mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF JONAH KREPPS
Joe Courtney (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2022-2-11

. Madam , I rise today in recognition of the distinguished accomplishments of Cadet Chief Petty Officer Jonah Krepps of Uncasville, Connecticut. As a young resident of Eastern Connecticut, Cadet Krepps's committed service to the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC) was recognized on February 4, 2022, in his promotion to the rank of Cadet Chief Petty Officer. prgtoken Chartered in 1962 by an act of Congress, the Naval Sea Cadet Corps is a non-profit youth group that helps provide young Americans aged 10 through 18 with key maritime, leadership and teamwork skills. Supporting 9,000 cadets in 380 units in 47 states including Connecticut, the program also provides young Americans with valuable experience that they can use if they go on to join the Armed Services. For Cadet Chief Petty Officer Jonah Krepps, this has meant their longtime membership in the Nautilus Division, which is stationed at the home of our nation's undersea force, SUBASE New London. prgtoken Madam , as a member of the House Armed Service Committee, which has made sure that Congress follows through on its commitments to this program, I know firsthand the valuable work that the cadets and their leaders do each and every day. This year the Nautilus Division recognizes the dedication and work ethic of Jonah, and it is conferring the honor of being promoted to the position of Cadet Chief Petty Officer during the Corps' 60th anniversary of preparing our nation's next generation of leaders. To that end, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in thanking Cadet Chief Petty Officer Krepps for his initiative and wishing him well in his future endeavors. Bravo Zulu.
COMMENDING ISRAEL-BAHRAIN SECURITY COOPERATION AGREEMENT
Steve Cohen (Democrat, TN) \u2014 2022-2-11

. Madam , I rise today to commend the historic signing of the security cooperation agreement between Israel and Bahrain, which took place on February 3, 2022. This security agreement is the first of its kind between Israel and a Gulf nation. prgtoken Since Bahrain signed the 2020 Abraham Accords and took the important step of normalizing relations with Israel, the two countries have significantly deepened their bilateral relationship. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gautz travelled to Manama, Bahrain's capital, to sign this agreement and celebrates the agreement as ``a new high point'' in the countries' relationship. prgtoken The MoU agreement is designed to help advance intelligence cooperation, establish a framework for military exercises and strengthen ties between the countries' defense industries. As Israel and Bahrain continue to strengthen their cooperation, the signing of this memorandum of understanding (MoU) is a key step. prgtoken This historic agreement comes at a time of increased danger in the region as Iran continues to threaten the security of its neighbors. The MoU will help deepen regional security cooperation and resilience, which is critical to defending the interests of the United States, Israel, Bahrain, and many other countries in the region.
RECOGNIZING JAMES BROGNA, UNICO NATIONAL SCRANTON CHAPTER'S UNICAN OF THE YEAR
Matt Cartwright (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2022-2-11

. Madam , I rise today to honor James Brogna who will be named the UNICAN of the Year for the UNICO National Scranton Chapter. He will be recognized at the Chapter's annual Charity Ball on February 26. prgtoken James is the son of Frank and the late Marie Lombardo and the brother of Frank, retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Marine Corps. He attended Bloomsburg University where he earned his BA in mass communications and public relations, and he earned his MS in organizational management from Misericordia University. prgtoken James began his career in television and radio, spending five years at WVIA Public Broadcasting and working at WGGY-FM and part time at WBRE TV. In 1999, he joined Allied Services Integrated Health System as the Director of Development. He currently serves as the Vice President of Strategic Partnership for the organization. prgtoken James has been fiercely dedicated to serving his community. He is a current board member of the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber and Leadership Wilkes-Barre, and he was elected to the Crestwood School District's Board of Education in 2019. His expertise in the health and human services industry helped guide Northeastern Pennsylvania during COVID-19 through his service on the Luzerne County Pandemic Task Force and the S.O.S. NEPA Nursing Home Pandemic Task Force. He is a past member and former board member of the Rotary Club of the Abingtons and the Kiwanis Club of Mountain Top. He has been active with both Catholic Social Services of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) as a past Chair and Board Member. prgtoken In 2010, he co-founded WNEP-TV Ryan's Run Campaign which has raised more than $4 million for Allied Services. James himself has finished ten marathons, including the New York City, Scranton, and Marine Corps Marathons. James is also an effective fundraiser, championing veterans' causes like Catholic Social Services' St. Francis Commons for Veterans and Team Red, White & Blue, establishing a local chapter of the organization that helps veterans thrive in their transition from military to civilian life. prgtoken His sharp business acumen and his unyielding generosity with his time have earned him recognition as a Top 40 under 40 in Business in 2008 and the Outstanding Alumni Award from Leadership Wilkes-Barre. He was also named an Outstanding Fundraising Professional from the AFP and a Paul Fellow Award recipient by Rotary International. He shares his extensive knowledge as a guest lecturer at the University of Scranton, Marywood University, and Misericordia University for undergraduate and masters level courses in marketing, non-profit leadership, and health care management. prgtoken I am honored to join with the Scranton Chapter of UNICO National in recognizing James for his commitment to his community and the work he does to uphold Allied Services' mission. May he continue to feel inspired and mo
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-2-14

reserving the right to object, let me first say that I care deeply about fixing the problems with the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Service provides an essential service and touches the lives of nearly every American. The Postal Service also consumes billions in taxpayer and consumer money every year, meaning that it has to be accountable to taxpayers and consumers not only in how effectively it delivers but in how it spends the dollars it receives. So I absolutely support getting something done to reform the Postal Service and ensure it is more accountable to taxpayers and consumers. prgtoken I also support provisions of this bill, like its focus on enhanced services for rural communities, which will benefit many families across my great State, and I like the fact that it maintains the current 6-day mail delivery schedule. Unfortunately, there are also pieces of this bill that set us back and block the opportunity for us to achieve our shared goal of responsibly reforming the Postal Service. prgtoken What I am asking for here is not unreasonable. I simply want the Senate to have the opportunity to work on this, improve it, and deliver a bill that truly works. prgtoken The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has jurisdiction over the Postal Service. I am actually very proud to serve on this committee. Unfortunately, the committee has not held one hearing or member meeting on the bill, nor has the bill even been considered at a markup. prgtoken We aren't here considering just a simple resolution. This is a massive, multibillion-dollar bill that has huge impacts on Medicare recipients, and the ic majority skipped the committee process and rushed the bill to the floor. prgtoken Despite the rushed process throughout the bill, a few details need to be highlighted, and they are not pretty. prgtoken First, as I said before, this bill does not fix the underlying issues with the Postal Service, nor does it make it profitable. I don't understand why the Postal Service loses money and cannot be profitable. I don't think many Americans understand why. prgtoken America is more than $30 trillion in debt. We can't afford to add more stress on our already enormous national debt with poor financial planning, which I think this bill absolutely does. In fact, this bill simply shifts risk to Medicare recipients by adding billions in new costs to Medicare. prgtoken I am not sure why the are so eager to threaten the viability of Medicare or the benefits for Medicare recipients. The triggered billions in Medicare funding cuts in 2021 in Florida and other States in their wasteful, partisan COVID spending bill. Now they are putting even more stress on Medicare and the benefits of Medicare recipients by shifting billions in new costs onto the program. prgtoken According to the Congressional Budget Office, between just 2025 and 2031, this bill would increase costs to Medica
Ukraine (Executive Session)
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-2-14

I come to the floor tonight with my colleague from New Hampshire, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, to discuss the critical situation in Ukraine. prgtoken Ukraine is an independent country. It is a democracy. It is an ally of ours. It is a country that is currently under siege. There is a threat of invasion by Russia that grows every single day. prgtoken Right now, there are more than 130,000 Russian troops under the command of 100 tactical groups surrounding Ukraine. This Russian deployment includes nuclear-capable missiles, rockets, tanks, and artillery, and it is no longer just on the eastern border of Ukraine, where there has been activity before, as we will discuss, but now on the northern border, where Russian combat troops and heavy equipment have moved into the country of Belarus and also in Crimea. Additionally, Russia has now deployed amphibious assault ships and other ships into the Black Sea, to the south, and has positioned its S- 400 missile defense systems, which could stop flights into Ukraine. prgtoken So from the east, from the north, and from the south, Ukraine is facing this threat. News accounts say additional equipment is actually being moved to the Ukrainian border, not being pulled away. prgtoken While there are differing views on whether Russia has made the final decision as to whether to invade or not, there is no question that they have now amassed the capability needed to conduct a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. prgtoken Let's not forget that Russia has invaded Ukraine twice in the past 8 years, illegally annexing Crimea and inserting troops and offensive military equipment into the Donbas region in the east. prgtoken They have also targeted cyber attacks against public and private entities in Ukraine and continue to use information to try to destabilize the democratically elected Government of Ukraine. prgtoken By the way, Ukrainians have lost about 14,000 citizens in the last 5 years at the hands of the Russians--14,000--fathers, brothers. That would be, as a percentage of our population, like the United States losing about 115,000 people. That is more than we lost in Vietnam and Korea combined--actually, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan combined. Think how we would feel. prgtoken And let's not forget that Russia continues, day by day, to conduct this low-grade but serious war against Ukraine. prgtoken We all hope that instead of an invasion, Russia chooses a diplomatic end to this current crisis, but we had better treat this threat of an invasion as a very real and serious possibility. Doing anything else would be irresponsible, given the massive mobilization and the past malign behavior. prgtoken And all freedom-loving countries have an interest here. Ukraine is where the cause of freedom is under siege today in our generation. prgtoken Eight years ago, Ukrainians made a very deliberate choice. They stood up to a corrupt Russian-backed government, and they turned to the West,
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2022-2-14

on February 19, 1942--and that will be 80 years ago this coming Saturday--President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the blatantly racist mass incarceration of essentially all Japanese Americans inside the United States at the time. This was an indefensible move--one that resulted in locking up about 120,000 decent, hard-working, innocent people based on nothing other than their race. prgtoken Two years later, in one of the most shameful moments in America's judicial history, the U.S. Supreme Court deferred to the Roosevelt administration's blatantly racist and equally unconstitutional imprisonment of Japanese Americans. Writing for the majority in a case called Korematsu v. United States, Associate Justice Hugo Black, a Justice with a history of bigotry, unconscionably glossed over the countless constitutional violations built into the race-based interment of innocent American citizens, who the Court acknowledged ``were loyal to this country overwhelmingly,'' based on the fact that ``[t]here was evidence of disloyalty on the part of some'' Japanese Americans and ``military authorities considered that the need for action was great.'' prgtoken In a moment one might expect from someone like Justice Black, who had a history of bigotry, he cavalierly dismissed the blatant racism inherent in this action, reasoning that ``[t]o cast this case into outlines of racial prejudice, without reference to the real military dangers which were presented, merely confuses the issue.'' prgtoken Tragically, Justice Black, blinded perhaps by his own intolerance and bigotry or perhaps by his loyalty to the President who had appointed him just a few years earlier, missed the obvious point: Racial prejudice was the issue. That was the whole point. I agree with the characterization later provided by now-Chief Justice Roberts, just a few years ago, in 2018, when he noted that ``Korematsu was gravely wrong the day it was decided, [and] has been overruled in the court of history, and--to be clear--'has no place in the law under the Constitution.''' prgtoken No person should ever be in prison solely due to their race. It shouldn't be even a factor in anyone's imprisonment--certainly not in the United States of America. prgtoken Japanese internment is one of the very worst examples--one of the very worst examples--of our government rejecting its founding principles. It is something that should be remembered so that it can never be repeated. Despite this mistreatment by government, Japanese Americans served faithfully in many capacities during World War II and have continued to serve our Nation and their communities in irreplaceable ways. Their contributions are worthy of remembrance and celebration. prgtoken Regrettably, the United States has failed to meet other, admittedly, far less fundamental obligations it has made to individuals and to States. One of those obligations is relevant here,
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-2-14

I am here today to take a moment and remember the tragedy that occurred 4 years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. And I want to discuss some legislation that I have introduced that results from that. But remember that day. prgtoken On that day, we lost 17 innocent souls from this globe of ours, and it was at the hands of a troubled and evil young man who entered the school and opened fire. prgtoken This tragedy can't be forgotten and should not be forgotten, not by the survivors of this attack, not by the families who lost loved ones, and then, eventually, not by this Congress because we can do something about it. We must continue finding solutions to prevent these attacks. In this spirit, today, I am back here on the Senate floor pushing for passage of my bipartisan and bicameral EAGLES Act. prgtoken My bill is supported by over 40 State attorneys general, along with several groups, including Stand with Parkland, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and, lastly, the Major County Sheriffs of America. prgtoken Passing the EAGLES Act is very vital in our fight to protect our schools and to promote a safe and healthy learning environment for our children. prgtoken Just this month, the National Institute of Justice published an article discussing common traits of people who engage in mass shootings. This study covers the years between 1966 and 2019. prgtoken Their analysis showed that the people who commit these acts were commonly troubled by personal trauma before the shooting, nearly always in a state of crisis at the time they committed their awful acts, and in most cases even engaged in leaking their plans before they opened fire. Every single one of those findings applies to the shooter at Parkland, FL. prgtoken It is clear that we need to ramp up prevention efforts. We need the EAGLES Act because that act would achieve these aims, and it would do it by reauthorizing and expanding the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center to proactively identify and manage threats before they result in more tragedies. The National prgtoken Threat Assessment Center studies targeted violence and proactively identifies how to manage threats before they result in more tragedies. prgtoken The bill that I introduced, the EAGLES Act, also establishes a Safe Schools Initiative to look at school violence prevention and expands research on school violence. prgtoken My bill also provides funding to hire social scientists with expertise in child psychological development to support the National Threat Assessment Center's work. This is important to make sure that proven and evidence-based policies will continue to support everyone in the school environment and do it positively. prgtoken Students need more support from Congress for a safe, positive, and inclusive learning environment. The EAGLES Act delivers just that by providing reso
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Tommy Tuberville (Republican, AL) \u2014 2022-2-14

it is no secret that Vladimir Putin longs to restore and rebuild part of the old Soviet Union. Putin wants Russia to be a superpower, and he knows what he is lacking. prgtoken Russia is a one-trick pony with a lot of energy. It offers little except that. Its population is a tenth of the size of China's. Putin knows he needs to strengthen his military, economy, and position in the world, and he has been ruthless in that pursuit. prgtoken We should not, then, be surprised that he is escalating his actions. It is a quest he has been on for many, many years. In 2008, Russia invaded the country of Georgia; in 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine to take the region of Crimea; and last year, Russia began to gather troops along the Ukrainian border. prgtoken Putin rejects Western ideals; he toys with sovereign nations; and he plays by an entirely different set of rules--his own. And when President signals that our words are hollow or that we will disregard our allies, our adversaries, like Putin, take notice. prgtoken In September of last year, the world watched as our military was ordered to retreat from Afghanistan; we abandoned our allies; and we left civilians at the mercy of the Taliban. In October, Russia further built up its invasion force along the Ukrainian border. Last month, North Korea, once again, tested missiles. Iran is, perhaps, a few weeks away from building its own nuclear bomb; and today, as I speak, China struts at the Olympics while it tortures its citizens. prgtoken The Chinese Communist Party seeks to dominate its neighbors and devour our ally, Taiwan. Communist China's navy has more ships than the U.S. Navy's, and their weapons grow more sophisticated than ours every day. Here is just an example: The Chinese successfully tested a hypersonic missile in December while we are still at the drawing board. prgtoken Dictators and bullies zero in on weakness like a homing beacon. In the absence of our inaction, our adversaries will move with a level of decisiveness President could only dream of. prgtoken Putin does not want a war with the United States and our allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. This would be foolish. Putin's goal is to deter Ukraine from joining NATO. He wants their pro- democracy government to collapse, for Ukrainians to abandon their resolve, and wants to take over the country that largely despises him. He wants a buffer between him and the West, and he wants the United States to step aside and let him do this. prgtoken To be clear, we do not--we do not--want American bloodshed in Ukraine, but neither do the Ukrainians. prgtoken Last year, I traveled to Ukraine with several other Members of Congress and met with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The Ukrainian President told me, ``Ukrainians do not want Americans' boots on the ground.'' Ukrainians are willing and ready to fight their own fight. All they ask is for support; not blankets and helmet
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-2-14

. About 2 weeks ago, I spoke on this floor about the prgtoken state of the pandemic 2 years in, about letting American families get back to normal. The current science clearly supports the 70 percent of Americans who believe we must accept this virus is here to stay, trust the science, and proceed with normal life. prgtoken At the time, this was not a universal sentiment. The next day, across the river, liberals tried to shame Virginia's new Governor for forgoing a mask in an incredibly vaccinated area where cases had been falling for weeks. prgtoken The top in the Virginia State Senate criticized the Governor and backed ongoing school mask mandates as ``common sense.'' But, my goodness, how quickly things can change. prgtoken A few days ago, I understand the same State senate leader did a 180- degree turn and voted for an amendment to end school mask mandates. A dam had begun to break nationwide. A week ago, leaders in -run New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Oregon announced they would ax or relax their mask and/or vaccine mandates in the near future. By the end of the week, States, including California, Illinois, Nevada, New York, and Rhode Island had followed suit to varying degrees. prgtoken Now, obviously, the scientific facts have not changed in the last few weeks. We have known for many weeks that this variant is significantly milder, and we have known for many months that the universally available vaccines reduce the odds of hospitalization or death down to the level of many routine risks that we all face constantly in our daily lives. The only science that has changed in the last 2 weeks is the political science. The only data that has changed in the last 2 weeks is the ' polling data. prgtoken The Washington Post put it like this: The ``abrupt end to mask mandates reflects a shifting political landscape.'' prgtoken Ah, but there is a problem. prgtoken While ic leaders are stampeding to finally follow the science and end burdensome mandates on adults in many places, America's children are still being left behind. States like New York and California are rolling back restrictions on adults but have yet to provide any end date or off-ramp for mask mandates in K-12 schools. This is completely backward since we have known for well over a year that COVID poses far lower risks to children than to adults. prgtoken Officials in Illinois and the District of Columbia have embraced the same double standard, winding back general public mandates while leaving the schools with no end date in sight. In other words, here in Washington, the Mayor's office will be lifting mandates next week in all kinds of adult establishments, from bars to fitness studios, while keeping kids in classrooms, masked up for at least--at least--another month. prgtoken Even as permit grownups to get back to normal, they are clinging onto their emergency powers over K-12 classrooms. The ultrarich, ultrap