way, women's favorite weapon for self-protection is a short- barreled rifle. It is what they feel comfortable with. It is not loud. It is easy to control. prgtoken Why are we trying to punish Americans who just want to defend themselves and practice their Second Amendment rights? prgtoken In complete disregard for Americans' constitutional rights, President enacted an unlawful rule banning stabilizing braces--known commonly as pistol braces--allowing the ATF the full authority under the law to prosecute millions of Americans for firearms they purchased perfectly legally. Through 's rule, millions of responsible gun owners suddenly have become felons. prgtoken As law-abiding Kansans get the book thrown at them under this Second Amendment power grab, the President's own son commits an actual gun violation felony, and he walks away with a sweetheart deal. I ask you, what type of message does that send to law-abiding American gun owners across the country? This is wrong. Americans realize this is a double standard. prgtoken Sadly, this egregious policy uniquely impacts our Nation's disabled veterans who use a pistol brace to handle their firearms. For some of these individuals who risked their lives for our freedoms, a pistol brace is the only option for safe and effective firearm use. But under this ruling, the constitutional right to bear arms is null and void if you use a stabilizing brace to operate a firearm. prgtoken That is why the President bypassed Congress and carried out his gun- grabbing agenda through the regulatory state, demanding his ATF use a misguiding interpretation of the National Firearms Act to enforce this heavyhanded policy. prgtoken Let me be clear. The National Firearms Act does not--does not--give the ATF the authority to ban pistol braces. Congress has not, nor should it ever, give the ATF this power. prgtoken This rule represents the largest gun grab in American history, potentially impacting as many as 40 million respo
TAX CONVENTION WITH CHILE
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2023-6-22

. I completely agree with the ranking member of the Finance Committee. I will carefully review and consider future U.S. income tax treaties to both ensure we resolve this important issue and to make sure Treasury follows through on its commitment to further address relief from double taxation in our tax treaties. I thank Ranking Member Crapo for his leadership on this issue, and we will continue to work together to hold Treasury to its commitment.
RELATING TO THE CONSIDERATION OF H. RES. 503, IMPEACHING JOSEPH R.
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2023-6-22

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken I find it fascinating to listen to someone who lives in the Northeast, in a nice enclave protected from the border, stand up and say nothing about this is serious. Tell that to the victims of this border-crossing invasion. Tell that to them. They say: Oh, all the fentanyl is being stopped at the border. prgtoken It is just incredible. prgtoken What is going on between the ports of entry? Sure, we catch it at the ports of entry. Why? We have massive amounts of resources there. Between the ports of entry are wide open spaces. prgtoken The last time I was down there--when was the last time you were there? I go down often. I live in Arizona. I get down to the border. prgtoken The last time I was there, we were driving along and didn't see Border Patrol for miles. Do you know what we came upon? We came upon 21 individuals. prgtoken There is no town. There is no village. We asked them how they got here. The coyotes dropped us off and told us keep walking north. In that group were two babies under the age of 1 year. prgtoken I am telling you, this is a result of the dereliction of duty that has put this country in jeopardy. That is why this needs to go to the Committee on Homeland Security, so they can further investigate this. That is why it needs to be there. prgtoken Laugh if you will. That is the reality. You don't appreciate the seriousness of this, the gravity of it. prgtoken Laugh at it if you will, but you get to go to the angel families and explain to them why their kid or a member of their family was killed by an illegal alien who came into this country. You get to go to the parents. prgtoken You get to go to the parents of individuals who have lost their lives due to the fentanyl that you apparently claim is all being interdicted. It is dangerous. We have terrorists and criminal gang members coming in.
THANKING ARKANSAS COMMUNITY AFTER TORNADO
J. French Hill (Republican, AR) \u2014 2023-6-22

I rise today to commend the efforts of central Arkansas during the recovery period after our devastating tornado that hit our district last month. prgtoken Our neighbors immediately began to work hand in hand, neighbor to neighbor, to rebuild our community. prgtoken Many volunteered and worked tirelessly to set up emergency shelters in our local schools and churches to ensure those impacted by this severe storm had safe housing in the wake of the tornado. prgtoken The response of our leaders at the state, county, and city level was invaluable to be commended. prgtoken The incredible efforts and active emergency response from Governor Sarah Sanders, Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Mayor Terry Hartwick of North Little Rock, Mayor Jeff Elmore in Jacksonville, and Mayor Mary Jo Heye-Townsell of Sherwood, and many others all saved lives and accelerated the recovery process. prgtoken Not only did we witness their outstanding response and an outpouring of local volunteers, but we saw the swift action of our first responders and our essential businesses. prgtoken Entergy Arkansas began repairs to the local power grid as soon as the storms passed, and many of our lineman and women worked countless hours to restore power, even when themselves were affected. prgtoken One lineman I met with was in his bed at the time of the tornado and the roof torn off his apartment, and after a day off from that tragedy was out there working 16 house a day to connect the power to his neighbors. prgtoken Countless time put in neighbor for neighbor. prgtoken Entergy Arkansas's corporate office also donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross to be used toward tornado recovery efforts, with an additional pledge of up to $50,000 matching employee donations. prgtoken The Arkansas Food Bank did an incredible job of delivering food, water, and other necessary items throughout our communities to ensure those affected by the storms were supported by necessary goods. prgtoken Additionally, our local restaurants, our local businesses all donated hundreds of meals and supplies to those in need. prgtoken I thank our community for demonstrating generosity and thoughtfulness during a time of great need. They simply demonstrate that core value that we all take pride in Arkansans and Americans.
RELATING TO THE CONSIDERATION OF H. RES. 503, IMPEACHING JOSEPH R.
Byron Donalds (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-6-22

I rise today in support of House Resolution 529. prgtoken Let's be very clear. The issue that is happening at our southern border--not the name-calling or talking about former President -- what is happening at our southern border today and for the last 2 years under President has been a dereliction of duty with respect to immigration law in the United States. prgtoken If the other side wants to speak to the actual issues at hand, it is the fact that the asylum provisions under are a bastardization of asylum procedure as set forth in Federal law by Congress. prgtoken , Congress never anticipated that you would have 6 million-plus people come through the asylum process in 2 years. Congress never contemplated that you would have an asylum procedure where you would have people on a 7- to 10-year waitlist to actually go through an asylum procedure. prgtoken The President knows this is the case, and it is being done on purpose. prgtoken That is a congressional purview, and it actually is a dereliction of his duty to faithfully execute the laws of the United States. prgtoken So if the minority party wants to ask about why we are here, it is that. It is my belief and the belief of many Members on our side of the aisle that this resolution should go to the Homeland Security Committee so they can fully debate and go through the depths of which has been derelict in his duty to execute the laws with respect to immigration in the United States which has major impacts on the American people. prgtoken There are 100,000 Americans who have died from fentanyl overdoses because of his dereliction of duty. We have the drug cartels on our southern border who have operational control of the southern border because of his dereliction of duty. prgtoken If the President and congressional actually took the time to investigate this--like going to the southern border--then they would know this, too. prgtoken , I support this resolution, and Members should be in support of it, as well.