mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO WENDY CURRAN
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2021-5-10

I rise today to honor the distinguished career of Wendy Curran. Wendy will soon retire as vice president of care delivery and provider affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming. Her retirement marks the end of a remarkable career dedicated to improving the lives of people in my State. prgtoken Wendy Curran has been at the center of Wyoming health policy for over 30 years. She earned the trust of folks across the State with her broad knowledge of the challenges and opportunities for improving care in Wyoming. She forged alliances and friendships on both sides of the aisle, and both s and respected Wendy's insights and relied on her unique knowledge. prgtoken As the daughter of a third-generation rancher, Wendy grew up on the Peryam Ranch in the Upper North Platte River Valley. During this time, spent riding horses and playing in the Encampment River, she learned lessons that would later contribute to her successful career. Daily chores taught her the value of hard work. She developed the ability to ``heal up and hair over,'' a cowboy's term for resiliency. In fact, her grit, humility, and determination represent several of the key tenets in our State ethics code, the Code of the West: be tough, but fair; take pride in your work; do what has to be done. prgtoken Throughout her career, Wendy held many distinguished jobs at all levels of government. She began by working for U.S. Senator Cliff Hansen. Other members of Wyoming's congressional delegation also benefited from her work. Wendy served U.S. Congressman and U.S. Senator Malcom Wallop as well. prgtoken In 1991, Wendy joined the Wyoming Medical Society. Wendy was the passionate voice of Wyoming physicians and patients, serving as the assistant director of public affairs and later leading the organization as executive director. Wendy testified frequently before the Wyoming Legislature, advocating on behalf of Wyoming physicians and patients. She was known to introduce herself as a ``representative to the people who save Wyoming residents' lives,'' a job she took very seriously. She worked on many important provider issues. In particular, she was the leading voice supporting medical liability reform. prgtoken Wendy was instrumental in Wyoming joining the organization now known as WWAMI. This acronym stands for the States it represents: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. These States, working through the University of Washington Medical School, are part of a medical education consortium. This allows students in Wyoming to attend medical school at the University of Washington while participating in clerkships both in Wyoming and across the region. The program gives the students wide exposure to practicing medicine in rural communities. Wendy deserves credit for helping to bring this successful program to Wyoming, and she continues to serve on the University of Wyoming WWAMI curriculum review panel.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2021-5-10

I rise today to introduce the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2021, along with my colleague from Michigan, Senator Peters. Our bill would expand Medicare beneficiaries' access to Medical Nutrition Therapy, or MNT, which is a cost-effective component of treatment for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and other chronic conditions. At a time when we have seen many diet-related chronic conditions contribute to poor COVID-19 outcomes, increasing access to MNT should be part of the strategy to improve disease management and prevention for America's seniors. The Medical Nutrition Therapy Act would make two important changes to support patients, improve health outcomes, and reduce unnecessary health care costs. prgtoken First, it would expand Medicare Part B coverage of outpatient medical nutrition therapy services to a number of currently uncovered diseases or conditions--including prediabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, malnutrition, eating disorders, cancer, HIV/AIDS, gastrointestinal diseases including celiac disease, and cardiovascular disease. Currently, Medicare Part B only covers outpatient MNT for diabetes, renal disease, and post-kidney transplant. prgtoken Second, the bill would allow more types of providers--including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, and psychologists--to refer patients to MNT. This is especially critical for a rural state like Maine where a NP or PA may be one's trusted primary care provider. prgtoken MNT counseling is provided by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) as part of a collaborative health care team. It is evidenced- based and proven to positively affect weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar control. Nutritional counseling by RDNs is recommended by the National Lipid Association to promote long-term adherence to an individualized, heart-healthy diet. Through MNT, individuals benefit from in-depth, individualized nutrition assessments. Follow-up visits help reinforce important behavior and lifestyle changes and increase compliance. prgtoken Seniors deserve improved access to this cost-effective medical treatment, but many older adults are missing out under the current Medicare policy. Marcy Kyle, a RDN from Rockport, Maine, has seen many patients denied access to medically necessary MNT. One of her patients with prediabetes was referred by his primary care physician for MNT at age 64. At that time, his private insurance covered the service, and he booked the first available appointment the following week. That same week, this patient turned 65 and transitioned onto Medicare. You can imagine his surprise upon arriving for his appointment and learning that MNT would not be covered. Fortunately for that patient, the outpatient facility changed its process to prevent similar situations, but this example demonstrates how the current restrictions can be detrimental for older
Jobs (Executive Session)
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2021-5-10

I hope that you had a marvelous Mother's Day. I enjoyed so much being back in Tennessee, and over the past week, I really had the pleasure of hearing from so many Tennesseans who are just celebrating having reopened businesses and music venues and public spaces in our communities. prgtoken There was a lot of happiness across our State as I was there. Everywhere you looked, you could see evidence that people are ready to get back to work, and they want to get back to life as normal. prgtoken There is also a lot of evidence that local businesses are ready to get back to normal. You cannot walk 10 feet in Knoxville, TN, for example, without running into a ``help wanted'' sign. Normally, this would be an indicator of a successful economic comeback, but here is the problem: Those signs just are not working, not for retail or restaurants or even for the industrial sector with small business manufacturing. Some businesses are getting so desperate for help that they are offering signing bonuses worth hundreds of dollars to anyone willing and able to come back to work. prgtoken All year, we have used a particular catchphrase to encourage people to get their vaccinations. We have said that if we could only get shots in arms, then we could get back to normal. Well, as it turns out, that was step 1. We are getting the shots in arms. People are getting vaccinated. Now it is time for step 2, and that is getting people back to work, getting them to fill these jobs. prgtoken I have said time and again and I will say it again: The best economic stimulus there is, the very best economic stimulus there is, is a job. It is a job. This holds true not just for those pulling in a paycheck but for the businesses that are hiring. prgtoken My ic colleagues--many of them--disagree with me on this point, but I firmly believe the best economic stimulus is a job. For months, some have refused to discuss an end to the various emergency relief programs we all agreed were necessary to help workers and businesses survive the lockdowns. But they were never meant to be permanent programs; they were there for a time of specific need. prgtoken I think, if some of my colleagues took the time to speak to the owners whose businesses are short on labor, they would hear the same story over and over again. Their pool of potential employees was drained dry, at least in part by the unemployment insurance plus-up that we initiated last year. Because of the way that program was designed and because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle rejected our offers to amend it, potential employees are drawing in more in unemployment than they would make at some jobs. prgtoken Now, some of my colleagues across the aisle dispute the notion that this imbalance has led to a labor shortage. They claim that if there are people staying home and collecting unemployment rather than taking their old job back, or maybe a new job, that those example
Domestic Manufacturing (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-5-10

this has been a tough year since COVID- 19 became a global pandemic. There are many lessons to be learned from this pandemic. One of them that jumps out at me as being abundantly obvious is the real-world consequences of vulnerable supply chains. prgtoken We almost began to believe, because cheap consumer goods could be made in China or someplace overseas, that that was the optimal arrangement. And certainly consumers in America have benefited from low prices when it comes to a number of things that are not made in this country. But some of the things that we depend upon, whether it is for public health or to keep our economy going or for our national security, are dependent on vulnerable supply chains. prgtoken Perhaps the easiest one for everybody to identify with was the shortage of personal protective equipment. I remember when I called my Governor in Texas, he said: Two things you can get us--more PPE and more testing. prgtoken Well, we produce so much testing capability now you don't hear much about that. But it was true that our hospitals needed masks, gloves, gowns, and ventilators to keep our frontline healthcare workers safe as well as other patients. At one point the situation became so dire, when it came to personal protective equipment, that first responders asked the public to help boost their supplies. They welcomed donations of N- 95 masks from folks who had extra boxes in their garage or gloves from hair salons that had closed their doors. We didn't reach that point because of the lack of preparation by those hospitals or healthcare workers but because of our reliance on other countries to produce that essential medical gear. prgtoken China, it will surprise no one, is a major supplier of PPE. And since much of their stock was sent to hot spots in the earliest days of the pandemic, including in Wuhan, we were left to rely on the relatively small number of domestic manufacturers here in the United States. prgtoken But I am here today not to talk about PPE but another supply chain breakdown with far-reaching consequences, and this time it is semiconductors. While semiconductors are something that perhaps most people are not intimately familiar with--but let me put it this way: Anything that has an on-off switch involves a semiconductor. prgtoken They are the underlying technology in our most used products, things like cell phones, computers, cars, televisions, dishwashers. That is right, just about anything with an on-off switch. These are small integrated circuits that keep getting smaller and smaller and smaller, which means you can put them on a device like this; whereas, in the past, you may recall, , I remember the first cell phones that came out looked like a brick, but because semiconductors got so much more sophisticated and so much more powerful, you can put hundreds, perhaps thousands, of them on a device like this. These chips are necessary not just for c
Biden Administration (Executive Session)
Tommy Tuberville (Republican, AL) \u2014 2021-5-10

President promised unity to bring the country together during his inaugural address. I was there with my 26-year-old son Tucker. We listened together and hoped that President would live up to his words. I assumed that when he said he would be a President for all Americans, it also included the 75 million Americans who voted for . prgtoken I was ready, and I still am, to work with President in good faith to find commonsense solutions to problems facing the country and to ensure the voices of Alabamians are heard. But, so far, the President has neither united nor reached across the aisle. His actions have shown that he is fine to play along with the divisive tactics of the progressive left, rather than unite a large and diverse country. prgtoken President is acting like he is the President of New York and California, not the United States of America. The progressives can barely contain their excitement. The President received glowing reviews from leading progressive Members of Congress, saying the President has ``exceeded expectations.'' prgtoken The left have been waiting a long time for an administration to implement their vision. They need to use a Trojan horse to put that vision into practice because it is remarkably unpopular with a majority of the American people. prgtoken Their vision is unpopular because it centers around a core belief of imposing their vision on everyone. But to achieve this, that means taking away your freedom--freedom to think differently, freedom to worship differently, freedom for you and your family to live differently, freedom to spend your hard-earned money the way you want to spend it. prgtoken Taking away those freedoms--freedoms that are the foundation of America--is not progress. It is called socialism. prgtoken When progressives talk about equity, they mean equal outcomes, not opportunities. They want a government that is so powerful it owns everything and chooses how wealth is distributed to ensure equal outcomes. That, in essence, is socialism, and the folks promoting this vision are channeling the same energy as the Marxists and communists of the 20th century. prgtoken Well, so far, President has been a more willing partner to champion the progressive vision and export it from New York and California to every corner of the entire country. Just look at what has happened lately. One of President 's first moves was to signal to the world that America's borders are open. The result? Absolute chaos. And the administration shows little interest in fixing it. We cannot have a country without borders. That is common sense. prgtoken were so eager to undo all the work President did at the border just because President did it, not because there was merit in rolling back these policies. Because of this insane, open-door policy, the American taxpayer--not the administration but the American taxpa
CANCEL CULTURE
Andrew S. Clyde (Republican, GA) \u2014 2021-5-11

I thank the gentleman from Colorado for hosting this Special Order on this very important and increasingly pervasive issue in our society: Cancel culture. prgtoken I hold very deep concerns about how this ugly movement is corrupting our youth and stands to seriously threaten the many core values shared by those in my district, those from north Georgia: altruism, patriotism, faith, and integrity, just to name a few. prgtoken While calling people out on their actions and/or behaviors is nothing new in our society, there is something inherently dangerous about fringe groups of people moving in a calculated manner to strip people of jobs, to strip businesses of revenue, and shutting down entire thought groups altogether, without a fair and just consideration being afforded to the targeted party. prgtoken Each of us has an understanding of what is right and wrong, just as we, as lawmakers, have our own ideas for what is good policy and what is not. We can debate and defend our personal opinions and sincerely held beliefs all we want, but when rights enshrined by the Constitution are at risk, I believe we have a duty to step up and defend those rights. prgtoken Whether we are talking about standing up for God-given, unalienable religious liberties, Second Amendment rights or First Amendment protections, I wholeheartedly believe that we should also be pointing to the truth within the Constitution. prgtoken It is easy to point to the Constitution as a blanketed rationale for countless issues. Both sides do it, and I find it does the public a disservice at large on two fronts, especially when one side just doesn't tell the truth. prgtoken For one, I believe blanketed statements pointing to enumerated rights inadvertently desensitizes Americans, especially our youth, to the importance of the Constitution. prgtoken Secondly, we are not challenging ourselves to push beyond the emotional sphere of these issues and to think critically and analytically to find the truth. prgtoken So we, as conservatives, need to stand up to cancel culture in two ways. prgtoken First, the Constitution has provided the basis for which the canceled individual and the ``cancelor'' engage in debate to begin with. prgtoken Second, we should be putting truth behind our decision to stand up in defense of those being targeted. prgtoken For example, I stand here today to oppose the progressive push to cancel biological genders, to cancel religious liberties, and to cancel the Second Amendment. Probably the most bold example of cancel culture that I have ever seen is that of Facebook and Twitter trying to cancel the sitting President of the United States, . prgtoken I stand in defense of biological genders because the truth is that women are biologically different from men. Young men should not have to compete against self-identified transgenders who are biological men. Moreover, the truth is that women are the bearers of life, and only women
HONORING THE CAREER OF KEN SMITH
Billy Long (Republican, MO) \u2014 2021-5-11

. Madam , I rise today to honor the long and storied career of Branson West City Administrator Ken Smith. prgtoken Mr. Smith began his tenure in 1998, and since then, has worked tirelessly for the people of Branson West. As City Administrator, he has overseen numerous projects designed to improve and expand the city. Shortly after he took office, the new Sewer Treatment Plant Facility was completed. This facility was designed to meet the needs of the city well into the future and has remained in operation, ready for the city to continue prospering. He has also overseen the expansion of utility lines so that the city can provide essential services to more properties. In addition to these projects, in recent years, sidewalks and streetlights have been added along Business Highway 13, and a new water tower has been approved. prgtoken In October 2010, Branson West Municipal Airport was opened. The new airport includes a 5000-foot runway, and 10,000 square foot maintenance hangar connected to the terminal. There are 39 private T-hangars, all of which are occupied, and construction is about to begin on 4 larger square hangars. All of this allows for a general aviation facility, which serves the city and surrounding communities. In 2016, the city limits were expanded south on Highway 13 to Highway DD. prgtoken All these projects have allowed for community growth. New businesses have been drawn to the community, and there are more projects underway to encourage further business expansion. The city has also recently acquired land for future parks and recreation. Mr. Smith has overseen all these projects, and many more, during his 23-year tenure as City Administrator. prgtoken Madam , since taking office in 1998, Ken Smith has worked every day for the people of Branson West. He has led several projects and expansions of the city, all designed to improve the community he has so enthusiastically served. I wish him, and his family a happy retirement.
BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION GUIDELINES ACT OF 2021
A. Drew Ferguson IV (Republican, GA) \u2014 2021-5-11

. Madam , I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2877, the BIG Act. prgtoken Without question, we have all seen how the mental health issues in America have been growing, and they have been exacerbated by the COVID- 19 pandemic. The urgency to address this crisis has become more dire as we are seeing how fear, anxiety, financial problems, and particularly isolation have compounded these issues. We see this across the board but particularly with our young people. prgtoken We must tackle these issues head-on, and that is why I am honored to support the BIG Act. prgtoken This straightforward bill works to provide local communities and educational systems with the tools that they need to help identify mental health needs before it is too late. prgtoken As a healthcare provider, I can tell my colleagues that early intervention is vitally important, and putting teams together that recognize the needs and see the problems with students before it is too late is important. The last thing that we want to see our students go through is the process of dropping out of school because of issues or problems with behavior or with their classmates. Most importantly, we never want to see them do harm to themselves or to others. prgtoken This bill provides the resources and the best practices from around the country in one site where school districts and different organizations can come together to put together the programs that will work best for them. prgtoken Congress must step up to confront this challenge, but doing so successfully will require input from an awful lot of people. That is what this bill does. prgtoken This is a bipartisan, bicameral bill. It has widespread support from places like Texas A&M; as you mentioned, the University of California; and in my home district, Columbus State University. It has the support of mental health organizations, mental health providers, and other individuals across this country. prgtoken Together, we can and should increase the mental health well-being of our fellow Americans. prgtoken National Mental Health Awareness Month is going on, and it is so important that we act to improve access across our country to high- quality, evidence-based mental healthcare services. That is why I ask my colleagues to join in supporting the BIG Act.