mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Unidentified Flying Objects (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2023-2-13

I don't know what is up in the skies, what is going around, flying around, being spotted, and I think there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. If it is a threat to the United States in any way, shape, or form, it is absolutely unacceptable, and I think we all agree--both political parties. But when we start giving advice to this President and the Department of Defense in these matters, we have to stop and reflect on the manager of my local car wash in Springfield, IL. prgtoken I went there about a week ago when the first balloon was spotted. prgtoken He said: Senator, what is going on up there? prgtoken I said: I don't know. I think China is responsible for it. prgtoken He said: What are they trying to tell us? prgtoken I said: Whatever it is, we better answer them and answer them decisively. We don't need anybody from China or any other country flying in our airspace and endangering Americans in the process. prgtoken Then he said to me: But what about those cowboys in Congress who want to shoot it down wherever it is? Are they thinking about what is going to happen if the debris from that--whatever it is--falls on a city, hospital, school playground? They don't want to do that, do they, Senator? prgtoken Well, I hope they don't. But I wonder, when I listen to the comments of some people here who argue that we should have shot down that balloon when it was going across the United States, if they reflect on what might have been the collateral damage. We didn't know what was on that balloon. We knew it was the size of three schoolbuses. That is not a small operation. And whether it included anything that was dangerous to us, radioactive or some sort of explosive, we just didn't know. prgtoken I think we did the right thing. We waited until it was off the coast, the Atlantic Coast, still near our own territorial waters, and shot it down, and now we are recovering what was in it. prgtoken As for the other elements, we are going to be briefed this week on China, and I believe those questions are certainly going to be asked and should be asked. I will be there on a bipartisan basis, as I was last week. It is serious, and we ought to take it seriously. But the notion that we would shoot this down over Louisville, KY, or Springfield, IL, or Chicago--that is not responsible. I trust our military to make that decision and to understand where the debris field might be that would endanger people.
ORDERS FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2023
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-2-13

. Finally, , I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned under the provisions of S. Res. 57 until 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 14; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Mendez-Miro nomination postcloture; that at 11:30 a.m the Senate vote on the confirmation of the Mendez-Miro nomination, and that following the cloture vote on the Jenkins nomination, the Senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings; that at 2:15 p.m if cloture has been invoked on the Jenkins nomination, the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination; further that if any nominations are confirmed during Tuesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
TRIBUTE TO TYRON SPEARMAN
Jon Ossoff (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2023-2-13

I rise to honor a leader of Georgia's agricultural community. prgtoken Few are known better in the peanut industry than Georgia's own Tyron Spearman, who serves as executive director of the National Peanut Buying Points Association. prgtoken In 1978, Spearman helped initiate the American Peanut Council's Export Promotion program. He has visited a dozen countries promoting the U.S. peanut industry and has served as a two-time chair of the board of directors for the American Peanut Council. prgtoken Locally, Spearman is well-known as editor of the Peanut Grower Magazine, which is mailed to 8,000 peanut farmers. In 2013, he was awarded the Peanut Hull of Fame Award, the highest honor in the industry. prgtoken Last year, the National Peanut Buying Points Association and several other companies and associations announced the creation of the Tyron Spearman CAES Scholarship Fund, providing support to agricultural and environmental science students at the University of Georgia. prgtoken I recognize and commend Tyron Spearman for his lifetime of service and work advancing Georgia's and the United States' peanut industry.
HONORING THE LIFE OF DAVID FERDINAND DURENBERGER
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2023-2-13

I rise with my colleague Senator Smith, who will be speaking shortly, to recognize the life of Senator David Durenberger, who passed away on January 31, 2023, leaving behind his loving wife Susan, to whom he was married over 27 years, as well as his four sons, two stepchildren, and 14 grandchildren. prgtoken Last week, I had the honor of attending Dave's funeral at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN. Attendees included Governors of both parties. Governor Pawlenty was there, Governor Walz and Governor Dayton. prgtoken It was a fitting venue because in so many ways, Dave was St. John's College. He was raised there by his parents, George and Isabelle, both of whom were faculty members. And as a student at St. John's Prep and St. John's University, he grew up fully immersed in the Benedictine values of faith, listening, respect, stewardship, and justice. Those values shaped what he did. prgtoken Shortly after I won my first Senate race, Dave invited me to breakfast, and there is actually a photo of us on the wall when we had that breakfast in that restaurant. He had a few lessons he wanted to share with me. He didn't sugarcoat anything. He said that Washington can ``eat you up'' and that, too often, the value of stewardship is missing. prgtoken He told me to join the prayer breakfast, because he said it was one place where people could talk to each other, nothing would leak, and you could build trust and take a moment and put things in perspective. prgtoken I did join the prayer breakfast, and 2 years later, as often happens in these things, I was actually cochairing it with former Senator Johnny Isakson, another good Senator we will miss very much. prgtoken Dave also gave me a small book called ``The Teachings of Jesus'' and told me to keep it in my office, which I did. It is on my bookshelf. And as he predicted, I did look at it in moments of good and moments of bad. prgtoken One of the teachings stood out to me as I was reflecting on Dave's life. From Matthew 5:16: Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. prgtoken That is Dave. Through the bluster of Washington, Dave found ways to bring his good work and his belief in public service to the rest of the country. prgtoken Dave took volunteerism seriously. We saw it in how he lived his life. He paired up with his then-ic colleague, Senator Paul Wellstone, on the legislation that created AmeriCorps. As a result of their efforts, millions and millions of Americans have gotten the support that they have needed to better their communities. prgtoken Dave's devotion to stewardship is also clear when you look at what he did to promote conservation. It was in that spirit that he worked to successfully secure protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, for Voyageurs National Park, and for the Mississippi River. He wanted his grandkids and their kids to be able to experie
HONORING THE LIFE OF DAVID FERDINAND DURENBERGER
Tina Smith (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2023-2-13

thank you to my colleague Senator Klobuchar for those very personal words about our shared friend, Senator Dave Durenberger. prgtoken I rise today with my colleague Senator Klobuchar to honor the life of Senator Dave Durenberger, whom we lost, as Amy said, on January 31. prgtoken Archie and I send all of our support to the Durenberger family--to Susan, Charlie and Lois, Dave and Heather, Michael and Margaret, Daniel and Jennifer--and to all of the family who loved him so well. prgtoken When he was first elected to the Senate in 1978, Senator Durenberger became the first Senator from Minnesota in 20 years, but his political affiliation never defined him. Throughout his 16 years in service in the Senate, Senator Durenberger measured his success by doing work that helped people, not by scoring political points for himself or his party. prgtoken Long before arriving in Washington, Senator Durenberger was committed to public service and committed to improving the lives of Minnesotans. He was, as Amy said, a proud graduate of St. John's University and the University of Minnesota Law School. He also spent 2 years as an Army officer and 7 more in the Reserves. Later, he served as chief of staff for Gov. Harold LeVander. prgtoken When I became chief of staff to Gov. Mark Dayton in 2010, Dave quickly called me up to offer his advice and support, with his characteristic understatement and dry sense of humor. prgtoken In Minnesota, Senator Durenberger was respected as a volunteer, a thinker, a doer. He was always ready to pitch in and help with a wide array of organizations that he saw were doing good work, from those dedicated to environmental protection to conservation, to children's health. prgtoken In the Senate, Dave built a reputation as a powerful advocate and expert on healthcare reform. He was instrumental in passing the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, which recognized the civil rights of people living with disabilities, and he was an effective leader on legislation to protect our air and water, to clean up Superfund sites, and to protect public lands so that all of our children and grandchildren could enjoy them forever. prgtoken After he left the Senate, he continued to advocate for the things that he cared about, from improving healthcare to protecting the environment. He became one of the Nation's leading health policy experts at the University of St. Thomas and helped to mentor the next generation of health policy leaders. prgtoken When I came to the Senate and won a seat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, a committee that Dave also served on, he immediately reached out to me to offer support and ideas. Every year, he organized a group of young healthcare leaders, through the Health Policy Center at St. Thomas, to come to Washington, and I always made time to sit down and talk with them. It was so great to see how Senator Durenberger continued to inst
PENNSYLVANIA BLACK HISTORY MONTH HONOREES
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2023-2-13

every year, it is my privilege, during Black History Month, to honor Black Pennsylvanians who have made particularly notable contributions to their communities and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I rise today to pay tribute to this year's honorees and to commend their deep commitment to service. This year's theme is ``Inspiring a Bold and Bright Future.'' Several individuals we honor have been laboring in their communities for generations, while we are also honoring a younger generation of Pennsylvanians who have already brought about positive change in their communities. We have chosen to honor both those in the dawn of their service and those who are well established in that service to highlight the generational and sustained nature of this work and to emphasize the enduring relationships between our older heroes and those who come behind them to take up the mantel of justice work and community empowerment. Hettie Simmons Love--south central Pennsylvania prgtoken In 1947, a young African-American woman, Hettie Simmons, graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with her MBA in accounting, becoming the first African-American to do so. While Hettie never had the opportunity to pursue a career in the same manner afforded to other graduates of Wharton, she continued to forge a path where she could apply her talents for the benefit of others. While she has recently been discovered late in life as a ``hidden figure,'' to many in central Pennsylvania, she is an accomplished community leader clearing a path for those who came after her. prgtoken Hettie Simmons was born in Jacksonville, FL, and attended Fisk University, a historically Black college or university--HBCU--in Tennessee where she majored in math. After graduating from Fisk in 1943, her desire for better opportunities for her future led her to apply for admission to Penn's Wharton School. prgtoken Unable to pursue a career with her Wharton degree, Hettie Simmons Love, newly married and living in Philadelphia, applied her academic skills in community settings, serving as treasurer in several organizations and, after the family moved to burg in 1971, serving as the church treasurer at St. Paul's Episcopal Church for over 20 years. prgtoken Hettie also lent her business acumen to three different Black-owned businesses in the burg area, serving as a bookkeeper and offering suggestions for operational improvements. In her early eighties, Hettie Simmons Love was still volunteering to help seniors with their income tax forms. Hettie is also a long-time member of her sorority, volunteering for decades and becoming a diamond member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc in 2016 for having been a member for 75 years. prgtoken In December 2016, Hettie was awarded a Trailblazer award from the National African-American MBA Association for being the first African- American graduate studen
CONDEMNING THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY'S USE OF A HIGH-ALTITUDE SURVEILLANCE BALLOON OVER UNITED STATES TERRITORY AS A BRAZEN VIOLATION OF UNITED STATES SOVEREIGNTY
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2023-2-14

This was no weather balloon. This was a spy balloon. prgtoken Let me be very clear: Members of both sides of the aisle, and s, are standing before the American people and recognizing that this resolution of the Chinese Communist Party's actions is appropriate, and we should, as Americans, denounce their actions. prgtoken Let me be very clear as well: I want to congratulate the United States military intelligence officials and others who effectively took the Commander in Chief's order that occurred on February 1st to shoot it down. prgtoken They handled themselves with the greatest amount of appropriateness to ensure that the American people were safe, to contain the threat, and do their job. prgtoken It serves no purpose to suggest that the Commander in Chief, President , failed the American people or did anything wrong. prgtoken Interestingly enough, in the midst of the spy balloon, over 70 percent of the American people believe that took to the podium in the State of the Union and gave them enough comfort that the State of the Union is well, our souls are strong, and the American people are strong. prgtoken Yes, as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am keenly aware and concerned about the Nation's national security, keenly aware of the timeframe in which this spy balloon came into our eyesight. prgtoken With that in mind, even as it traversed the United States, I can assure you, in spite of the chronicling of the facts here, that General Austin, the Department of Defense, and others that were responsible for our safety, pursuant to the direction of the Commander in Chief, followed this spy balloon and were able to handle it appropriately in the course of shooting it down. prgtoken Finally, let me say: it is important that we use this as a condemnation of the Chinese Communist Party. prgtoken Let us not use this to intimidate Chinese Americans or to be able to create atmospheres of hate. I denounce that, and I denounce SB 147 in the State of Texas that wants to stop Chinese Americans from buying property. That is not the American way. prgtoken What is the American way is to stand as and s and Members of Congress to take our full responsibility, alongside the executive, to ensure national security. We have done that. prgtoken We have the facts, we know the traversing, and I can assure you that the Chinese Americans have not engaged themselves in this activity and should not be condemned. prgtoken The Chinese Communist Party is aware of the strength of the people of the United States and their defense.
Mass Shootings (Executive Calendar)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2023-2-14

today is Valentine's Day and a day we set aside to celebrate love, but far too many American families this day have haunting memories and unfathomable pain. They are the families of Americans killed by gun violence. prgtoken Last night, the families of three Michigan State University students joined the heartbroken ranks. Five additional victims were wounded. It was the 67th mass shooting in the United States of America in this calendar year. February 14, the 67th mass shooting--more than 1 mass shooting every day this year. What is a mass shooting? When four people or more are injured or killed. prgtoken No other nation on Earth accepts this wholesale slaughter that we have now become so inured to in the United States. We shouldn't be. Americans have seen too much carnage from guns. I am sick of it. This Nation is sick of it. prgtoken Five years ago today, a 19-year-old gunman murdered 17 people and wounded 17 more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL--the fifth anniversary of it, and we are observing the madness and slaughter that took place in Michigan. The gunman fired indiscriminately at Parkland, at students and teachers, and used a Smith & Wesson AR-15 assault rifle. The dead included 14 students and 3 staff members who died trying to protect them. prgtoken The Parkland shooting horrified our Nation. It cut especially deep at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL, 65 miles outside of Chicago. You see, exactly 10 years ago on Valentine's Day 2008, a gunman armed with a shotgun and three semiautomatic pistols kicked open the door of an auditorium-style classroom at Northern Illinois and walked up and down the aisle, shooting people indiscriminately. The shooting lasted just under 6 minutes. When it ended, 5 students had died at Northern and more than 20 were injured. prgtoken Six weeks into the year 2023, and already this year, at least 5,127 Americans have died from gun violence according to the Gun Violence Archive. They died in homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings. prgtoken Last year, Congress passed and President signed the most sweeping gun safety law in 30 years--the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Among other things, it toughened background checks for gun purchasers under the age of 21 and cracked down on the trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms. It also included funding to help States implement red flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a danger to themselves or others. Just today, my home State of Illinois was awarded $9\1/2\ million in funding under the new law to help carry out Illinois' red flag law. That is progress. But the majority of Americans support even stronger gun safety laws, including closing the gaps in the background check system for gun purchases. prgtoken I believe that Congress should also restore the ban on assault weapons, including AR-15-style rifles--increasingly the weapon of choice for mass
INTRODUCTION OF THE NO TAX SUBSIDIES FOR STADIUMS ACT
Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2023-2-14

today I introduced the No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act. This commonsense legislation will close the tax loophole that allows a tax-exemption on municipal bonds used to finance professional sports stadiums. prgtoken For more than a century, the federal government has supported state and local infrastructure projects by excluding the interest on municipal bonds from federal income taxes. Qualified projects eligible for a tax-exemption include roads, sewers and water systems, hospitals, schools, govenunental buildings, and other projects for the public good. However, a loophole in the tax code allows professional sports franchises to use public money to construct stadiums using taxexempt municipal bonds. prgtoken Since 2000, dozens of professional sports stadiums have been constructed or rehabilitated under financing provided by federal tax- exempt municipal bonds, costing taxpayers nearly $4 billion. While professional sports teams promise state and local governments that their stadiums will produce local economic development and job creation, there is no quantifiable evidence that they provide these benefits. Providing a federal subsidy for a professional sports stadium requires residents of a state without a professional team to subsidize a stadium in another part of the country, where they receive no benefit whatsoever. Public financing creates a race to the bottom where teams worth hundreds of millions, or billions, of dollars have all the leverage to exploit city budgets for their own gain. prgtoken By disallowing a federal tax-exemption, hundreds of millions of dollars a year will be returned to American taxpayers or can be put toward making our communities more safe, healthy, and economically secure. I thank my friends Senators Lankford and Booker in their support for this legislation in the Senate and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this critical legislation.
HONORING THE CAREER OF JOSEPH ESKENAZI
Ted Lieu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-2-14

I rise to celebrate Mr. Joseph Eskenazi, a decorated United States Army veteran living in California's 36th Congressional District who was honored at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans for his service. As the Nation's oldest living U.S. Pearl Harbor survivor, Joseph celebrated his 105th birthday on January 30, 2023. prgtoken Joseph Eskenazi was born on January 30, 1918, in New York. At the age of 7, Joseph and his family moved to Puebla, Mexico. Though he spent many of his formative years in Puebla, Mr. Eskenazi returned to New York in 1936 and he enlisted in the Army in 1938. In 1941, Private First Class Eskenazi was stationed at the Schofield Barracks as a member of Company C of the 804th Engineers. On the morning of December 7, 1941, Joseph witnessed the bombing on Pearl Harbor and lost a friend as a Japanese plane strafed their barracks. When his captain in the 804th Engineers Battalion sought volunteers to help clear debris, Joseph raised his hand without hesitation and drove a bulldozer, while avoiding gun fire, to clear the railroad tracks to allow other soldiers to move equipment and repair damage to the Hickam Airfield. prgtoken After the war, Joseph traveled back to Mexico, where he met his wife, Victoria Faradji. They moved to Redondo Beach. California, and Joseph worked at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Joseph assisted with the design of the runways at LAX. Throughout this time and after retirement, Joseph and Victoria followed their passion for travel, sharing many trips abroad together. They were happily married for 74 years. prgtoken At the age of 95, Joseph's military history was recognized, and he was invited to participate in local Veterans and Memorial Day events. With the assistance of the Gary Sinise Foundation's Soaring Valor Program, Joseph made the train ride from Los Angeles to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Surrounded by family and local residents, Joseph and eight other veterans were celebrated and honored in a ceremony for their service in World War II. Joseph's oral history of his service was added to the National World War II Museum's archives. prgtoken I want to thank and recognize Joseph for his years in the service to our Nation, and to communities in Southern California. His heroic actions during World War II and the life of service he has lived is an inspiration to our country.