mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2024-5-9

I appreciate the opportunity to speak to what is a pressing concern for so many of us. prgtoken I will simply reflect on my last in-person meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant in Israel, now many weeks ago. It was part of a visit I made to a number of countries in the region. I spoke directly to this, and I believe what I am saying also reflects the views of the administration. prgtoken Of course, the United States stands strongly behind Israel and its defense and its security. Secretary of Defense Austin, when asked this same question about what it might mean if there were pauses or reviews of weapons deliveries--what that might mean. Just yesterday, he said that the administration, the United States, retains an ironclad commitment to Israel's security and defense, as just demonstrated a few weeks ago when we worked together with Israel, with the UK, with France, with Saudi Kingdom, and with Jordan to provide their defense against 300 missiles and drones launched at Israel by Iran. prgtoken So what is it that we are saying with regard to Rafah? What I said to the Prime Minister was: You don't just have the right to defend the Israeli people against Hamas; you have the obligation. After October 7, you have to restore a sense of security and deterrence against this terrorist organization that massacred more Jews, more civilians--1,200 people of a wide range of backgrounds, in fact. It is the worst day for Jews since the Holocaust. But many who are still held captive in Gaza by Hamas are from a dozen different nations, languages, and religions. prgtoken You have to go after them and finish the job. You have to go into Rafah, go prgtoken after these four remaining battalions, and you have to secure Gaza and make certain Hamas does not reemerge as a fighting force that can ever threaten Israel again. prgtoken And given that there are a million civilian refugees who have flown down to the very bottom of Gaza and are now up against the hard border with Egypt, and given that Egypt will not allow any of them into Egypt, you have to provide a pathway for civilians to leave Rafah before you go in at scale with a bombing campaign--a ground campaign--to minimize civilian injuries and deaths. If there are 10,000 or so Hamas fighters remaining in Rafah, and if the multiplier--to use a crass term--has been 2-to-1 civilian deaths for every Hamas fighter killed, to contemplate 20 or 30,000 more civilian deaths in Rafah is to contemplate a horrifying outcome. prgtoken But it is not acceptable to leave Hamas in control of a segment of Gaza and capable of returning. prgtoken So what is it I am hoping and expecting Israel will do? To relocate all of the civilians in Rafah, north in Gaza, screen them so that none of the leaders of Hamas or the fighters of Hamas escape; to provide for humanitarian aid and for shelter in another part of Gaza; and then to go in in scale, get into the tunnels
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-5-9

one of our important responsibilities in Congress is to protect American consumers. But allies of Big Business and Wall Street, who always fear threats to their bottom lines, have been working overtime to convince consumers that a bill that I have introduced with Senator Marshall, the Credit Card Competition Act, will do more harm than good. prgtoken Their latest tactic, they are recruiting allies from the airline industry. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby recently said that our bill would ``kill rewards programs.'' prgtoken Let me be very clear. This is false. Moreover, this past July, Forbes published an article saying that compared to other nations, airline rewards programs in the United States have made it more challenging to earn and redeem miles. prgtoken Because while the airline industry is trying to argue that my bill would stifle competition and their loyalty programs, it is actually their own questionable practices that threaten American consumers' ability to redeem rewards. prgtoken Let me explain. The airline industry knows how much consumers value rewards programs that over 100 million Americans participate in. These programs originated as a way to reward true frequent flyers for their loyalty and patronage. And, today, millions of Americans participate. prgtoken But these programs have evolved to include cobranded credit cards that focus on dollars spent using those cards. prgtoken The Presiding Officer and I spend a big part of our lives on airplanes. I don't know about your experience, but I will tell you what mine is: As soon as they have us in our seats buckled in, they start advertising their credit cards. prgtoken I have seen times when the flight attendants walk up and down the aisles prgtoken passing out brochures for people to consider enlisting in their credit card program. And then as you are leaving the plane, they are once again passing them out. prgtoken They seem to focus as much on credit cards as they do on safety in these airplanes. You have to ask yourself why. It turns out there is one basic reason for it. Airlines make more money off the cobranded credit cards they issue than they do from aviation programs. prgtoken At the same time, they are showing troubling reports that airlines use their loyalty programs to engage in abusive, unfair, and sometimes deceptive practices. prgtoken Airlines incentivize Americans to purchase goods and services, obtain certain credit cards, and spend as much money as they can on the cards in exchange for promised rewards. And all the while, they retain the right to strip consumers of these rewards or alter the terms of these programs at will. prgtoken For example, there are troubling reports that airlines may be devaluing the miles that you accumulate making it harder for consumers to ever achieve promised rewards. prgtoken At certain times, the cost of purchasing points from airlines' websites may be up to three times the value of the poin
VOTE EXPLANATION
Mark Kelly (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2024-5-9

on April 30, 2024, I missed vote No. 155, which was Motion to Invoke Cloture on Georgia N. Alexakis to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. Had I been in attendance, I would have voted yea. On May 2, 2024, I missed vote No. 156, which was confirmation of Georgia N. Alexakis to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. Had I been in attendance I would have voted yea. On May 2, 2024, I missed vote No. 157, Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 3935. Had I been in attendance, I would have voted yea. On May 3, 2024, I missed vote No. 158, which was on the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 3935. Had I been in attendance, I would have voted yea.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2024-5-9

I rise today to honor Georgette ``Gigi'' Godwin, president and chief executive officer, for her nearly two decades of leadership in service to Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. prgtoken Ms. Godwin's extensive experience in government, business, and nonprofits has been a tremendous asset to the chamber and to the broader Montgomery County community. Ms. Godwin has been a tireless advocate for the greater metropolitan area's business community. She has successfully championed policies that promote economic growth and job creation and has fostered strong partnerships with elected leaders and stakeholders in her community and across the country. prgtoken Through her leadership, the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce created the National Veteran Institute for Procurement, a free technical training program that has graduated roughly 2,500 veteran- owned businesses from all 50 United States and territories, and the GovConNet Council, which advocates for small business Federal Government contractors, and spearheaded the Small Business Runway Extension Act. prgtoken Ms. Godwin's organization has been a go-to thought leader for both the Senate and House Small Business Committees, and I am proud to have been able to observe the advocacy of this fine organization firsthand. prgtoken Her dedication is not limited to office hours. Throughout her career, she has served on committees and on the boards of numerous organizations, demonstrating her dedication to public service. These organizations include the Montgomery College's board of trustees, the Montgomery County Business Roundtable on Education, Committee for Montgomery, the Montgomery County Executive's business advisory board, and Imagination Stage. prgtoken In conclusion, I. extend my gratitude to Gigi Godwin for her outstanding leadership and her many contributions to not only Montgomery County, MD, but to servicemembers and business leaders across the country. She is a true champion for every group she touches, and we are all grateful for her service and dedication.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Laphonza R. Butler (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-5-9

I rise today to join my colleagues in recognizing the indispensable contributions public service workers across the Nation make every single day. prgtoken I would like to start by thanking Senators Sinema and Lankford--thank you so much--for championing the 2024 reintroduction of their Public Service prgtoken Recognition Week resolution of which I am a proud cosponsor. prgtoken For more than four decades, the first week of May has been set aside to show appreciation to the Federal, State, county, and local government employees who form the backbone of our country. As we mark the 40th anniversary of this tradition, we have a renewed opportunity to salute those working behind the scenes in small towns and big cities, many of whom have dedicated their entire professional careers to giving back to their community and to this country. prgtoken California is home to more public servants than any other State in our Nation. As one of the two Senators representing more than 40 million Californians, I could not be prouder of that fact. Whether it is here in the Halls of Congress or in the pockets of our Nation, I stand shoulder to shoulder with millions of public servants who get out of bed every morning, committed to shaping our world for the better. From our teachers to our librarians, our elected officials and our election workers, our people in uniform who fight crimes and fight fires, they and so many others exemplify some of our Nation's highest ideals. prgtoken I am inspired by the stories of hard-working Californians who have dedicated their lives to public service. They are the reason our communities are kept safe. They are the reason our students are kept on the right track. They are the reason democracy endures against attempts to erode it. And they don't get nearly enough credit or thanks for the sacrifices that they make to keep our country moving forward. prgtoken My office performed direct outreach to communities up and down our State, inviting people to nominate those working in local, State, and Federal offices they believe best define what it means to be a public servant. We received hundreds of nominations--extraordinary people from all across California who embody the spirit of public service--and though each and every one of them deserves their own recognition, I would like to share a few of those stories today. prgtoken The first is Roxana Samame. prgtoken Roxana is a multilingual cultural academic language coach for the L.A. Unified School District. She is nominated by Geraldine Hernandez- Abisror. Geraldine met Roxana this year from Geraldine's work in community engagement and as a parent liaison for the Reseda Community Schools. prgtoken A member of United Teachers Los Angeles, Roxana is a single mom, nominated for having the biggest heart and the best gift for working with students from underserved communities. She was a former dean of students at West Adams Prep School, has worked wi
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2024-5-9

I thank the majority leader for making this UC request. prgtoken I have been in this body since early 2009. This issue which we are debating about--slots at DCA--is a perennial one. People feel very strongly on both sides. There has never been a time since I have been in the Senate that there was not either a bipartisan agreement to resolve this issue before it came to the floor or a debate on the floor which resulted in a vote. Sometimes it is part of the States--Virginia and Maryland--that don't want additional slots. We have been successful. Sometimes we have not. But each and every time, there has been a vote. prgtoken As a matter of fact, if we look over at the proceedings on this bill, in the House, managers of those bills thought they had some sense of what should be included in or not included in, in a slot debate. But the House of Representatives actually had a vote, and to the surprise of the managers of the bill, slots were completely eliminated from that piece of legislation. prgtoken I am not going to sit here and rehash all of the statistics. What is clear, though, is that the single busiest runway in the United States of America is not at DFW; it is not in New York; it is not in Seattle; it is not in Atlanta; it is at National Airport--an airport that was originally constructed for 15 million passengers, with 3 runways to allow some distribution of those flights. Now, because of the lack of turbo planes and prop planes, we have an airport that handled 25 million passengers last year--90 percent of all that traffic on a single runway. prgtoken My friends who don't agree with this--and as the majority leader said, it is not a partisan issue; it comes from both sides--have said: No, no, Senator Kaine, Senator Warner, you are wrong. This won't add to the delay. It won't add more cancellations. It was a one-off a few weeks ago when two airplanes came within a few hundred feet of a collision. It won't add any additional safety concerns. prgtoken So in an effort to try to meet folks halfway, we have amended the original Kaine amendment, which said, no, let's just have an up-or-down vote on slots, and said, no, let's allow the five slots if and only if the Secretary of Transportation certifies that no additional safety concerns will be raised, the traveling public won't be impaired, there won't be any additional cancellations, and there won't be any additional delays--all things the opposition has said: Add these slots. There is no problem. prgtoken Well, let's not have Congress weigh in on something that, frankly, we don't have the expertise to weigh in on in the first place. Let's give it to the Secretary of Transportation to make that determination on passenger safety, on cancellations, on delays. Let's let the professionals make that decision. That is what our amendment does. prgtoken Again, I am going to yield now to my friend, my fellow Senator from Virginia, Senator Kaine. prgtoken
H.R. 3935 (Executive Session)
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2024-5-9

I, too, want to thank our colleagues for their hard work and their overwhelming support for the passage of this legislation. prgtoken This legislation will now, hopefully, go to our House colleagues on the consensus calendar, on Tuesday, and then very shortly after that to the President's desk. prgtoken This is historic bipartisan-bicameral legislation that not only invests in the Federal Aviation Administration but in the National Transportation Safety Board for the next 5 years. It is a record reauthorization to make sure that our safety regulators and our safety investigators make aviation the safety gold standard of the world. prgtoken This bill not only provides those authorizations, but I believe it helps give consumers the right kind of refunds for tickets after 3 hours of delay. It also puts the right safety people on the job, both at our air traffic controller system and at the FAA oversight of manufacturers. prgtoken By ensuring that we have the safest aviation system in America, we are investing in our economy. Aviation contributes more than 5 percent to our GDP--$1.9 trillion of economic activity--and it supports over 11 million jobs. If you ask me, the best way to the middle class is to get an aviation job, coming in as working class and leaving as middle class, as many manufacturing jobs in my State represent. prgtoken Our bill invests in the growth and well-being of that aviation workforce to try to continue to thrive by making education investments in controllers, machinists, engineers, mechanics, pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers, maintenance workers, and all those who are the backbone of the aviation economy. prgtoken I want to thank my colleague and partner in this, Senator Cruz, the ranking member of the Commerce Committee, for everything that he has done to help pass this landmark legislation. It really was a bipartisan effort, and his efforts were instrumental in helping us get this legislation over the goal line. prgtoken I, too, want to thank many of our colleagues. He mentioned our two colleagues, the chair of the subcommittee, Senator Duckworth, and Senator Moran, who both played a long and terrific advocacy role on very key sections of this bill, including the Essential Air Service Program and expanding the aviation workforce in our country. prgtoken I want to thank House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen, from my State, for their leadership and dedication to making this a bicameral product and certainly for making it bipartisan. prgtoken I also want to thank President , Secretary Buttigieg, and Administrator Whitaker for their input as we moved through this legislation, and Senator Schumer for helping us get this bill to the last phases here and over the goal line. prgtoken I also want to thank Senators Schumer and Thune, Duckworth and Sinema, for helping to negotiate key positions of this bill related to p
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2024-5-9

. Thank you, Senator Warner. prgtoken I also want to thank the Senate majority leader. prgtoken , I have spoken on the floor a number of times about this, and I don't need to rehash the deep concern I have about the excessive delay that already exists at Reagan National, the excessive cancellations that already exist at Reagan National, and the excessive need to put planes into holding patterns circling over a city with very restricted airspace at Reagan National. prgtoken I deeply oppose the jamming of more flights onto this runway, and I oppose that it was done with no involvement from Virginians whatsoever, no opportunity for us to weigh in. We are not on the Commerce Committee. So the only way we have to have an impact on this is to have an amendment on the floor. We may win it or we may lose it, but this is our hometown airport. It is all prgtoken being done without us. The only impact we have is to be able to do something on the floor. prgtoken So the proposed amendment that I introduced was simply to strip the slots, to follow the advice of the FAA, to follow the advice of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, to follow the advice of people who know what they are doing so as to avoid a potential catastrophe. prgtoken I am not going to get that amendment. I am not going to get that amendment. So, instead, what Senator Warner has done, together with our Maryland colleagues, is propose a compromise. We will accept the 5 slots--5 slots are equal to 10 flights--if, as Senator Warner indicates, the Secretary of Transportation says with respect to each slot: It will not increase delay, it will not raise the risk of cancellation, and it will not risk passenger safety. prgtoken We should all want that, not only for the airport that the Capital region uses but for all airports--not increasing delay, not increasing the safety risk, not increasing the cancellation risk. That is what this amendment is. prgtoken We want a vote on our amendment about our hometown airport, and we have offered a compromise to protect safety and the convenience of passengers. prgtoken And I would hope that my colleagues would see fit to allow the home State Senators in whose territory this airport is to at least have an amendment vote. prgtoken And, with that, to the majority leader.
HONORING REDFORD TOWNSHIP RECREATION & WELLNESS CENTER
Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2024-5-10

today we recognize a historic milestone for Redford Township as they break ground on their community Recreation and Wellness Center, serving the residents throughout the township. As the Congressperson for Redford Township, I am blessed to have played a small part in obtaining funding for the Center. prgtoken This is the first recreation-focused building in Redford Township in more than fifty years. The project reflects the hard work and contributions of many who helped bring it to life. With a nearly 50,000-strong population, Redford has made strides to create opportunities to enjoy outdoor and recreational activities. I am confident that this project will be a treasure and resource for countless residents for years to come. prgtoken The 12th Congressional District joins in celebration of this momentous occasion with Redford Township and our residents of the groundbreaking of its Recreation and Wellness Center.
HONORING DR. TERESA WOODRUFF
Elissa Slotkin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2024-5-10

today I pay tribute to the extraordinary contributions of Dr. Teresa Woodruff--a pioneering scientist and esteemed academic leader. Throughout her career, Dr. Woodruff has earned recognition for groundbreaking research in the fields of ovarian biology and reproductive science. She has also provided compassionate leadership during a tumultuous period at Michigan State University when the campus needed her most. prgtoken From her days as a graduate student at Northwestern University to her tenure as Provost and interim President at Michigan State University, Dr. Woodruff has dedicated herself to bettering the lives of others through her medical research and leadership. prgtoken Her trailblazing work in the field of oncofertility, a term she coined in 2006 merging the fields of oncology and fertility, has revolutionized cancer care. She has led efforts to improve reproductive care and to address the complex reproductive health needs and quality- of-life issues of cancer survivors whose fertility may be threatened by their disease or its treatment. prgtoken Dr. Woodruff has been a passionate advocate for women in STEM, dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge and gender equity. Among her many initiatives to address the attrition of women from scientific careers and promote sex inclusion in biomedical research, she created the Women's Health Science Program for High School Girls & Beyond to provide science education programs to high school female students in Chicago Public Schools. prgtoken Her commitment to mentorship and equity and her many contributions to science have earned her numerous awards and honors. She is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and other prestigious organizations. In 2011, Dr. Woodruff was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring by President . More recently in 2021, she was the recipient of the Endocrine Society's Laureate Award for her achievements in endocrinology. prgtoken In August 2020, Dr. Woodruff joined Michigan State University as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and was named interim President of the university in November 2022. During her time leading this global research institution, she demonstrated her steadfast commitment to the students and faculty under her care. She showed exceptional leadership and resilience in the face of adversity, guiding the university through challenging times including a tragic mass shooting incident on campus that took the lives of three students and injured five others on February 13, 2023. prgtoken In the wake of the shooting that shook the community, Dr. Woodruff stressed the importance of supporting and caring for the families and students affected by the shooting. She provided a steadying presence and a listening ear to students. She partnered with students, faculty, staff, and community members in