mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO SCOTT MAGERS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-4-29

one family in Southcentral Kentucky has waited more than 70 years to give their hero a proper tribute. Last year, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, DPAA, identified the remains of Navy Seaman 2nd Class Howard ``Scott'' Magers from Barren County. Over Memorial Day weekend, a grateful nation will honor this Kentuckian's sacrifice as he finally comes home. I would like to take a moment today to add my personal gratitude for Scott's service and his family's sacrifice. prgtoken Those who knew Scott remembered a soft-spoken young man with a kind heart and a winning smile. In January 1941, he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. Like millions of other men and women of the ``greatest generation,'' Scott put his own ambitions on pause to defend the country he loved. After completing his training and making one trip home to Kentucky before his 18th birthday, Scott was stationed aboard the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. prgtoken On that Sunday morning, the Japanese forces rained bombs down on unsuspecting American sailors. Torpedoes pummeled the Oklahoma, tearing open her hull and igniting an inferno inside. Within minutes, the massive ship capsized, and more than 400 of its crew plunged into the water below. prgtoken In the chaos, more than 2,400 American servicemembers lost their lives. The tragic events of that morning elicited a forceful response as the United States entered the Second World War. Over the next 4 years, heroes were forged on the battlefield and at home as our country defeated the forces of tyranny in defense of the American way of life. prgtoken Like thousands of families, the Magers could only wonder and pray over Scott's fate. Although he would never make it home, he had sent a telegraph before the bombing to his loved ones in Kentucky. In a message delivered on Christmas Eve, Scott shared his love and his holiday cheer. His loved ones held tight to this last compassionate connection to Scott that reflected his best qualities. prgtoken In the following years, the Navy attempted to identify the remains of those killed on the Oklahoma. Unfortunately, the vast majority couldn't be accounted for and were buried together in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl. prgtoken In 2015, the DPAA exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns. Using DNA as dental, and other identifying records, they were finally able to identify Scott's remains and give his family the opportunity for proper burial in Kentucky. prgtoken Over 1,300 Kentucky servicemembers remain unaccounted for by the DPAA. We have never forgotten these patriots, and we will continue searching to bring them home. I am grateful for the ongoing efforts of the DPAA to bring closure to more families like this one. prgtoken On behalf of my Senate colleagues, I would like to send our sincere condolences to Scott's family and express our thanks for his brave service to our Nati
REMEMBERING DR. MALCOLM DORMAN
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2021-4-29

I rise today to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Malcolm Dorman. prgtoken I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Dorman for nearly four decades. He was a dear friend, whose kindness and compassion was felt by all around him. He loved his family and friends deeply prgtoken and would do anything for them. He was a man of great faith, served his synagogue faithfully, and steadfastly supported many Jewish causes. In 1995 he was awarded the Man of the Year Award by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and in 2006, he was awarded the Distinguished Guardian of Israel Award by Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister of the State of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize Winner. prgtoken Dr. Dorman was a spectacular surgeon who saved many lives and exuded compassion and love for his patients. For 25 years, he served as the chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and cochairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Miami Heart Institute. He then moved to the JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, FL, where he was the medical director of cardiac surgery and established and directed the Valvular Heart Institute. Along with the countless patients he helped heal, Dr. Dorman invested in the growth of students as a member of the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees and FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Advisory Board. He selflessly gave his time and effort to serve others and help them grow into all that they could be. prgtoken Ann and I are praying for all of Dr. Dorman's family, friends, and loved ones. He exemplified what it means to love and to serve and was a dependable friend I looked up to. We mourn this very heavy loss, but we are blessed to have known Dr. Dorman and to call him a friend.
DRINKING WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE ACT OF 2021--Resumed
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2021-4-29

. I just want to join with Senator Carper in opposition to this amendment. While I think it is well-meaning for the State of Florida, and I think that both Senator Rubio and Senator Scott have made us aware of this issue, I think that in order to update these formulas, we should have hearings. We should actually do this in a more studied, more detailed way than this amendment presents for us to do. prgtoken With that, I join my colleague and my chair in opposition to this amendment. Vote on Amendment No. 1471, as Modified
Joint Session of Congress (Executive Session)
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2021-4-29

as I begin my remarks today, I first want to express my appreciation to Senator Tim Scott for the address that he gave last night following the joint address to Congress by the President. prgtoken I so appreciated the remarks that he made, how he reminded us of the importance of common sense and using that common sense to find common ground as we look to address the issues that affect our Nation, the issues that affect Tennesseans. That is such a timely reminder. I likewise appreciated his comments about the importance of reconciliation, one to another, and the importance of redemption as we, each and every one, go about our work each day, as we seek to help our Nation become a more perfect Union. Timely reminders--well done and greatly appreciated by many Tennesseans and individuals who have reached out to say: I was so touched by listening to Tim Scott and his remarks. prgtoken Many of our Tennesseans have also expressed their concern with some of the provisions that were there in President 's address. prgtoken They felt as if this was something that kind of doubled down on decades of failed policies that were seeking to prioritize dependence on a welfare State overlooking at families and communities but pushing that dependence on a welfare state. prgtoken There really wasn't anything groundbreaking that was there in the remarks, apart from the pricetag, which is eye-popping, and really will take your breath away when you stop and think about it. And for a long time, my ic colleagues have championed programs that treat people like individual clients instead of families and communities. prgtoken So, here we are, and we are staring down the doctrine, and it is a commitment to spending trillions and trillions of dollars-- trillions of dollars. We are talking about $6 trillion since January 20. This is astounding. And those dollars are being spent to incentivize dependence on the Federal Government to supplant the nuclear family with the Federal Government and to centralize control here in Washington, DC. prgtoken If you don't believe me, just take a little peek at what the administration has done during their first 100 days. They started with a $1.9 trillion blue-State payday that bailed -run cities out of the fiscal holes that they had made for themselves. prgtoken Earlier this month, they introduced a $2.3 trillion--yes, trillion with a ``t''--trillion-dollar infrastructure boondoggle that would force families and businesses to rely on a government handout to comply with the mandates pulled directly from the Green New Deal. prgtoken They even rolled out a total election overhaul that blatantly violates the Constitution by removing all control from the States and placing it right here in Washington, DC--removing from your local election commission, removing from your State legislature, and sending the authority to handle these elections to Washington, DC. prgtoken A
Biden Administration (Executive Session)
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2021-4-29

I have had the privilege to represent the great State of Oklahoma and the people of Oklahoma, to be able to sit in multiple Presidential addresses in the House of Representatives Chamber. prgtoken At that joint address that happened last night, I didn't have the privilege to actually get a chance to sit in on. As, clearly, anyone who watched the speech saw that there were 200 people in a room designed for 1,600 people, with the spacing and all of the things that were happening there. In some ways it seemed normal, and some ways it seemed ridiculous with the room of 200 vaccinated people all spaced out. But that is a different story for a different moment. prgtoken For that speech last night, as I listened, I thought about the other speeches that I have listened to as well. Many of these speeches are similar. The President comes and casts a vision. Says these are things that they want to be able to do, talk through different programs, talk through different tax issues, talk through where we are as a country, cast a vision. I get all of those things. prgtoken Last night, and every night, when one of those speeches occurs, there is usually something unique or different about the speech. It is a little different direction for where they want to go. Not all those programs will get implemented. I had people already contacting my office, panicked in some ways, saying: Are all those things going to be done? And I can smile at them and say: No, all those things won't be done, because it never is. It is a vision that is cast by the President that they have to convince the American people and Congress to be able to engage with as well. prgtoken But last night was epic in the sense of spending. I was even surprised at the amount that we are talking about at this point, and it seems to be just so flippant and normal at this point. prgtoken When you do the math of what just happened with the American Rescue Plan, that was just under $2 trillion of spending. Last night, one of the proposals was also about $2 trillion, and another one was about $2.5 trillion. So take those together--just over $6 trillion in proposed and spent government debt just in those three recommended. prgtoken What people aren't adding to this is that starting in June, in July, it is appropriations time. Our best understanding--we haven't received the budget from the White House yet--is that proposal will be about $4.5 trillion. So adding together what happened in the first 100 days and what is about to happen in the next 100 days that we already see coming, is a proposal to spend, this year, $11 trillion--$11 trillion. That far exceeds what was even spent during the pandemic time period, when we all determined that this is a rainy day that we definitely need to be able to help stabilize our economy--$11 trillion. prgtoken The size of government, the number of times that I heard, ``If there is a problem, government here in Washington, DC, c
DRINKING WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE ACT OF 2021--Resumed
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2021-4-29

water is one of our most precious resources, and it is vital to life. It is necessary for agriculture, industry, recreation, conservation, the development and growth of cities, and so many aspects of our day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, for States like Utah--States with a lot of Federal land and States that are dry in many areas--our supply for this critical resource, water, is threatened under the Antiquities Act. prgtoken Why is this the case? Well, let's review the background. prgtoken Back in 1908, the Supreme Court concluded that, when the Federal Government reserves land for an Indian reservation, it also implicitly reserves sufficient water on that land to fulfill the purposes of the reservation, creating the ``Federal reserved water rights'' doctrine. In later cases, the Court expanded that doctrine to apply to other Federal properties--other Federal properties like national forests and recreation areas. prgtoken Then, in 1976, the Supreme Court held that the doctrine applied to national monuments created by the President. In other words, it affirmed the President's authority unilaterally to change the legal water rights within a State simply by designating a monument under the Antiquities Act prgtoken Now, under the Antiquities Act, the President has the authority and the discretion to create a monument, as long as there is Federal land. So it makes a State like mine, 67 percent of which is owned by the Federal Government, a sitting duck for abuse. prgtoken Now, we have talked about Antiquities Act abuses in other contexts. Here, I am focusing in on a very narrow ramification of Antiquities Act abuse, which relates to water rights. It is only that narrow ramification that I am trying to address with this amendment. prgtoken Monument designations can be and often are made without the approval of the State and its inhabitants. And, unfortunately, in recent years, these designations have grown rather significantly in size and in scope. prgtoken The result for public land States, like Utah, is involved in access and use to the water supply being significantly curtailed. In some cases, privately held water rights are even terminated altogether, and it opens up the door to even greater abuse under the Antiquities Act down the road. prgtoken Imagine for a moment if a proposal for a national monument were designated in just one river basin, such as the Grand Canyon. In order to preserve the flow of water on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, water rights--legally established, longstanding, long- established water rights--could be eliminated, completely eliminated in Colorado, in Utah, in Arizona, in Nevada, in California through the stroke of the executive pen. prgtoken A reservation of water could reduce or eliminate drinking water for communities across the West. It could eliminate irrigation water for almonds or grapes in California or Sudan grass in Utah. The perils are endless. prgtoken
Biden Administration (Executive Session)
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2021-4-29

reserving the right to object, Senators Murkowski and Sullivan have ably represented the very serious plight of the people of Alaska. I am very sympathetic to the economic and humanitarian situation that prompts this effort, the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act. prgtoken But I must say that the cruise line industry has a very inconsistent--that is a nice way of putting it--and deeply inadequate record on consumer protection and worker safety. We worked out a number of amendments that are incorporated into this measure. They are basic protections during the pandemic and a negotiated compromise, and s from Alaska for doing it in a way that really is a win-win for everyone, and that is the measure that is before us now. prgtoken So I will offer no objection. I understand that our colleague Senator Lee has an objection--I am not sure what they are at this point, but if he does, I look forward to working over the recess with my Alaska colleagues to see if we can reach agreement with Senator Lee and resolve his objection.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2021-4-29

. . While cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children past infancy, childhood cancer and other rare pediatric diseases remain poorly understood. According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 15,590 children and adolescents under the age of 19 will be diagnosed with cancer, and 1,780 will die of the disease in the United States in 2021. prgtoken This is why I am pleased to be introducing the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 with Senators Jerry Moran, Mark R. Warner, and Bill Cassidy. The legislation provides a new source of funding for the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First) by redirecting penalties collected from pharmaceutical, cosmetic, supplement, and medical device companies that break the law to pediatric and childhood cancer research. The bill is named in honor of Gabriella Miller, a Leesburg, Virginia resident who died from a rare form of brain cancer at the age of 10. Gabriella was an activist and worked to raise support for research into childhood diseases like cancer until her death in October of 2013. prgtoken The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Program has supported critical research into pediatric cancer and structural birth defects and has focused on building a pediatric data resource combining genetic sequencing data with clinical data from multiple pediatric cohorts. The Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Center is helping to advance scientific understanding and discoveries around pediatric cancer and structural birth defects and has sequenced nearly 20,000 samples thus far. While Congress has appropriated $12.6 million for the Kids First program annually since Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, this legislation would make additional funding streams available to appropriators to further support pediatric and childhood cancer research. prgtoken Gabriella Miller was a passionate activist and fighter. In 2014, I was a strong champion of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, which established the Ten-Year Pediatric Research Initiative at the NIH and authorized $12.6 million per fiscal year through FY23. We honor Gabriella's memory by continuing her work in making sure pediatric disease research is a priority. This bipartisan legislation would provide a critical source of funding to improve research in pediatric cancer and diseases, and I urge my colleagues to support it.'
EXTENDING TEMPORARY EMERGENCY SCHEDULING OF FENTANYL ANALOGUES ACT
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-4-29

we are in the midst of the worst opioid epidemic in a generation, and one tragic aspect of this is the widespread use of fentanyl, a deadly opioid that has killed thousands of people in America. prgtoken In 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration took the unprecedented step of placing all fentanyl-related substances, also known as fentanyl analogs, on schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act. That makes it easier to prosecute any individual who sells or even simply possesses fentanyl analogs, and it subjects those individuals to stiff mandatory minimum penalties regardless of individual circumstances. Typically, a drug is only added to schedule I after the Department of Health and Human Services conducts a scientific study to determine if it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. prgtoken The DEA has had the temporary authority to bypass this process for 2 years. The authority was scheduled to expire on February 6 of last year, 2020. The DEA warned us of the dire consequences if it expired. In response, I worked with Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Feinstein and authored legislation extending the authority for 15 months, until May 6, 2021. prgtoken So what did the administration do for the 12 months that it was in office with this issue still looming? Nothing and neither did Congress. prgtoken Now the administration has asked Congress for an additional extension of the DEA's temporary authority in order to evaluate this issue. Just last week, the Senate confirmed Lisa Monaco as Deputy Attorney General. She will oversee the Drug Enforcement Administration. President 's nominee to head the DEA, Anne Milgram, is still to be considered by the Senate, so this request now for a temporary extension seems reasonable. prgtoken Let me add, though, at the same time as we grapple with the opioid epidemic, we are also in the midst of a national reckoning about racism and massive incarceration in America. We hold more prisoners, by far, than any country in the world. This is largely due to our failed War on Drugs, which has disproportionately targeted people of color. While the majority of illegal drug users and drug dealers in our country is White, the vast majority of prgtoken people incarcerated for drug offenses is African American or Latino. That is a fact. prgtoken More than three decades ago--and I remember this well as I served in the House at the time--Congress responded to the dramatic rise in the use of crack cocaine by dramatically increasing sentences for nonviolent drug offenders; for example, with a sentencing guideline for crack cocaine as compared to powder cocaine of 100 to 1. Well, that was it. We were going to get tough. We were going to send a message. It didn't work. The overall use of illegal drugs actually increased after we increased these penalties between 1990 and 2014, and the availability of drugs like heroin and methamphetamine, in
TRIBUTE TO EMILY KIM AE SUN HUNTER
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2021-4-29

I am proud to recognize Emily Kim Ae Sun Hunter of Chester as April's Granite Stater of the Month. In response to the surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, AAPI, Emily is organizing a peaceful gathering in downtown Portsmouth to demonstrate support for New Hampshire's AAPI community. prgtoken Emily was born in Seoul, South Korea. When she and twin sister were 5 months old, they were adopted by a couple in New Hampshire. Growing up in a predominantly White community, Emily and her sister quickly learned what it was like to be the only people of color in a room. The sisters were also the target of hate, which left a lasting impression on both of the girls. prgtoken Emily--now a mentor for Asian-American women at her company and a strong voice in the AAPI community--was shocked and horrified, as so many Americans were, by the mass shooting in Atlanta, GA, that left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent. prgtoken In response, Emily decided to take action by organizing a peaceful gathering to show support for the AAPI community and help share resources to combat discrimination. Emily, who has never organized an event like this before, has also taken to social media and raised more than $6,500 for AAPI organizations across the country. prgtoken Emily's dedication to uplifting members of the AAPI community and encouraging others to do the same embodies the best of the Granite State. Amid a challenging time for the AAPI community, Emily has shown true strength by elevating her message of inclusivity and acceptance. I am honored to name her as a Granite Stater of the Month as we join together to stand with the AAPI community and condemn the un-American attacks that we have seen.
DRINKING WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE ACT OF 2021--Resumed
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2021-4-29

the Shaheen-Collins amendment makes changes to the State Response to Contaminants Program. Specifically, the amendment expands the provisions for the State Response to Contaminants Program from covering just underserved communities to also small and disadvantaged communities, to allow communities that are financially unstable, which cannot afford to address contaminants, or small, which means less than 10,000 people in population, to qualify for grants to address contaminants in the drinking water. prgtoken This is a good amendment, and we thank the sponsor and also join here in cosponsoring. I urge a ``yes'' vote and a voice vote.