mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2021-8-9

I rise to speak about the $3.5 trillion budget resolution that will cut costs for American families, provide our seniors with comprehensive healthcare, and finally take the much- needed and long-overdue action to protect ourselves, our future, and our existence from the climate crisis. prgtoken Our urgency in action must be as fierce as the crisis on our shores, in our cities, and in our States across America. The climate deniers are out of excuses, and we are out of time. prgtoken The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its sixth assessment report. The new warning from the U.N from the IPCC, is actually code red. They are saying that the planet is in great danger, that our country is in great danger if we do not respond to the climate crisis. And now the challenge for this Senate, for this country, is whether or not we are going to respond. And we are. prgtoken The code red warning from the United Nations is going to have a code green response from the U.S. Senate in the $3.5 trillion package. prgtoken We will invest in the technologies that will make it possible for us to respond to this dire warning from the United Nations, a warning that reaffirms what we are seeing and suffering right now across our country: Climate change is going to continue to cost us lives and livelihoods if we don't respond with the scope and the scale that this moment demands. prgtoken The report says our responsibility is unequivocal. The effects of the climate crisis are unprecedented, and we have an undeniable need to act. From increasing intensity and frequency of extreme heat to catastrophic precipitation and devastating droughts, no community will be able to hide from the most dire impacts of our human-driven climate crisis. prgtoken This report must be the final warning that we must respond. And right now we are preparing, as Senate , a budget resolution that will be our best opportunity to respond to the code red warning we have received today from the United Nations, from the climate experts of the planet. prgtoken That is our challenge, but we are going to have resistance. We have to basically sweep away this rising tide of cynicism that we hear from climate deniers, from the fossil fuel industry, and from too many s. prgtoken Senate are ready to forge ahead. This budget resolution is our opportunity to prevent the most alarming consequences of the climate crisis and equip ourselves to survive the climate impacts we cannot avoid. With policies to drive deep cuts in emissions, protect communities, provide equity and justice to overburdened communities, we can respond to overwhelming evidence and take the necessary action to save our people and our planet. prgtoken We have received the final warning. We now have the best opportunity any Congress has ever had to respond. That legislation will be on the floor of the Senate in the next 2 days. prgtoken As cha
ORDER FOR ADJOURNMENT
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-8-9

I am delighted to follow my distinguished chairman on the Finance Committee as he gives assurances about our important work on climate change. prgtoken The majority leader has announced that the final vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package will be tomorrow at 11 a.m and we will then roll into the rather ignominious spectacle of the Senate known as vote-arama. What vote-arama does, however, it allows us to go to budget reconciliation, which allows us to pass measures with a simple majority. prgtoken We should do that bearing in mind what just came out--the latest IPCC report on climate change. It is getting increasingly dire. The IPCC report uses words like ``unequivocal,'' ``unprecedented,'' ``irreversible.'' prgtoken Unequivocal is the link between fossil fuel pollution and the climate damage we are doing to our oceans and atmosphere--unequivocal. prgtoken Unprecedented. We talk about unprecedented around here if it hasn't happened in a decade. They talk about unprecedented across many centuries or many thousands of years. We are undoing the basic operating systems of our planet as humankind has come to know them. prgtoken Irreversible means, for some of this, there is no going back. We were warned and warned and warned. We ignored it and ignored it and ignored it, and now we are in it. We can make it less bad, but parts are irreversible. As one United Nations spokesman said, this is red alert for humanity. prgtoken It doesn't take the IPCC or the U.N. or the universities in our home States or our environmental community to tell us this. All we have to do is look around. Look at the wildfires that are tearing through the West. Senator Padilla was here earlier today talking about what is going on in California. prgtoken Here is a report from California, from the head of the Plumas National Forest, its supervisor: We are seeing truly frightening fire behavior, I don't know how to overstate that. We have a lot of veteran firefighters who have served for 20, 30 years and have never seen behavior like this, especially day after day, and the conditions we're in. So we really are in unchartered territory around some of these extreme, large fires and the behavior we're seeing. prgtoken That is the report from the front of the wildfires. But we are not just in unchartered territory with wildfires; we are in unchartered territory with respect to flooding. Here is what we are predicting in Rhode Island. Right now, this is the northern part of my State. Everything you see here that is a bright-blue color, that is land right now. People live there. People have businesses there. People have recreation there. There are things that people do that are part of their lives there, and it all disappears under current predictions of sea level rise. It disappears prgtoken This is a place called Warwick Neck. It becomes Warwick Neck Island. This is a place called Poppasquash Po
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-8-9

now, it may have taken all weekend, but the Senate is now finally on the precipice of passing major bipartisan infrastructure legislation. prgtoken Last night, an overwhelming bipartisan majority of Senators voted to surmount the final few procedural hurdles and put the bill on a glidepath for passage tomorrow morning. The bill will represent a substantial downpayment toward the level of infrastructure investment our country needs, and for the first time, the Senate has come together around such a package in decades. I will have more to say about it before final passage. Budget Reconcilation prgtoken Now, , all summer, I have spoken about how the Senate would proceed along two tracks when it came to infrastructure: the bipartisan bill we will vote on tomorrow as well as the budget reconciliation bill that will allow to make historic investments in American jobs, American families, and efforts to reverse climate change. prgtoken In order to achieve such an ambitious legislative effort, I laid out two clear goals for this summer work period: pass the bipartisan bill and a budget resolution to set up the second track of our process before we leave for August recess. prgtoken Many folks called that two-track process unrealistic. Many others said it prgtoken is unachievable on such a short timeline and in such a slow-moving Chamber. But we have managed to steer two trains at the same time. There have been some bumps. There have been some delays. But the Senate is on track to finish both tracks. prgtoken Earlier this summer, I suggested the two-track strategy to President and Pelosi. We all agreed it was the best way to move forward, and we are working in concert to make it happen. prgtoken This morning, Senate unveiled our budget resolution with reconciliation instructions, which is the first step in unlocking the legislative process for a budget reconciliation bill later this year. prgtoken Several Members--many Members--had a hand in crafting this package. We worked closely with our committee chairs, but I want to especially thank the chair of the Budget Committee, Senator Sanders. He kept his nose to the grindstone and led our caucus on the budget. He always kept the thoughts and needs of American workers and families at the top of his mind. As a result, the ic budget will be the most significant legislation for American families since the era of the New Deal and the Great Society. It is big, bold change--the kind of change America thirsts for. prgtoken I want to thank other members of the Budget Committee, like Senator Warner, who worked closely with the White House and Chairman Sanders to develop a framework, and Senators Murray and Wyden and Stabenow and Whitehouse and Merkley and Kaine and Van Hollen and Lujan and Padilla, all of whom came together, even though each had different views on different issues, to produce thi
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2021-8-9

I rise to urge my colleagues to support the budget resolution immediately after the infrastructure vote tomorrow. prgtoken I particularly am glad to see the Presiding Officer in the Chair today. Earlier I spoke on this floor about the infrastructure bill and her efforts--Senator Duckworth from Illinois, her efforts--to ensure disabled-access transit stops. prgtoken We still have far too many transit stops in this country in big cities like hers in Chicago and mine in Cleveland and Philadelphia and New York and all over that are not accessible, and that has got to be our mission. prgtoken I chair the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. Most people call it just the Banking Committee. In reality, it is the housing, banking, and transit committee. And that is our responsibility to move in the right direction, and we are moving there rapidly. And I thank Senator Duckworth for her work on that. prgtoken I want to talk not long. I know that Senator Cardin is awaiting and has been patient, and I believe that Senator Inhofe might be here too. prgtoken This week we have moved forward a bill to provide critical investments in transportation infrastructure. I am glad we are doing that. The next step is to address housing. prgtoken Nothing is more important than housing. As chair of the Banking and Housing Committee, I have held hearings about housing needs across the country. This committee, called Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs-- most refer to it as ``Senate Banking''--has been mostly about Wall Street in the past and not nearly enough about housing. Those issues are changing. prgtoken I know Senator Cardin knows--and not just in Baltimore but in Western Maryland and everywhere, as in urban Ohio and rural Ohio--how important housing is. We hear repeatedly about the shortage of affordable housing, about wide disparities in access to home ownership. prgtoken This isn't just about a few coastal cities. We heard from mayors in Akron, OH; in Bozeman, MT, Senator Tester's State; in Tempe, AZ, about their housing needs. Their markets vary. In Bozeman, home prices are up 50 percent. It is almost impossible for a young family to find a place to live. In Akron, home values are sometimes too low to find financing, and banks tell us they can't make a profit on selling a $60,000, $70,000, $80,000 mortgage on a $60,000, $70,000, $80,000 house. prgtoken Their issues are different, but all three mayors told us they need the Federal Government to be a better partner in helping to invest in their housing and in their communities. Without housing investment, there cannot be economic growth. That is because housing--by any real definition, housing is infrastructure. prgtoken Where you live determines so much about your life: where your kids go to school, how far you have to go to work, what kind of jobs you get. It determines where you do your grocery shopping and whether you have access to fresh fruits and vegetab
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Kyrsten Sinema (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2021-8-9

I rise today as we approach a final Senate vote on historic legislation to invest in America's critical infrastructure, a bipartisan proposal that will make America stronger and safer, creating good-paying jobs, and expand economic opportunities across the country. prgtoken After months of negotiations, the Senate has now debated our bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for nearly 2 weeks in an open and legislative process. We considered 22 amendments from both sides of the aisle and voted to adopt many of those amendments. In the coming hours, the Senate will have the opportunity to approve legislation that meets the needs of everyday families, employers, and communities. prgtoken For decades, American infrastructure has been crumbling. For decades, American families have asked Congress for infrastructure investment. For decades, progress was blocked by partisan disagreements. Now, as the Senate prepares for a final vote, what will this historic legislation actually mean for the people we serve? prgtoken Our bill will mean better roads by investing a historic $110 billion to repair and upgrade our roadways, bridges, and other major transportation projects. prgtoken It will mean faster internet for people in more places by investing $65 billion to deploy high-speed broadband and help families afford internet service. prgtoken It will mean cleaner, more reliable water sources by making the strongest investment in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in U.S. history, including water storage and recycling and drought contingency plans throughout Western States like Arizona. prgtoken It will mean fewer power outages and stronger, more reliable electricity grids by investing $65 billion in power infrastructure. prgtoken It will mean better protections against wildfires by investing in fire suppression and recovery and the removal of hazardous fuels. prgtoken It will mean stronger water and sanitation systems and better broadband access in Tribal communities, as well as full funding for all currently authorized Indian water settlements. In Arizona, that includes the infrastructure for the Southern Arizona Indian water rights settlement with the Tohono O'odham Nation, completing the Gila River Indian Community water rights settlement, and funding the White Mountain Apache Tribe's water rights settlement. prgtoken Our legislation will mean safer, more convenient airports by investing $25 billion to repair and upgrade terminals, runways, taxiways, and air traffic control towers. prgtoken It will mean the strongest investment ever in American public transit by expanding transit networks, improving accessibility, and funding the Nation's transit repair backlog of thousands of buses, railcars, stations, and thousands of miles of track, signals, and power systems. prgtoken It will mean the largest investment in clean energy transmission and electric vehicle infrastructure in U.S. history, electr
MORNING BUSINESS-
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2021-8-9

once again, the Senate has proven that infrastructure is--as it always has been-- prgtoken a bipartisan issue. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offers a once-in-a-generation vision for America's infrastructure that is long overdue. This bipartisan infrastructure package makes the largest Federal investment in public transit, passenger rail, and bridges in more than 50 years. prgtoken Gone are the days when ``infrastructure'' has meant only bridges, highways, roads, and rail. While we need to invest in all of those areas, States like Vermont have infrastructure needs that also include climate resiliency, broadband, and renewable energy. That is exactly what this sweeping infrastructure package does. prgtoken The need for action in Vermont is clear. It is no secret that Vermont's infrastructure is aging. For decades, infrastructure in Vermont has suffered from a systemic lack of investment. Vermont has more than 2,700 bridges, 570 miles of freight railroad, 14,000 miles of public road, and an overall C grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers--ASCE--for the condition of these facilities. There are 66 bridges and over 666 miles of highway in the State that are in poor condition and need of repair. When it comes to stormwater and wastewater infrastructure, Vermont's report card is even more dismal, receiving a D+ grade from ASCE, an unacceptable reality as our communities continue to see the impacts of climate change and extreme weather. With the passage of this indispensable infrastructure package, that will all change. The State of Vermont is expected to receive over $1.5 billion in formulaic funds to repair highways and bridges and also install a network of electric vehicle charging stations throughout the State. prgtoken This desperately needed infrastructure package will help repair Vermont's roads and bridges, while also creating good-paying jobs. It provides significant investments and makes key programmatic changes to competitive discretionary infrastructure programs to make more these Federal revenue streams more accessible to small, rural States like Vermont. prgtoken The bill tackles the challenge of bringing broadband to the 19 million Americans, including 60,000 Vermont homes, in rural areas and other parts of the country that still lack access to quality, high- speed internet service. Not only will the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act buildout broadband in unserved areas, it permanently establishes the Emergency Broadband Benefit program created through the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act renaming it the Affordable Connectivity Benefit program. This program will provide a $30 per month voucher for low-income families to use toward any internet service plan of their choosing. It builds on the EBB program by expanding eligibility to help more low-income households, while also making it more sustainable for taxpayers. prgtoken Importantly, this package
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2021-8-9

I am here on the floor today to talk about climate chaos. It is a monumental crisis that requires immediate and bold action. prgtoken The reason I am speaking about climate chaos at this moment is because several things are happening today that create this connection. The one is that the IPCC, the International Panel on Climate Change, has released its 2021 climate report, and the second is, we are in the middle of talking about infrastructure for our Nation, and the investments in climate infrastructure are going to be critical to take on the crisis that we are facing. prgtoken We are in pretty big trouble. This report that came out today--``5 Big Findings from the IPCC's 2021 Climate Report''--it lays out how dramatically prgtoken things have shifted in just a few years. It notes that the concentration of carbon dioxide is now higher than it has been for 2 million years, and we have made that happen over just the last 100 or so years but particularly the last 30; that the glacial retreat is unmatched for the last 2,000 years; that the last decade was warmer than any period for 125,000 years; that the summer Arctic ice coverage is smaller than at any time in the last 1,000 years; that the ocean is warming faster than at any time since the last ice age; and that ocean acidification is at the highest level in the last 26,000 years. prgtoken These things would not have been true a few years ago, and it is because of the massive buildup in carbon dioxide from our burning of fossil fuels to power our energy economy, and it is from the massive release of methane gas because of our use of natural gas, which is a very nice name for what is mostly methane gas. We collect methane gas, and we have accelerated that through fracking. A tremendous amount leaks out through that drilling and fracking system. A tremendous amount more leaks out through the millions of miles of pipes that carry it to its destinations, and then when we burn it, it creates carbon dioxide, also a global warming gas. prgtoken So we don't need to really get this report to know we are in trouble because we just have to look at the facts on the ground from our home States right now. I mean, Oregon is aflame. We have so many fires burning simultaneously, and the largest fire is over 400,000 acres-- 400,000 acres. Think how long it would take, if you were on a hike, to pass through 400,000 acres. prgtoken You know, a few years ago, we had a group of homes that were burned out in John Day, OR, some 24 or so homes, and we thought that was a big deal. Then last summer, we had six towns burn to the ground, completely incinerated. Now we have these massive, massive fires, as do Idaho and Montana and Washington State and California State and Colorado and Utah and New Mexico, Arizona. The West is aflame because the temperatures are so much higher. prgtoken What else is happening in Oregon? Well, our snowpack is disappearing; average snowpack is
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2021-8-9

I am here to talk about the Build Back Better proposal and the budget resolution that we will shortly take up, but let me just respond briefly to my good friend and colleague from Iowa's remarks on the interview that was conducted with Jeffrey Rosen on Saturday and the previous interview with Rich Donoghue. prgtoken I agree completely that the facts and the evidence are what are important here, and this investigation is supremely significant. I hope that we will join, on a bipartisan basis, to follow the facts and the law wherever they lead and encourage voluntary cooperation by the witnesses and collect all of the documents and other evidence that is necessary to fairly and fully present the truth to the American people. They deserve to know what we have heard so far, which amounts to a chilling and shocking picture of a President seeking to corrupt the Department of Justice and overthrow an election. That much has been clear from the evidence that we have seen prgtoken But I agree that we should not talk about the specific facts at this point because it is an ongoing investigation. And I hope that we will join, in a bipartisan way, not only to encourage voluntary cooperation but to seek testimony and documents by subpoena where necessary, where, as a matter of resort, if that evidence is denied, we need to do so because the interests of our Nation are best served by the truth. prgtoken All of it should be made public. Eventually, these transcripts from interviews and other evidence should be made public so that the American people can see the truth. I know that my colleague from Iowa has been a staunch and steadfast champion of whistleblowing, of making available the truth to the American people. Nobody in this body has been a stronger advocate of whistleblowers and protecting them so that the American people could see the truth than my colleague from Iowa. So I am hopeful that we will work together toward that end. Budget Reconciliation prgtoken , the Build Back Better proposal that will soon be coming before the Senate is literally a milestone for this country. prgtoken The bipartisan infrastructure proposal that we will shortly pass is transformative for our Nation and for Connecticut. It will enable us to do long-overdue work on our roads and bridges, our railroads and broadband, on the physical assets that are essential to this country creating jobs and remaining competitive around the globe. This work has been too long delayed, and I will be proud to support it. prgtoken I thank all of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have contributed so critically to making this vote possible; final passage of a measure that will enable the bridge across the Connecticut River to be truly safe and reliable; the Mixmaster in Waterbury--so-called because it mixes several roads at once--to be finally done; a proposal that will enable, we hope, eventua