mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
The Economy (Executive Session)
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2023-7-12

I rise today to talk about something we have been hearing a lot about recently, and that is omics. The President and his Cabinet have been traveling the country trying to convince the American people into believing that the President's economic vision for the prgtoken country has our Nation on the right path. prgtoken Well, I can assure you, after being home for the last 2 weeks, that these false messages are not really resonating with the American public. Polling data between June 6 and July 7 of this year shows that, on average, two-thirds of Americans believe that our Nation is going on the wrong track. If you spend a few minutes at the supermarket, a car dealership, or a retail store, or if you are looking to purchase or rent a home, or if you face energy and utility bills or the prices at the pump that middle-class American families are having to pay-- everybody is paying--this should be no surprise. prgtoken So what exactly is omics? Let me break down a couple of definitions of this term as they relate to American folks outside of the beltway, and certainly those would include people whom I represent in West Virginia, which I consider the backbone of our country. prgtoken omics means you are getting less while spending more. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, since President took office, grocery prices have increased 20 percent, energy prices have increased 38 percent, prices for fuel oil have increased 45 percent, gasoline prices have increased 52 percent, natural gas prices have increased 20 percent, electricity prices have increased 26 percent, prices for used cars and trucks have increased 35 percent, prices for new vehicles have increased 20 percent, apparel prices have increased 10 percent, and airline fares have increased 39 percent. But the list goes on and on. prgtoken omics means that inflation is just a part of everyday life. Today's inflation report marks the 30th straight month that year-over- year inflation is over the target rate of 2 percent. The President is touting this decreasing inflation as something to celebrate, but there is really nothing to celebrate here. Americans have felt the blunt and unapologetic force of inflation for over 2 years. prgtoken omics is certainly not a science. If it were, it would be a shifting one. Remember when inflation was only supposed to be transitory? The individual who voiced that opinion, who himself is not an economist, got a promotion from the President and is now Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. prgtoken omics means, if you are looking to rent or buy a home, you might just be out of luck. Rampant spending from the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act were main contributors of high inflation and, in turn, the source of soaring interest rates. prgtoken So, on top of that, rental prices for a primary residence have increased 15 percent, furniture prices have
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024
Ronny Jackson (Republican, TX) \u2014 2023-7-12

I thank the chairman of the committee for yielding me time. prgtoken , the NDAA is one of the most important bills that comes before Congress. Not only does this NDAA ensure that we have the weapons systems and equipment our servicemembers need, it makes a needed course correction to restore the military's focus to fighting and winning wars. prgtoken Provisions I authored scale back the administration's woke agenda, prohibit funds for ESG, and restore the apolitical nature of the Attending Physician to Congress. prgtoken This year's NDAA also keeps Texas' 13th Congressional District at the heart of supporting our military. The NDAA revitalizes the pilot training mission at Sheppard Air Force Base and accelerates the T-7 Red Hawk program. prgtoken It provides funding for massive infrastructure improvements in the Pantex Plant in Amarillo and supports Bell Helicopter's development of the new V-280 aircraft. prgtoken Last, I give a special thanks to my defense fellow, Nate Langley, for his outstanding work in my office throughout this year. Nate is a rising star in the Air Force and has an extremely bright future in the military. prgtoken , I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this NDAA.
The Economy (Executive Session)
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2023-7-12

. omics. omics. I think everyone knows that you don't give yourself a nickname. You don't get to do that. Your friends get to do that for you. Who could imagine back in grade school giving yourself a nickname? By the same token, you don't get to name an economy after yourself either. You have to earn it. prgtoken Just like JLo. Before there was JLo, there was Jennifer Lopez. For Jennifer Lopez to become JLo, she had to go out and prove herself. She had to become a great singer. prgtoken Before Taylor Swift was known as the Country Pop Princess, Taylor had to compose music, play instruments, and sing to the hearts and souls of millions of people across the world. prgtoken Margaret Thatcher, before she was the Iron Lady, she had to go out and earn that nickname because of her iron fist, the way she ruled her country. prgtoken Ronald Reagan, the Great Communicator. Could you imagine Ronald Reagan stepping onto his first stage telling you: Hey, I am the Great Communicator. It took him years to earn that nickname. prgtoken One of my favorites: Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. Reggie didn't get to name himself Mr. October. He had to go out and be a star player for the New York Yankees in October, not in May. prgtoken Derek Jeter--another great nickname, the Captain. Did Derek Jeter give himself that name? No, his teammates did. prgtoken , you don't get to give yourself a nickname, and you don't get to name an economy after yourself. You have to earn it. The nickname this White House has earned for this economy is flation. He has earned it. It is deserved. When my grandkids and my great grandkids open up their history book and they get to the 46th President of the United States, the title will be ``flation'' and the subtitle, ``The Worst Economy in 40 Years.'' Certainly, it is the worst economy in my professional life time. prgtoken So when I say it is the worst economy, I want to start by saying I have not had one person in recent memory in the past 2 years who has come up and say: Hey, this economy is great. I just love that I am paying so much more to make a living. Whether it is food or groceries or housing, no one has come up to me and say: Hey, I love this economy. prgtoken It is actually just the opposite. I want to take a closer look. You may come up with some different conclusions, but you can't argue with these facts I am about to give you. The average Kansas family is paying $800 more per month just for basic needs--$800 more a month. When we gave them the tax cuts in the previous administration, the average Kansas family was able to put more than $2,000 back into their pocket. Now this administration is taking an extra $800 to pay for their basic necessities. I don't have to remind anybody that gas prices doubled under this President. Groceries are up 20 percent. prgtoken Utility bills. I can't tell you how many people called me to tell me: My utility bills have actually doubled comp
FARM BILL IMPACT SERIES NO. 22: INVESTING IN RESEARCH
Tracey Mann (Republican, KS) \u2014 2023-7-12

. Madam , I rise today to deliver the 22nd installment of my farm bill impact series to discuss Congress' willingness to invest in agricultural research, which supports our Nation's food security and, ultimately, our national security. prgtoken According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for every public dollar spent, agricultural research returns $20 benefit to the economy. Despite this, Federal funding for agricultural research has declined in real dollars over the past two decades. prgtoken When you take a bird's-eye view of our investment in agricultural research, you see that the impact of the prgtoken investment is much larger than it initially seems. This isn't just about new laboratories and equipment. This is about a vision for the world where America is the undisputed leader in food science technology. It is just like when we invest in international food aid, and the return is staggering. We feed hungry people with American commodities, but we also stop wars before they start and create new international trading partners. prgtoken Agricultural research investment is the same story. The impact is wide-reaching, and the return on investment is enormous. prgtoken Just a few months ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially opened its new state-of-the-art National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in my home State of Kansas, where scientists will conduct research into serious animal disease threats. It will be an important backstop in protecting our Nation's food supply. I am proud to have this facility in my district and right down the street from my alma mater, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Biosecurity Research Institute, creating a scientific hub that will lead the world in agricultural research and health. prgtoken In Congress, I am proud to represent Kansas State University, the first land-grant university created under the Morrill Act, and also Haskell Indian Nations University, which was granted land-grant status by an act of Congress in 1994. The idea for land-grant universities was originally proposed in the 1850s to educate students and increase agricultural expertise and U.S. productivity. prgtoken Over the years, these universities have surpassed that original vision and now represent the cutting edge of the agricultural research that supports food security around the globe. The faculty, staff, and students at K-State and Haskell have made it clear that we must support agricultural research, development, and innovation. When we do so, agricultural producers in the U.S. and abroad gain access to the technologies that increase their production even when challenges arise. prgtoken Earlier this summer, I co-introduced the Augmenting Research and Educational Sites to Ensure Agriculture Remains Cutting-Edge and Helpful Act, or the AG RESEARCH Act. This legislation would address the deferred maintenance at agricultural research facilities to ensure that America
Introductory Statement on S. 2274
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2023-7-12

it is a privilege to be here today, joined by my colleague from Wyoming, Senator Cynthia Lummis, and my colleague from Delaware, the chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senator Tom Carper, to honor this incredible woman, Dessie Bebout. prgtoken Senator Lummis is absolutely right. I attended the funeral of this 102-year-old just a couple of weeks ago. We were in Riverton, WY, for the services as she was laid to rest with military honors in Hudson, WY, and thought what an opportunity to name a post office after someone who has given so much to their country, as well as to the Postal Service. prgtoken It is wonderful to be working with Senator Tom Carper again on an issue of great interest to both of us because he was a senior partner when, a few years ago, we named a post office in Thermopolis, WY, after Bob Brown, a World War II hero who then was awarded the Purple Heart for his service in Korea and served 41 years at the Thermopolis Post Office before he retired as the postmaster. So I come to the floor today, along with our colleagues, to introduce a bill to honor the legacy of this remarkable woman, Dessie A. Bebout of Shoshoni, WY. prgtoken She was really a trailblazer for women in Wyoming because she was a patriot. She honorably served our prgtoken country during World War II. She was one of the first to raise her hand, take the oath, and volunteer as she did for this remarkable group of individuals who volunteered: the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service in World War II, the WAVES. prgtoken She was born in Hudson, WY--a very small community--in 1920. If you haven't ever been to Hudson, there is a small Main Street. And since Hudson didn't have a doctor, Dessie was born with the help of a midwife. She was the fourth of nine children. They worked very hard supporting the family business that was the Svilar family. Her maiden name was Svilar. They had the Svilar's bar and restaurant, the Svilars' Light and Power company--they provided libations as well as electricity--and the Svilars' derby bar. It is a small town, but two bars make for a smalltown charm. The Svilars' bar and restaurant is still open today. So, if you ever get to Hudson, stop in because they have the best steaks you are going to ever find anywhere. prgtoken Her life experience is one, really, that highlighted her legendary work ethic. After graduating from Fremont County Vocational High School in Lander, she worked for the Fremont County Extension service and at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 changed the United States and the world forever, and it certainly changed her. Being willing to serve the country, to step forward, is part of the Wyoming bloodstream. prgtoken When she joined and went to New York City for basic training and was then stationed in Seattle, WA, she reconnected with a young man who she had met previously in Hudson, Herbert ``Hugh
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024
Mike Gallagher (Republican, WI) \u2014 2023-7-12

I thank the gentleman from California for his work, in a bipartisan fashion, on the CITI Subcommittee. His bipartisan spirit is always a pleasure, and the innovative mindset that my friend has brought to our work together, I very much enjoyed. prgtoken My staff prepared a beautiful speech. I will, instead, be blunt and, hopefully, be brief. prgtoken The way I see it is that we are in the early stages of a strategic competition or a new cold war with the Chinese Communist Party, and we are not winning in part because we haven't grasped the fundamental insight that in order to prevent war, which is a goal we all share, one must move and one must wage peace with the same alacrity, urgency, and creativity that one wages war. prgtoken Despite the horrors on display in Eastern Europe on the battlefields of Ukraine, we have not yet improved our deterrent posture in the Indo- Pacific west of the International Date Line such that we can persuade Xi Jinping that his attempt to take Taiwan by force will fail. That is where this bill comes in. prgtoken This makes extraordinary improvements in terms of our deterrent posture, which is a testament to the collaboration between Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith. prgtoken To the Members of this body who are skeptical and who feel as if they didn't get enough wins in the bill, I get it. We are in divided government. This bill would look different if there was unified government one way or the other. What we have here is a serious bipartisan compromise. It is not perfect, but it is a good bill. prgtoken The Armed Services Committee is the last remaining functional body in Congress. It works because everyone is brought into the process. None of us gets 100 percent of what we want, but we all get a chance to influence the outcome. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation. I believe it promotes the cause of peace, and I believe it promotes the cause of defending American sovereignty.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2023-7-12

. Madam , I will address one of the very important Supreme Court decisions which came down in the last couple weeks and some of the comments that have been made critical of that decision. I am talking about the one that dealt with a policy now known in the United States as affirmative action. prgtoken What that policy does is it gives, as a practical matter, preferences both on prgtoken the basis of race and gender in university admissions. Actually, the public debate should go beyond that because in this country not only do we have a policy in which we try to have certain groups jump ahead of other people based on test scores or grade point average, we also have preferences, or encourage, as a practical matter, preferences in hiring for government jobs as well as hiring in jobs working for a private organization, if that private organization has at least 50 employees and does business with the Federal Government. There are also preferences with regard to government contracting. prgtoken As a practical matter, we have had these preferences since 1965. We are talking about things that are 67 years old. prgtoken I will point out that sometimes with regard to government contracting, it encourages lying. I have talked to people in my district who talk about their colleagues putting businesses in the name of their wives so they can get the preference for a woman-owned business even though the guy continues to run the business. prgtoken My friend doesn't like it because he is an honest person and he refuses to lie. He doesn't like the fact that people who are lying move ahead of him. He is in the construction field. prgtoken There are two ideas put forth as to why we need these preferences: One is to undo past injustices from years ago, going all the way back to slavery in the 1860s; and, secondly, the idea that somehow we should ask businesses or government to have a more diverse task force. I am going to deal with each of one of these separately. prgtoken First of all, with regard to past injustices, the benefits in universities and the benefit in government affirmative action goes to people who were never even in this country. We have to ask ourselves, why, if my ancestors came here from Peru in the 1990s and never experienced a period in this country, assuming there was such a period in which there was a lot of prejudice, why would we be giving preferences to people who moved here in the 1990s? prgtoken Also, Madam , Black people who moved here from Jamaica or the Bahamas in the 1990s, well past the era of Jim Crow, much less well past slavery times, why would we be giving them preferences? prgtoken The administration, most recently, is trying to add another group to get preferences, people from the Middle East or northern Africa. Why, if someone moves here from Algeria or Syria today, they may not even be citizens, why would they be given preferences? What is the underlying rationale? prgtoken The other thing
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024
Michael Waltz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-7-12

. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. prgtoken As chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee, I have focused our efforts on ensuring the Department of Defense is ready to fight around the world, especially in the Pacific, by improving its maintenance, improving its logistics, and the availability of our defense assets. prgtoken This bill moves us in the right direction. As Representative Gallagher and others have said, we are witnessing the largest military buildup in China since we saw in Germany in the 1930s, particularly with their Navy, as they head toward 500 ships and we shrink to under 300. prgtoken This bill instills accountability for the Navy, especially for its lagging availabilities in its amphibious warships and attack submarine fleets 18 of the Navy's 49 attack submarines are in maintenance right now as we speak. This is the lowest number of ready attack submarines since 2008, and it is unacceptable. prgtoken Believe it or not, Mr. Chair, our bases in Europe have been reliant on Russian energy. This bill mandates the Department eliminate that reliance on Russian energy for all our installations in the European Command, and this bill directs a report on foreign control and influence over the supply chain for critical minerals and metals used for defense technologies. prgtoken , importantly, this bill moves our military back toward being a meritocracy focused on lethality and winning our Nation's wars. Our enemies' bullets do not care about race, religion, or socioeconomic background, and neither should we. prgtoken I am proud that this bill includes my provisions to combat divisive ideologies in the Department. This defense bill contains my language requiring the Department to report to Congress on the total cost of this extremism training, and it also includes my amendment to prohibit critical race theory. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I thank my friend, Ranking Member Garamendi, for his partnership.
HIGHLIGHTING PRECISION GRAPHICS
Donald G. Davis (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2023-7-12

I rise to highlight Precision Graphics, a family-owned electronics manufacturing and fulfillment facility in Snow Hill, North Carolina, my hometown. prgtoken It fills me with tremendous pride to witness our local business' growth and positive impact. prgtoken Precision Graphics, located just a block from my grandmother's home where I was raised, holds the resilience and strength of our community. While they have encountered supply chain challenges, the outlook is improving. prgtoken It is of utmost importance that we continue to support businesses like Precision Graphics and our STEM programs. We must restore hope and help young people across eastern North Carolina, rural America, and our country to live the American Dream. prgtoken Let's come together and work toward empowering our local businesses, fostering job creation, and contributing to the prosperity of our Nation.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2670, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024
Terri A. Sewell (Democrat, AL) \u2014 2023-7-12

I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. prgtoken , as a proud member of the House Committee on Armed Services and the Representative for critical military installations in Alabama, I take very seriously my responsibility to ensure that our servicemen and -women get the tools and support that they need to keep our Nation safe. prgtoken This year's NDAA, as it is currently written, does just that. The bill will help modernize Alabama's Air National Guard facilities and support leadership training at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. prgtoken It also includes record funding to support research at HBCUs and makes significant investments in the health and well-being of our servicemen and -women and their families. prgtoken While I voted to pass the NDAA out of committee last month, I remain very concerned that my colleagues are trying to push poison pill amendments--amendments focused on culture wars; not unity, but division, and not Social Security or Medicaid or our national security. prgtoken For 61 years, Congress has passed the NDAA with bipartisan support. I implore my colleagues across the aisle to not break this tradition of national importance. prgtoken , every year since I came to Congress, I have been proud to vote for the NDAA. I am not sure that I can vote in favor of it this year if those poison pills are included. prgtoken , I implore my colleagues to keep the NDAA intact as it was from the committee. I will vote against the rule, but I hope to be able to vote in favor of the bill.