mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
POSTAL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 2022--Motion to Proceed--Continued
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-3-1

s Senators Risch and Toomey for their leadership on these efforts. prgtoken Americans are watching Russia's invasion into Ukraine, and they are looking to us for leadership. As an evil tyrant wages war, they are asking how our government will respond. So here we are. Congress is in session, and Senator Schumer has placed the world's most pressing issue on the back burner. What could be more important than supporting a fellow democracy under attack against a thug whose goal is to control as much of Europe as he can? A postal reform bill and a radical abortion bill. prgtoken The freedom, wealth, and resources of Europe are under attack. Senator Schumer wants to use our time to ensure more unborn babies can be killed and pass a postal reform bill that doesn't actually provide any long-term reform for America's postal workers. prgtoken And for what? So that President has some progressive talking points he can use during his speech? prgtoken This is wrong. Even Switzerland, which has spent decades with a strong sense of neutrality, took decisive action this week and froze the assets of Putin and his thugs. prgtoken The Ukrainian people are being pushed out of their country and are losing their lives as they bravely defend their homes. We are hearing stories of Ukrainian grandfathers taking up arms to defend their families. Why can the Senate not come to work ready to take on the gross attacks by Putin? prgtoken He is threatening to use nuclear weapons, and he is threatening NATO members with cyber attacks and subversion. Yet Senator Schumer wants to put the Senate's focus elsewhere. prgtoken And we all know that the Postal Service is not in dire straits. It will continue delivering the mail this week, next week, and the week after. prgtoken But the same cannot be said about the continued self-rule of Ukraine or peace and stability in Europe as Putin threatens to expand this war. That is why Senator Risch and I sent a letter to Senator Schumer asking he delay bringing up the postal reform bill and prioritize our support for the people of Ukraine. prgtoken When Putin is threatening to undo our global order and seize further control of wealth and power across Europe, Congress must act swiftly and severely. Placing any other legislation, especially a bill which does not address any urgent issues, ahead of addressing the turmoil in Europe is dereliction of our duty to the American people and a betrayal of our responsibility to stand for freedom and support the world's democracies. prgtoken At a time like this, we need to be clear about our priorities. First, the United States must continue to work with our allies and partners to destroy the Russian economy and levy devastating sanctions against the Russian oligarchy and Putin's thugs and cronies, both in and outside of the Kremlin. prgtoken Second, the United States must supply Ukraine with every weapon needed and continue to work
POSTAL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 2022--Motion to Proceed--Continued
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-3-1

I rise today in support of the legislation that my colleague from Michigan just talked about. This is H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act. What it really is, though, is ensuring that the post office works, that it works for the constituents whom I represent and people all around the country. prgtoken Unfortunately, right now, the post office is in trouble. It is in dire need of reform, and if we don't do it, we are going to have big problems. The post office just had its 15th consecutive annual net loss in 2021, and they projected they are going to be insolvent in the next few years unless we make these reforms and other reforms as well that can be made by the post office itself. In fact, they project a 10-year loss of $160 billion if we just continue with the status quo. prgtoken The reality is that the Postal Service is delivering less and less first-class mail. We are all online. We are not sending as many letters as we used to. Yet there are more and more addresses that they deliver to because more and more people want to get the mail they do deliver, the packages, the direct mail, and so on. So it doesn't work. It is a recipe for ruin if we don't adjust to the new reality and make some necessary changes. prgtoken Last year, Senator Peters and I did introduce the legislation he talked about. We had 26 cosponsors, equally divided between s and . We kept this bipartisan from the start. In fact, I would even say we tried to keep it nonpartisan. What could be more nonpartisan than trying to save the post office? Everybody cares about the post office and wants to be sure it is working well and working efficiently. It is not a partisan issue; it is of importance to all Americans--young, old, urban, rural, everybody. prgtoken I hear a lot about it back home from my constituents. A constituent from Butler County, OH, wrote me recently and said: My father, a veteran of the Vietnam war, has COPD and is 70 years old. He receives his lifesaving medication through the mail. My father can't breathe without his daily inhaler. prgtoken We have to be sure the post office works for him. prgtoken A constituent from Montgomery County wrote: As a disabled veteran, I need to vote by mail. prgtoken We have the ability to vote by mail in Ohio. It is no-fault absentee. But it requires the Postal Service to work, right? It doesn't work well if the ballot is late and is not counted. prgtoken A constituent from Richland County, OH, wrote: The post office is essential to millions of Americans, including seniors and veterans who depend on it for medications, small business owners who are already struggling. prgtoken Everybody. Everybody. prgtoken Putting the Postal Service on sound financial footing cannot be accomplished through an act of Congress alone. This is not just about passing a law here. We are going to do that. We had a good vote last night,
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-3-1

over the past week, the world has watched in horror as once again an imperialist Russia sets its sights on a sovereign nation in Eastern Europe. prgtoken Vladimir Putin's unjustified and unjustifiable war of aggression has already left hundreds dead and created a massive refugee crisis as noncombatants flee Russian attacks. prgtoken At this minute, Russia continues to press forward with attacks on several fronts, with a focus on the capital city of Kyiv, but courageous Ukrainian resistance, both from its formal military and from an increasing number of civilians, is slowing Russia. Kyiv and other major cities remain under significant pressure and could fall within days, but Ukraine is demonstrating a fierce resolve and continuing to blunt Russian advances. prgtoken Russia has also been a victim of its own deficiencies, such as poor targeting, broken supply lines, and a limited ability to fight at night. Surprisingly, Russia has not yet established full air superiority, with some Ukrainian jets still flying and some air-to- surface systems still available. This means Ukraine can still fly combat sorties and strike back against Russia. Similarly, Ukrainian command, control, and communications appear to be intact. prgtoken How long these conditions can last, however, is an open question, which underscores the urgent need to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to stay in this fight and to bring the free nations of the world together to sanction and isolate Russia for its unjustifiable aggression. This is Ukraine's fight, but the United States and allies can provide weapons and humanitarian assistance while imposing swift and severe sanctions against Russia. prgtoken We must also shore up NATO to send a signal to Putin that the United States will make good on our defense commitments. This is essential not only to help prevent this war from spreading farther into Eastern Europe but to send a message to China that similar acts of aggression will not be tolerated. We know Taiwan remains in the crosshairs of President Xi, and just as Putin is flexing his power in Europe, communist China is looking for any opening to pounce. prgtoken Many pundits have speculated about Putin's mindset and ultimate goal with this attack and how far he would be willing to go despite mounting losses. I think it is clear he is willing to take it to the next level. We should be concerned that as Russia continues to meet heavy resistance, Putin will order his generals to increase pressure no matter the cost--this means no matter the cost to his own troops, many of them young soldiers and conscripts, and no matter the cost to the Ukrainian people. prgtoken Putin's failures in Ukraine and mounting international pressure may also spur Putin to escalate beyond Ukraine and lash out against the West. He has already ordered his nuclear prgtoken forces on high alert--yet another unprovoked escalation that has drawn immed
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3967, HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Republican, WA) \u2014 2022-3-1

I rise today to urge immediate consideration of the American Energy Independence from Russia Act. prgtoken Innocent blood is being spilled in Ukraine as we speak. Women and children are being separated from their fathers. Democracy is under attack. Freedom must prevail. What do the people in Ukraine want? They want self-determination and independence from Russia. prgtoken , Russia's economy is entirely dependent upon energy production and exports. Putin uses energy and pipelines as weapons, threatening to cut off supplies or hike prices when the West confronts Russia's aggression. Russia's energy exports fund its military and its current attack on Ukraine. America, not Russia, is the world's number one energy producer. We should act like it and lead. prgtoken President must restore American energy dominance and use energy resources to help Ukraine and Europe fight back. We shouldn't be buying a single barrel of oil from Russia, and our allies shouldn't be beholden to aggressors that attack their freedom. Europe should have the choice to buy American energy and say no to Russian pipelines and Nord Stream 2. prgtoken That is why Congressman Bruce Westerman and I are leading on the American Energy Independence from Russia Act. This bill flips the switch on American energy. We need more pipelines, including Keystone XL, so this bill immediately approves the Keystone XL pipeline so that we can import crude oil from Canada, not Russia. prgtoken It also removes all restrictions on U.S. energy exports to deliver natural gas to our allies in Europe, and it restarts oil and gas leasing on our Federal lands and offshore waters. prgtoken This is how we shut down Putin's war chest, stand by Ukraine, empower our allies, protect our national security, and create jobs here at home. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to say ``no'' on this previous question and ``yes'' on the American Energy Independence from Russia Act.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-3-1

last week, President announced his choice to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Judge Jackson was confirmed less than a year ago to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. prgtoken Now, every Senator must carefully evaluate Judge Jackson's record, legal views, and judicial philosophy. The nominee, the Senate, the Court, and the American people all deserve a process that is free of embarrassing antics that have become the ic Party's routine whenever a President nominates a new Justice--the baseless smears, the shameless distortions. The country deserves a process that is painstakingly rigorous and befitting the seriousness of a lifetime appointment to our highest Court. prgtoken I, for one, don't care what Judge Jackson's friends wrote in her high school yearbook. I care that American families are facing major crises that bear directly on Federal courts and our legal system, from surging violent crime and systematically weak prosecutors to open borders and campaigns to shrink religious freedom and the rights of conscience. prgtoken What is more, one of our two major political sides increasingly makes noise about attacking the very legitimacy and structure of the Supreme Court itself. The country needs a serious and sobering examination of all of it. prgtoken I look forward to discussing these issues and many others with Judge Jackson when I meet with her tomorrow morning. prgtoken It has been less than 1 year since Judge Jackson was confirmed to the DC Circuit. Since then, I understand she has authored only two opinions, prgtoken both in the last several weeks. I am troubled by the combination of this slim appellate record and the intensity of Judge Jackson's far- left, dark money fan club. prgtoken Throughout the jockeying that preceded President 's announcement and, indeed, dating back to her prior confirmation last year, Judge Jackson has attracted loyal and intense support from some of the very same dark money, far-left activists who have declared war on the institution of the Court itself. One has to wonder why these leftwing organizations worked so very hard to boost Judge Jackson for this potential promotion. prgtoken I am sincerely looking forward to meeting Judge Jackson, to a thorough conversation tomorrow morning, and to the vigorous Senate process that lies ahead. State of the Union Address prgtoken , on another matter, tonight, President will deliver his first State of the Union Address. prgtoken One year into his term, the American people have a lot of questions they would like answered: why plunged ahead with reckless spending that caused the worst inflation in 40 years, why violent crime and illegal immigration are setting all-time records, why the administration haphazardly withdrew from Afghanistan and proposed to cut defense spending after inflation at a time wh
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3967, HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021
Kelly Armstrong (Republican, ND) \u2014 2022-3-1

my hometown of Dickinson, North Dakota, is in the southern part of the Bakken oil patch. It is where we unleashed this revolutionary technology of shale hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling, and producing natural gas. But you know what else? Eighteen miles away from my childhood hometown is an ethanol plant. Seven miles to the west is a biodiesel plant. Thirteen miles south, fourteen miles south is the largest wind farm in North Dakota generation of Brady I and Brady II. About 80 miles to the northeast we are figuring out how to strip rare earth metals out of lignite coal so we can be less dependent on Russia and China in all of those issues. prgtoken The people who work and live in my communities grow all the cereal grains, and the by-products from the ethanol plant are fed as feedstock to our cattle industry, so I don't need lectures from anyone on all-of- the-above energy, particularly when the left's version of all-of-the- above energy is solely wind, solar, rainbows, unicorns. prgtoken Here is the dirty little secret: The world is going to burn more carbon in 2 years whether we shut down domestic production or not, and this naive and idealistic viewpoint that if we shut down American industry, American ingenuity, then the rest of the world will follow along is fundamental differential to the fact we are watching it play out in real time. prgtoken Our strategic adversaries and, indeed, our enemies will fill this space--that is the fact--because the world needs these products, and they are going to continue to utilize these products. But at least welcome this: We are going to do nothing to reduce global carbon emissions because the atmosphere doesn't recognize countries' borders. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question, allow this to go back, and let us do what we were doing so well until the last year, developing American energy, allowing it to be utilized, rather than energy from our adversaries. prgtoken I can tell you one last thing, and then I will close. In the last year, we haven't had a Federal lease sale in North Dakota. Congressional have tried to ban the transport of liquefied natural gas by rail, and so let's be honest about how we got here so we can get there in the future.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3967, HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021
Yvette Herrell (Republican, NM) \u2014 2022-3-1

I rise to oppose the previous question so that the rule can be amended to consider H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act offered by my colleagues, Ranking Member McMorris Rodgers and Ranking Member Westerman. prgtoken The administration has taken seemingly every step possible since taking office to cripple the energy dominance agenda of the administration that saw America become an energy-independent Nation for the first time in decades. prgtoken In New Mexico, the administration has yet to hold a lease sale since taking office, which is a direct violation of Federal law. By not holding a lease sale, the administration is robbing the citizens of New Mexico of revenues that could be used to improve vital services like our public education system. prgtoken By artificially reducing our energy production, we are only increasing Russia's power in the world. Since the beginning of 2020, imports of Russian oil into the U.S. have increased by nearly 300,000 barrels a day. This is a direct result of the administration flipping the switch and taking disastrous executive actions that prevent energy development here at home. Our increased dependency on foreign sources of energy is causing energy prices for our constituents to skyrocket. Gas prices are up over 50 percent, which is hitting our constituents hard every time they go to the pump and every time they buy groceries or heat their homes. prgtoken If we get back to producing energy at the capacity that we are capable of, our energy supply will be secure, gas prices will fall, and economic outlook will vastly improve. Advancing innovation and increasing U.S. production is the only effective way to achieve American prosperity and reduce global reliance on Russia. prgtoken By accepting the status quo of being an energy-dependent Nation, my ic colleagues are willfully weakening both our national and economic security. prgtoken H.R. 6858 will change the course of American energy policy and bring back the era of American energy dominance. I urge my colleagues to oppose the previous question and support the American Energy Independence from Russia Act.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-3-1

tonight, the President will deliver the annual State of the Union Address. And I have to admit, as a result of President 's policies over the past year, nearly everything is up--consumer prices, up; violent crime, up; the national debt, illegal border crossings, fatal drug overdoses, our trade deficit--they are all up. prgtoken But what isn't up is the public's view of the President and his policies. In poll after poll, the majority of Americans disapprove of the job that President is doing. On nearly every key issue facing the country, Americans, by and large, just do not think Mr. is up to the job. And more than two-thirds of Americans lack confidence that President can bring the country closer together, something he promised the American people that he would do. Folks, this is really no surprise since it is, after all, the President's unpopular partisan policies that are driving Americans further apart. prgtoken President might try to mask himself as a moderate, but no one is being fooled. Behind the mask, the real agenda is more mandates from Washington, higher prices for all Americans, and less security at home and abroad. As a direct result of mandates imposed by this administration, for example, thousands of healthcare workers have lost their jobs at a time when we need them more than ever. prgtoken And because of the massive amount of money being printed in Washington, inflation is soaring at its highest point in 40 years. The cost of food, gas, housing, and just about everything else is significantly more expensive today than it was before President was sworn into office. prgtoken The President chose leftwing climate fantasies over national security. His doctrine of appeasement has resulted in America becoming more energy dependent on foreign adversaries like Russia for the energy that is necessary to heat our homes and keep our country on the move. prgtoken And with the Russian military on the march in Europe and terrorists in control of Afghanistan once again, the national and economic security of our Nation has been set back decades. It is really quite stunning and gravely concerning what an incredible mess President has created in such a short period of time. prgtoken Yet the White House is attempting to convince the American people that everything is fine. The President called his hastily ordered exit from Afghanistan an ``extraordinary success,'' despite leaving thousands of Americans and allies behind. prgtoken And the administration has repeatedly denied that rising prices and empty shelves are even a problem, while fanning the flames of inflation and out-of-control spending. Folks, if simply printing money could solve the problem for us, we would be living in a utopia right now since Washington spent nearly $7 trillion last year alone. Instead, every American is feeling the pinch of omics--because spending is not the