mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
150TH BIRTHDAY OF HUTCHINSON, KANSAS
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-9-6

I rise today to celebrate the 150th birthday of the city of Hutchinson, KS. prgtoken In 1871, Clinton Carter ``CC'' Hutchinson got the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad to route through what is now Reno County and Hutchinson, KS. Upon the arrival of the railroad, Hutchinson was incorporated as a city in August 1872. At first, the city was a rail town, using the railroads to help advance the local area's ranching and farming operations. Upon the discovery of salt, Hutchinson developed into a mining town as well, quickly earning the moniker of the ``Salt City.'' prgtoken Since its incorporation 150 years ago, Hutchinson has grown into an industrial hub for central Kansas. From Carey Salt and the Cosmosphere, to Dillons Grocery and the State fair, Hutchinson and its citizens play an integral role in telling the story of Kansas. Thanks to investments of both time and money by community members, Hutchinson remains a vibrant prgtoken community today with a bustling Main Street, a world-class golf course, and a robust agriculture industry. prgtoken On August 18, the city of Hutchinson and its residents celebrated the town's 150th birthday with a block party down Main Street. I would like to thank everyone in Hutchinson for the pride they have for their city, as well as thank everyone who helped organize the sesquicentennial celebration. prgtoken I now ask my colleagues to join the residents of Hutchinson in celebrating the city's 150th birthday, as well as recognize them all for their contributions to the city's 150 years of history.
NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY
Mike Crapo (Republican, ID) \u2014 2022-9-6

as Americans who value the freedoms protected by our country's servicemembers, we must meet our responsibility to those who sacrificed so much for our country. To do this, we must continue to seek answers for families of America's prisoners of war, POWs, and missing in action, MIA. prgtoken In honor of the observation of National POW/MIA Recognition Day this September 16, 2022, I join in raising awareness about the more than 81,500 Americans the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, DPAA, reports remain missing from past conflicts. Thank you to the members of the POW*MIA Awareness Rally Corp. of Pocatello, ID, and others across our country for keeping a spotlight on the need to bring all missing American servicemembers home. prgtoken Roughly 360 servicemembers from Idaho are among those who remain missing. The vast majority, 328, of Idaho's missing servicemembers were lost during their service in World War II, while 23 Idahoans were lost serving in the Korean War, and one Idahoan was lost during service in the Cold War. prgtoken The remaining eight Idahoans went missing while serving in the Vietnam war. Some years ago, then-POW*MIA Awareness Corp. director Hiedi Young shared biographies she prepared of those eight Idahoans at a rally I attended. The biographies are a thoughtful reminder of the ongoing price of our freedom, and I share them here again today to highlight the ever-growing need to bring them and their fellow servicemembers home. It has now been more than 50 years since these Idahoans were lost in service to our country. Lieutenant Roderick L. Mayer, United States Navy of Lewiston, has been missing since October 17, 1965, in North Vietnam. Lt. Mayer was a pilot of a fighter jet that was shot down. He and his co-pilot ejected from their aircraft. Based on testimony of his co-pilot, it is believed that he ``died of severe wounds from ejection.'' Status: ``Presumptive Finding of Death, Body Not Recovered.'' Ensign Hal T. Hollingsworth, United States Navy of Grace, has been missing since January 16, 1966, in South Vietnam. Hollingsworth was the co-pilot of an aircraft that while airborne had mechanical difficulties and crashed at sea. Status: ``Killed in Action, Body Not Recovered.'' Staff Sargent William B. Hunt, United States Army of Sandpoint, has been missing since November 4, 1966, in South Vietnam. Hunt was lifted into battle to help evacuate wounded. He voluntarily left the aircraft to help reinforce remaining troops on the ground. The Viet Cong attacked the position the unit was maintaining and after 2 days of heavy fighting Hunt was gravely wounded. Status: ``Presumptive Finding of Death, Body Not Recovered.'' Captain Curtis R. Bohlscheid, United States Marine Corps of Pocatello, has been missing since June 11, 1967, in South Vietnam. Bohlscheid wa
TRIBUTE TO BRAD HOPKINS
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2022-9-6

I rise today in recognition of Brad Hopkins, recipient of the 2022 Mick and Susie McMurry Cowboy Code Try Award. prgtoken Brad will receive the award in front of over a thousand attendees at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming's 24th Annual Awards and Recognition Breakfast in Casper. prgtoken The Try Award recognizes people in our community who live the Cowboy Code to its fullest. ``The Try'' is described as ``that special characteristic which contributes to success in life--along with perseverance, hard work, and loyalty. It's that quality within prgtoken oneself that allows a person to overcome obstacles with courage and tenacity.'' It is a remarkable distinction. prgtoken Each year, a bronze sculpture crafted by acclaimed artist Chris Navarro is given to the Try Award honoree. The sculpture is titled ``Cowboy Code'' and depicts a cowboy on his horse, with the phrases, ``Always Finish What You Start'' and ``Protect and Help The Weak''. prgtoken Brad Hopkins has served as executive director of the Wyoming Rescue Mission since 2012. Born in Dallas, TX, Brad is an ordained minister and earned his master of theology from the Dallas Theological Seminary. He completed postgraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Colorado-Denver. prgtoken While in Colorado, Brad was a contributor to Denver's Road Home, the Denver Commission to End Homelessness, and the Denver Mayor's Clergy Council. He served as an advisor to the Colorado Governor's Interagency Council on Homelessness. prgtoken Brad was a founding board member of the Wyoming Governor's Homeless Collaborative. He is also a member of the Casper Homeless Collaborative and a board member for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program. prgtoken Brad's spiritual leadership is as strong as his organizational leadership. Under his direction, the Wyoming Rescue Mission raised funds to triple their space to allow adequate housing for their guests. Brad and the mission oversee the restoration work of 2,500 homeless individuals and families. They serve 70,000 hot meals and 42,000 nights of stay each year. Under Brad's leadership, the mission opened two thrift stores, which provide revenue and job placement opportunities for their guests. prgtoken Participants in their Discipleship Recovery Program progress through a yearlong, Bible-based, addiction recovery model. This program offers them an opportunity to transition to independent living as healthy, productive men and women. Their program advancement and graduation ceremonies are an inspirational experience. prgtoken Brad's passion and compassion for those less fortunate comes from a shared experience with vulnerability. He described an early failed career move that left him and his wife homeless for a time. Consistently an example of the ``Try'' mentality, he continues to give his time and talents to help others. He and his wife Christine have been married for 29 years. They have liv
Texas (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-9-6

here we are, back in the Nation's Capital, after having had the opportunity to spend a few weeks back home. While it is still hot in Texas at this time of year--so it is nice to get a little bit of respite back here--we certainly have a lot of work cut out for us, but it is always helpful to me to sort of compare what people are focused on here in Washington, DC, with what folks back home care about the most. It is actually the best way to get some feedback on how we can do our jobs more effectively in representing the people we represent--in my case, the 29 million people who call Texas home. prgtoken Also, people are not shy about expressing their views on what we have done and even about offering some input on things we are considering doing. prgtoken For example, in Corpus Christi, which is on the gulf coast of Texas, I spoke with industry at the Port of Corpus Christi about the untapped potential of hydrogen energy. prgtoken In Round Rock, which is just outside of Austin, I sat down with a number of sexual assault survivors, prosecutors, and medical professionals to talk about the need to train more sexual assault nurse examiners, which is a highly specialized form of nursing, to make sure that not only people who are sexually assaulted are compassionately cared for but also that the evidence that is necessary to convict their assailants is selected in a way that is admissible in court. prgtoken In Austin, I met with the Texas Association of Counties. We have 254 counties in Texas. Some of them, like in Loving County, have more cattle than people. But it is great to meet or to be able to connect with all of the elected representatives at the local level of our counties in one place and to hear what is on their minds--certainly everything from broadband development/deployment, particularly in the rural parts of our State, and disaster relief for places like Dallas, which experienced 13 inches of rain in 1 day and massive flooding. prgtoken In the Rio Grande Valley, close to the border, in Pharr, TX, I got a chance to see how their local police department is partnering with local mental health providers to respond to individuals who commit offenses--maybe because they are going through mental health crises-- and how to train the officers to address those in a way that don't escalate that crisis and potentially cause harm to them as well as to the individual who is causing or is experiencing that crisis. It really is impressive to see a relatively small town like Pharr, TX, really leading the way when it comes to compassionate and effective policing and in providing our law enforcement officials, who are not necessarily trained mental health workers, the additional resources and training they need in order to respond effectively to those situations. prgtoken Those are just a few examples of the sorts of folks I got to catch up with over the last few weeks, and I am obviously always grateful to
TRIBUTE TO GRADY JUDD
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-9-6

I recognize Grady Judd as he celebrates 50 years of service with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. Grady has served as sheriff since 2004, where he is a constant and protective presence in the community. prgtoken Sheriff Grady joined the Polk County Sheriff's Office in 1972 as a dispatch officer and rose through the department's ranks. At the age of 19, he was the youngest deputy sworn in and eventually served as a sergeant, colonel, and chief of staff for his predecessor before becoming sheriff. prgtoken Devoted to helping others throughout the county, at 16, he managed to convince the Polk County Ambulance Service to hire him despite being 2 years away from the required age of 18. Grady has always sought to help others throughout his community, dedicating his time and talents to making a difference in their lives. prgtoken After becoming sheriff, Grady reworked how the department interacts with the local media. The sherriff's office seeks to provide the public with up-to-date information regarding investigations as quickly as possible, and often, Grady will issue warnings aimed at suspects that have since become well-known throughout Florida. prgtoken Grady was born in Lakeland, FL, graduating from Lakeland High School before attending Polk Community College and Rollins College, where he earned his bachelor of arts and master's degrees in criminal justice. He is an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida and Florida Southern College, offering students first-hand knowledge of law enforcement. prgtoken Grady's work and commitment has made a real difference in the lives of the people of Polk County. I am grateful for his decades of service and extend my best wishes to his wife, Marisa, his two adult children, and his 13 grandchildren on this momentous milestone.
Student Loan Debt Relief Plan (Executive Calendar)
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-9-7

. The easiest way to solve my colleague's issue would have been to propose an amendment to make sure that we didn't go after taxpayers making less than $400,000 a year, but not one did that. All they did was just vote against this and then after the fact say: Well, it was a language issue. If it were simply a language issue, we could have solved it that night. prgtoken .
Inflation (Executive Calendar)
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2022-9-7

I come to the floor today to discuss the crisis that is hitting all Americans. It is a crisis caused by the . It is a crisis of inflation and a crisis of the recession which we are living. prgtoken Right now, it looks like want to take a victory lap. I have heard the President give his speeches. He seems to want to do this because the have passed one of the largest tax-and-spend bills in the history of the country. They crammed it through Congress in just a matter of days. It was partisan. It is a liberal wish list. And for some, it seemed like it was a green-haired liberal's dream come true. prgtoken The bill includes hundreds of billions of dollars for the radical climate agenda that so many of the have been talking about. They are going to double the size of the Internal Revenue Service. Audits will be up. It is going to raise taxes on the middle class by tens and tens of billions of dollars. prgtoken , of course, passed this bill on a party-line vote--not a single voted for it in the House or the Senate--and signed it into law. Ever since then, the liberals and the press have been singing 's praises. prgtoken Yet here is a recent headline that I saw from NBC News. It said: reluctant to campaign with -- prgtoken Reluctant to campaign with . And then the headline goes on-- despite the recent winning streak. prgtoken Winning streak? There is nothing winning about this. This is a losing streak hitting the American people. prgtoken All of this ic celebration just shows how out of touch today's ic Party really is. Working families aren't celebrating right now. No. They are struggling--struggling--in this age of inflation and economic crisis. prgtoken Here is the reality: We are in a recession. Just last week, the government confirmed the economy has now shrunk for 6 months in a row. It has been the definition of a recession for decade upon decade, no matter what the White House wants to say about how they want to redefine ``recession.'' prgtoken Inflation remains at a 40-year high. People can't keep up. They are falling behind. Just this morning, a new Gallup poll came out, and what did it show? Today's Gallup poll showed a majority of Americans saying inflation is causing them personally--them--``financial hardship.'' That is who is struggling. That is who is hurting most, American families trying to make ends meet. prgtoken For low-income Americans, according to this poll by Gallup out today, three out of four are facing financial hardship from the inflation that has been brought on to this country by the ' reckless spending. For the middle class, it is two-thirds, two out of three members of the middle class. prgtoken The American people aren't celebrating now. They are having to cut back on their spending because they can't afford to keep up, and they are falling f
FBI
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-9-7

last week, while I was meeting with constituents in Iowa, news broke here prgtoken in Washington, DC, about Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Thibault's retirement. prgtoken Since May 31 of this year, I have highlighted Tim Thibault's partisan bias and how it infected major FBI investigations. That included a July 18 letter of this year that highlighted his role in opening a criminal investigation into 's campaign and advisers. That investigation is the electoral investigation that has been in the news. prgtoken For example, on July 26 of this year, the Washington Post reported on that very same investigation. Now, however, the Post failed to note that Thibault was the prime mover in opening it. prgtoken Now get this: The Post failed to note that Tim Thibault predicated the investigation, in a substantial part, on liberal news articles, as well as information derived from a liberal nonprofit. Attorney General Garland and Director Wray approved a full investigation anyway, which, as we all know, was contrary to standard procedure for moving ahead on an investigation. prgtoken That Washington Post article occurred 1 day after I made the investigation letter public and 1 day after I made the July 25 Hunter investigation letter public. prgtoken Since Tim Thibault's exit from the FBI, I have noticed more news articles and reporting that haven't been accurate with respect to the allegations that I have made public. Let me take this opportunity, then, to correct the record with respect to that inaccurate reporting. prgtoken Some reports have noted that the Hunter criminal probe is ongoing; therefore, how can the allegations of Thibault shutting down investigation activity relating to Hunter be credible? prgtoken Well, this is the difference: The whistleblower disclosures to me relate to investigative activity and avenues of information that originated entirely separate from the ongoing Hunter criminal probe. That is why the allegations that I made--that I brought forward--are so very, very important, because we are dealing with a separate category of potentially criminal information relating to Hunter that the FBI has within its possession and the information received by the FBI was either verified or verifiable. Even so, based on allegations, the investigative activity was shut down by Special Agent Thibault and, of course, by others based on the false assertion that it was disinformation. prgtoken How many times do we have this ``disinformation'' coming up as an excuse all the time with Grassley's investigations? prgtoken Now, to be precise, FBI officials want to take action with respect to this separate investigative information that the FBI had in its possession related to Hunter . However, Thibault blocked the FBI from doing what would normally be done. Accordingly, the investigative activity and the information cannot be advanced as it should ha
Tennessee (Executive Calendar)
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2022-9-7

I think we all enjoyed being in our States during August. And during the time I was there, I wrapped up what I do each year, which is to visit with each of our 95 counties. And this is truly a listening tour for me, being able to talk with our citizens, to talk with our elected leaders. And I would leave those meetings so encouraged and think, I could not be more impressed with the things that are being done in these communities. prgtoken I would go to the next community and again would be just as impressed. Tennesseans are working hard. And this year has been a difficult year for everyone. But I want to focus on our local leaders today because they are the ones who are keeping these communities afloat. And they have done it in spite of everything that Washington, DC, and the are doing to them. prgtoken I thought it was interesting that yesterday the majority leader opened the Senate by reciting a laundry list of the ic Party's accomplishments. Now, he put quite a spin on this. prgtoken Back home in Tennessee, the people that I work with every single day are seeing this laundry list for what it is and how it affects them. There is hundreds of billions of dollars for the Green New Deal giveaways, and there are Big Government power grabs; there is crippling regulatory overreach; billions more have been spent on this student loan forgiveness program. Indeed, it could end up being a trillion dollars. And there are attacks on our fundamental constitutional rights. prgtoken Yes, indeed, the way Tennesseans see it is that and the are putting together the pieces for what they call their transformation, their great socialist experiment. But in Tennessee, local leaders are really working around the clock to keep that vision from coming to be and to keep their communities from falling apart. prgtoken And as I visited with these 95 counties, they gave to me one message that came through time and again, repeatedly. They don't like what they are seeing from this socialist agenda that is being pushed forward here in DC. Indeed, they would talk about their worries and their fears. They would talk about the impact of 9 percent inflation and $5-a-gallon gas. prgtoken Now, that may be Chuck Schumer's version of success, which he really helpfully laid out yesterday as to what he thinks are successes and achievements, and that depends entirely upon his ability to spend somebody else's money on things that the American people have repeatedly said they do not want and they do not need. That message came through every one of our 95 counties. prgtoken Now, in Tennessee, when we talk about success, you hear about something different. You hear about growth. You hear about investments that companies are making in our State. And we have earned this the hard way. And, indeed, the rest of the country is noticing. Tennessee is one of the most well-managed States. It has no State income tax.
TRIBUTE TO J. DAVID BAILEY
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2022-9-7

I rise today to celebrate the achievements of a West Virginian who triumphantly fought for our country during World War II. J. David Bailey, who was recently awarded the highest French recognition--the Legion of Honor--is one of the oldest surviving veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. His story is an extraordinary example of the American philosophy to fight for freedom around the world. prgtoken David was born in Bluefield, WV, on January 3, 1922. At the age of 21, he, like 16 million other Americans, answered the call to fight against tyranny. He became a dedicated member of the battalion of the U.S. Army's 422nd Regiment, 106th Infantry Division. prgtoken On December 16, 1944, at the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, the bloodiest and largest battle of World War II, David and his entire battalion were imprisoned by German troops east of St. Vith, Belgium. Ultimately, he escaped imprisonment to rejoin his fellow soldiers and went on to serve in other campaigns, including northern France and the Army of Occupation. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on November 24, 1945. prgtoken In recognition of his honorable service to our country, David has received the Combat Infantry Badge, two Bronze Stars, four Battle Stars, and four service ribbons, as well as the Order of St. Maurice Medallion from the National Infantry Association. He also appeared on the cover of a victory edition of the military publication ``Stars and Stripes.'' prgtoken David has also been a key figure in preserving the history of World War II throughout the years. At one point, he served as the national president of the Battle of the Bulge Association. On January 25, 2022, at the age of 100, David was one of several veterans to lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the end of the Battle of the Bulge. He also attended the opening ceremonies of the World War II Memorial, the 70th anniversary of V-E Day in 2015, and he was also the personal guest of President at the White House for the Veterans Day ceremony in 2011. prgtoken J. David Bailey's life has been dedicated to the service of our country, and the impact that he has had will be remembered for years to come. I am proud to call him a fellow West Virginian.