mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-3-3

15 years ago, an environmental group called the Clean Sky Coalition launched an ad campaign targeting coal. The ads featured faces covered in soot, with the headline: ``Face it, Coal is Filthy.'' prgtoken Of the many controversial ad campaigns we have seen over the years, this doesn't seem particularly noteworthy, but these ads at the time sparked so much outrage that they were eventually pulled. prgtoken You might wonder why. An environmental group attacking coal is hardly front-page news. Why was this ad campaign different? This wasn't a matter of what was being said; it was a matter of who was saying it and why. prgtoken It quickly came to life that the group behind the ad was only about 2 weeks old, and the entire ``pro-environment'' effort was sponsored by a natural gas company seeking market share over coal. prgtoken As they say, politics makes for strange bedfellows--in this case, environmentalists and natural gas companies were both anti-coal, though, for very different reasons. prgtoken Knowing that the American people wouldn't respond to the argument that coal is bad because it means less business for the gas companies, this particular company found a deceptive and manipulative way to help shape public opinion. prgtoken Today, we are seeing a similar push but with much greater reach and far higher stakes. Just as one company used the guise of environmentalism to attack its competition, Russia today is using the same tactic to boost its own profits and enhance its power. prgtoken The Office of Director of National Intelligence released a report in 2017 outlining some of Russia's disinformation campaign, on everything from U.S. elections to U.S. energy policy. prgtoken Of course, one of the Kremlin's favorite tools is its intentional propaganda outlet known as RT, formally known as Russia Today. prgtoken According to the report, RT ran anti-fracking programming in the United States that highlighted environmental and public health concerns. That is right. The propaganda arm of the Russian Federation, RT, was running anti-fracking programming in the United States. And you might ask yourself: For what purpose? prgtoken Well, the Director of National Intelligence report in 2017 said: This is likely reflective of the Russian Government's concern about the impact of fracking, which is a device to release natural gas from shale. The report said this is likely reflective of the Russian Government's concern about the impact of fracking in U.S. natural gas production on the global energy market and the potential challenges to Gazprom's profitability--Gazprom, of course, being the Russian Federation's energy company. prgtoken In short, all of this propaganda on Russia today and the opposition to fracking that they were encouraging would be good for the sale of Russian gas as opposed to natural gas produced here in the United States. prgtoken Russia can't seem to dominate the global energy market on its own
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-3-3

as of January, energy prices were up 27 percent across the board. Gas prices were up 40 percent from a year ago. Natural gas was up 24 percent. Fuel oil was up 46 percent. prgtoken High energy prices have a huge impact on our economy. Obviously, they represent a significant, direct burden on Americans trying to fill up their cars or pay the utility bills, but they also contribute to price hikes across our economy. High gas prices and other energy costs contribute to price increases on a whole host of other goods. Manufacturers facing higher transportation costs thanks to high gas prices, for example, are often forced to pass on at least some of those increased costs to consumers in the form of price hikes. prgtoken Now, while helped create our current inflation crisis with their so-called American Rescue Plan spending spree last March, President is not solely responsible for high energy prices. He is responsible, however, for the fact that he is pursuing an energy agenda that is almost guaranteed not only to increase American energy prices long term but also to increase our reliance on foreign sources of energy. prgtoken Since the day he took office, President has pursued an agenda that is hostile to conventional sources of energy; namely, oil and natural gas. When it comes to energy, he is focused almost exclusively on alternative energy technology--specifically on electric vehicles, which his administration has clearly picked as its preferred winner in the clean energy stakes. prgtoken Now, I should say I am a longtime supporter of clean energy. In South Dakota, we derive a significant amount of our energy from hydropower and wind. In fact, in 2020, 80 percent of our utility-scale generation was renewal, about half of that from hydro. I have long championed cleaner burning renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. prgtoken But the fact of the matter is, our Nation is not going to be fully transitioning to 100 percent zero-emission energy anytime soon no matter how much the administration would like it to. There are a lot of hurdles to be crossed before we can rely solely on clean energy. Consumers, first and foremost, need affordable and reliable energy supplies, especially consistent baseload energy. prgtoken Clean energy technology has simply not advanced to the point where it needs to be in order for us to rely on clean energy exclusively. We are going to need an ``all of the above'' energy portfolio for a while yet, including oil and natural gas, and it is a disservice to the American people to pretend otherwise. prgtoken We should absolutely continue to invest in clean energy and pursue clean energy technologies in a fiscally responsible manner, but we also have to ensure that our Nation has the oil and natural gas that it needs for our economy to run and for Americans to be able to afford to heat their homes and to get where they need to go. prgtoken As I said, sinc
PURSUE ENERGY, NOT POLITICAL AGENDAS
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2022-3-3

. Madam , this country faces an energy crisis of all types: fuel, gas, electricity. But what is the issue we are pursuing? It seems to be all about this little sliver right here on this chart: carbon dioxide. prgtoken Most people are surprised when told 0.04 percent composes the carbon dioxide part of our atmosphere. You see 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, trace gases. I had to break this out of trace gases so you can see it on the chart. prgtoken Yet, in my home State of California--where we had CO2-free power plants, two nuclear plants; the second one will be gone in 3 years--they want to remove hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River in my district that make zero CO2. prgtoken So, is this really about CO2, or is it about some other political agenda? Because in my district, when the wind blows, they have to shut the power off because the trees the Forest Service are not managing might blow into the power lines coming from a hydroelectric dam. prgtoken I do not understand what the energy policy of this country is because I don't think there is one anymore. We need to get back to doing what we do well and not pursue this fruitless agenda.
TOPICS OF INTEREST
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2022-3-3

I would like to discuss a few topics which should be of interest to all Americans. prgtoken Obviously, many Americans have been glued to their TVs this week to see what is happening in Ukraine and what is going on with the Russians and the way they are treating the Ukrainian people. prgtoken I would like to emphasize one more time that it amazes me the journalists of this country and the politicians of this country can talk about the two countries, Russia and Ukraine, without talking about the Holodomor. prgtoken I have asked children, college students, law enforcement officers, journalists. Amazingly, they have gone through 8 or 12 or 16 years of schooling and don't know what it is. prgtoken The Holodomor took place in 1932 to 1933 when communism had in the last few years taken over Russia and taken over Ukraine. Of course, communists, above all, hate freedom. I don't know if you could describe Russia's communists today--maybe a little more fascist than communist. But at the time, there was no question it was communist, and they didn't like the fact that the farmers, called the kulaks, were, to a degree, free and independent. They were going to crack down on them by taking away their grain and making sure they would starve to death. prgtoken Now, perhaps because it has not been adequately studied, we don't know how many people were killed by the Communist Party in Ukraine during the years 1932 to 1933, but if you peruse the internet, it is somewhere between 3 and 17 million. prgtoken Interestingly, at the same time these people were starving, the person The New York Times put on the case was a guy by the name of Walter Duranty, who they have since admitted they recognized he had some significant flaws in his study, but he managed not to report the starvation. The readers of The New York Times at that time thought that things were going great in the Soviet Union and that this might well be the wave of the future. prgtoken This is what happens when we have people, progressives, whatever you want to call them, who are blind to the inevitable, horrible things that happen when you let the hardcore left, or what I would call the atheistic totalitarian left, take over a country. prgtoken I would hope, as we talk about Ukraine and Russia, that our media outlets, be it newspaper or otherwise, use this as an opportunity to educate the American public as to how many millions of people starved to death during this time. prgtoken Every New York Times employee should have to listen to this show upon employment about what happened and about what the readers of The New York Times were not told about during these years. Every journalism major should spend a few classes when they begin journalism school on this topic. No American schoolchild should graduate eighth grade without hearing about the Holodomor. prgtoken Not only is it a warning for what happens when we let the hardcore left take over, but I don't know how you can und
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-3-3

yesterday morning, I hosted Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the President's nominee to replace Justice Breyer on the Supreme Court, in my office. I was glad to meet with Judge Jackson. We enjoyed a cordial discussion. prgtoken Like I have been saying, s fundamentally believe the nominee, the Court, and the country all deserve better than the disgraceful displays that Senate have routinely visited on nominees of Presidents. The Senate's process should be dignified, but it also must be vigorous, exhaustive, and painstaking. We are talking about a lifetime appointment to our Nation's highest Court. prgtoken This is a moment when issues relating to the law and the judiciary are directly hitting American families, from skyrocketing murders and carjackings, to soft-on-crime prosecutors' effectively repealing laws, to open borders. This is also a moment when the far left has declared open season on the very concept of judicial independence itself. prgtoken President even bowed to the radicals and set up a Court-packing Commission. prgtoken Now, Justice Breyer has distinguished himself by loudly and proudly putting those radicals in their place. He has consistently denounced the concept of partisan Court packing and defended the Court's legitimacy. prgtoken One would hope his successor would follow suit, but curiously the same radicals who want to turn into the party of Court packing also badly wanted Judge Jackson for this vacancy. It is a matter of record that this nominee was the anointed favorite of these fringe groups. At this time last year, they were already spending dark money to raise her profile. prgtoken So I intend to explore why groups that are waging political war against the Court as an institution decided Judge Jackson was their special favorite. prgtoken Like I said, I enjoyed meeting the judge. She is clearly a sharp lawyer with an impressive resume, but when it comes to the Supreme Court, a core qualification is judicial philosophy. Our citizens need Justices who treat all parties fairly, apply our laws and Constitution as written, and leave legislating to us here in Congress. prgtoken I raised all these matters yesterday. I look forward to gaining more clarity about Judge Jackson's positions during the vigorous and thorough Senate process to come. (Ms. ROSEN assumed the Chair.) Vaccines prgtoken , now on another matter, our Nation faces serious challenges to our citizens' health and wellness. COVID-19 has been one of them. Abuse of illegal drugs and prescription pills is another. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are ever present. Many of these health crises hit Middle America especially hard and specifically rural America. prgtoken Data show that rural Americans are disproportionately likelier to die from a number of potentially preventable causes. That is why I have been focused on expand
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2022-3-3

while we gathered in the House Chamber for the State of the Union Address, the whole world was watching for President 's comments on Putin's rapidly escalating invasion of Ukraine. I thought the President did a good job expressing our steadfast support to Ukraine. That strong message was conveyed to the international community during his address, and the appreciation from both sides of the aisle was reflected in our collective response. It was a moment when we felt complete unity in the Chamber. prgtoken Unfortunately, it was the only moment of unity in the entire address. The overwhelming majority of the President's speech was geared toward a specific audience--his liberal base. prgtoken Over the course of an hour, the President boasted about spending billions on unnecessary wish list items, pushed his ``climate first'' agenda, and laid out his Big Government social justice platform. prgtoken It was a message tailored for residents of the Hamptons rather than those who live in Hampton, AR. The voters in Austin, TX, but not Austin, AR. prgtoken Arkansans are worried about paying their bills, putting food on the table, and the price of gasoline. The cost of almost everything is on the rise, and every American is feeling the pinch. And we are not talking about luxury items here; we are talking about necessities. A gallon of gas costs almost a dollar more than last year. Electricity bills are skyrocketing, and food inflation is at its highest rate since the Carter administration. prgtoken The main thing my constituents and, quite frankly, most Americans outside of the beltway needed to hear was a plan to bring down inflation, end the supply chain bottlenecks, and restore our workforce to full strength. President barely touched on these issues. When he did, it was to cast blame for inflation on businesses and industries that are doing their very best to maintain operations in the face of historic supply chain and labor challenges. prgtoken The President claimed that businesses should simply lower costs to reduce inflation, as if lowering costs in the face of increasing government mandates, increasing input costs, labor shortages, and overregulation was possible. There is a major disconnect between the struggles Americans experience every day and the image the President and his team are desperately trying to project. prgtoken This is most apparent in rural America. The President and his team often boast about record high farm income but never acknowledge the fact that the financial gains family farmers, ranchers, and foresters will see will soon be reduced by record high production costs. Land, machinery, labor, fuel, seed, and livestock feed prices are all increasing dramatically. Fertilizer prices have spiked as much as 300 percent in some parts of the country, and at the same time the administration is levying tariffs on our fertilizer imports. Every portion of the food chain remains
MOMENT OF SILENCE HONORING VICTIMS OF THE CARTERET COUNTY PLANE CRASH
Gregory F. Murphy (Republican, NC) \u2014 2022-3-3

on Sunday, February 13, a catastrophic tragedy took place in a close-knit eastern North Carolina community. prgtoken A small plane carrying eight passengers, including four teenagers, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 4 miles east of the Drum Inlet. Tragically, all eight North Carolinians perished in the crash. prgtoken There are no words to describe the pain and devastation that our community has felt in the weeks following this tragic accident. Yet, through this heartbreak we have all been moved by the outpouring of love and support from all of those across North Carolina and our great Nation. prgtoken We cannot thank our first responders, U.S. Coast Guard, the Carteret County Sheriff's Office, State agencies, and community members enough for coming together in support of the families impacted by this heartbreaking tragedy. prgtoken Members of our community have participated in many loving tributes to honor those we lost. I am grateful to the volunteers, ministers, students, teachers, parents, grandparents, friends, and classmates who are helping to provide aid and support, as well as comfort to our Down East residents. Their selflessness and commitment to others is to be commended, and I honor their service. prgtoken We will always remember the beloved North Carolinians whom we lost: Douglas Hunter Parks, 45, from Sea Level, North Carolina; Stephanie Ann McInnis Fulcher, 42, from Sea Level, North Carolina; Jeffrey Worthington Rawls, 28, from Greenville, North Carolina; Ernest ``Teen'' Rawls, pilot, 67, Greenville, North Carolina; Jonathan Kole McInnis, 15, Sea Level, North Carolina; Jacob Nolan Taylor, 16, Atlantic, North Carolina; Noah Lee Styron, 15, Cedar Island, North Carolina; and Michael Daily Shepard, 15, Atlantic, North Carolina. prgtoken , I respectfully ask for a moment of silence to remember those who perished on that fateful day.
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-3-3

. I rise today in support of S.J. Res. 38, a resolution to terminate the COVID-19 national emergency declaration. prgtoken After nearly 2 years of living under this state of emergency, the American people are worn out and yearning to breathe free. They long for their God-given freedoms and for leaders to take their side. prgtoken We as a nation must begin to learn to live with COVID. The robust powers this emergency declaration provides the Federal Government are no longer necessary, and Congress must debate and ultimately repeal them in order to begin the process of unwinding the powers the government took hold of during the peak of the crisis. prgtoken As we contemplate what returning to normal means, most Americans accept that COVID will likely never be entirely behind us, and setting zero COVID cases as a victory condition is more harmful than good. prgtoken That being said, of course, we have to respect the virus and protect the vulnerable, but we also must accept that personal responsibility, not government mandates and restrictions, must govern our approach to the virus going forward. prgtoken We must repeal this emergency declaration today to deliver a symbolic victory to our citizens that normalcy is around the corner and that limited government and our constitutional rights still reign supreme. It is high time to stop talking about restrictions and the unknown. We must chart a new course to victory today that respects the virus and our freedoms. prgtoken Let's look back on the recent history of this national emergency declaration. On March 13, 2020, President first declared the national emergency concerning the novel coronavirus disease outbreak. prgtoken Two days prior, following an alarming rate of transmission, the World Health Organization had declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. Little was known about the rapidly spreading virus at the time, but President 's declaration was intended to grant himself, as Chief Executive, additional authorities to bolster the Federal Government's efforts to control the virus and ease the burden on our healthcare system. prgtoken Less than a week later, California became the first State to issue a statewide stay-at-home order, and lockdowns, mask mandates, school closures, and capacity limits commenced all across the Nation. prgtoken These were the earliest and most frightening days of the pandemic, when our understanding of the virus was minimal and all measures were needed to react to a globe contagion unlike anything seen in nearly a century. prgtoken Almost a year later, and just over a month after his inauguration, in February 2021, President justifiably went on to extend the COVID- 19 national emergency declaration for another year, a requirement under the National Emergencies Act that had it not been acted on, would have resulted in the automatic termination of the declaration. prgtoken At the time of President 's initial extension, only 50 milli