mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Nomination of Asmeret Asefaw Berhe (Executive Calendar)
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2022-5-10

I am pleased to support the nomination of Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe to be the Director of the Office of Science at the Department of Energy. prgtoken President Reagan famously complained that the Department of Energy never ``produced a quart of oil or a lump of coal,'' but that was never the Department's job. prgtoken The Department of Energy is as much a Department of Science and Technology as a Department of Energy. For nearly 50 years, it has been at the forefront of scientific discovery and technology innovation. As a seedbed for science, the Department has given us the technologies to increase our energy production and use our resources in a cleaner and more efficient way, and the Office of Science lies at the heart of the Department's science mission. prgtoken It is the Nation's largest Federal supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. Its mission is to deliver the ``scientific discoveries, capabilities, and major scientific tools to transform the understanding of nature and to advance the energy, economic, and national security of the United States.'' prgtoken Leading this important scientific enterprise calls for a scientist of great ability and vision. I believe Dr. Berhe is very qualified for this important job. In judging from the long list of academic honors and awards that she has received and the long list of scientific papers that she has written, Dr. Berhe has the scientific credentials this job requires. She is a professor of soil biochemistry at the University of California, where she is also an associate dean of graduate education and holds an endowed chair in Earth Sciences and Geology. prgtoken The Office of Science itself has long engaged in basic research relating to soil science and broader ecological questions, whether they be tracing radioactive elements through the atmosphere or the flow of energy, water, and carbon through the Earth's natural systems. So her background is an asset and makes her very well suited to lead the Office of Science. prgtoken Dr. Berhe is also an adjunct professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and she has been a visiting professor at ETH Zurich, where Albert Einstein studied physics. She didn't teach him, but he studied there. She has authored over 100 scientific papers and has received over two dozen honors and awards for her scientific achievements. prgtoken She is incredibly well qualified for this important post of leading the Office of Science. I strongly support her nomination, and I urge a favorable vote on her nomination. prgtoken all time.
MEMORIAL DAY
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2022-5-10

I rise today to honor and remember the veterans throughout Michigan's history who have given their lives on behalf of our country. prgtoken Even before Michigan was a State, these brave patriots have been willing to risk everything--even their lives--in order to defend our Nation, our people, and our way of life. prgtoken Perhaps the stakes were never higher than in World War II. Totalitarianism threatened free countries and free people, echoes of which we are tragically seeing today in Ukraine. Americans--and Michiganders--would not stand by and watch democracy die. prgtoken We planted victory gardens. We purchased war bonds. And we built an Arsenal of Democracy strong enough to defeat dictators and defend freedom around the world. prgtoken More than half a million Michigan men and women served in our Armed Forces. For more than 15,000 of them, it was the last thing they ever did. prgtoken We can never repay them for their sacrifice. But we can remember them, honor them, and share their stories. prgtoken That is the aim of the Michigan World War II Legacy Memorial in Royal Oak. Ground was broken for this special place just last month. prgtoken The memorial will feature statues representing life on the battlefront and the homefront. A series of pillars will stand for Michigan's contributions to the war. A brick walkway will tell the stories of those who fought and sacrificed. And a wall of stars will commemorate the lives that were lost. prgtoken Each one of the 1,300 stars will represent more than 10 Michigan men and women who gave their lives for our country. One of those stars shines for Pfc. Walter Wetzel of Roseville. prgtoken On the morning of April 3, 1945, Pfc. Wetzel was guarding his platoon's command post when it came under fire. German troops fought their way close to the building and threw two grenades into the room Pfc. Wetzel was defending alongside his fellow soldiers. Pfc. Wetzel shouted a warning and threw himself on top of the grenades, sacrificing his own life so that others could fight on. prgtoken For this supreme act of bravery, Pfc. Wetzel was awarded the Medal of Honor, which is now on display at the Michigan Heroes Museum in Frankenmuth. prgtoken Pfc. Wetzel deserves to be remembered, as does everyone who laid down their lives for our country. It is incredibly fitting that Michigan would honor their sacrifice in such a lasting way. prgtoken This Memorial Day, we remember all Michigan veterans who gave their lives in service to our country. And we salute all of our veterans who are still with us. It is only because of their sacrifice that our democracy endures.
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF ARTHUR CLEVELAND HESTER
Sharice Davids (Democrat, KS) \u2014 2022-5-10

. Madam , I rise today to celebrate the life of Mr. Arthur ``Art'' Cleveland Hester. Mr. Hester led an accomplished life, serving his nation during a time of war, and influencing the next generation. He leaves behind a large family and community that will miss him greatly. prgtoken Mr. Hester was dedicated to serving this nation diligently throughout his life, and this is well exemplified by his military service. After graduating The United States Military Academy with a degree in mechanical engineering, Mr. Hester served two campaigns in Vietnam where he was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. He earned several commendations for his service, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. But of course, he was most proud of his time as an Airborne Ranger. After returning to the United States, he received a master's degree in Finance from New York University and a master's degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University. When he retired from active duty in 1981, he became a reservist in the Army and began working at the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas. He would devote much of his career to automotive manufacturing, working in plants across the country as a manager and supervisor. Even when he eventually left GM in 1998, he continued to work in automotive manufacturing as a founding partner of engineering firm CHB and as a program manager who provided technical support to automotive and manufacturing organizations. prgtoken Mr. Hester was generous with his time, often choosing to help mentor young people at his church and in his local community. I will always be grateful to Mr. Hester for serving on prgtoken my office's Academy Nominations Panel, where he helped evaluate and advise local academy candidates that were interested in serving their country as he had. His perspective was unique and highly valued; I will sincerely miss his wit, empathy, and candor. prgtoken Mr. Hester leaves behind a large legacy of service, compassion, and dedication that all Americans can admire.
HONORING BRIGADIER GENERAL (RETIRED) DONNA R. WILLIAMS
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2022-5-10

. Madam , I rise today to honor a tenacious and self-motivated leader, Brigadier General (Retired) Donna R. Williams. Brigadier General (Retired) Williams has shown what can be done through hard work, dedication, and a desire to achieve success. (Retired) Williams is a native of Vicksburg and earned her commission through the Senior Army ROTC Early Commissioning Program (ECP) at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, where she also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. She holds a master of business administration degree in Information Technology and Military Management from Touro University, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College (USAWC), Carlisle Barracks, PA. prgtoken She served her Nation honorably as an Army Engineer Officer for 32 years. Brigadier General (Retired) Williams' duty stations included key developmental and career-enhancing assignments across the Continental United States, Hawaii, Iraq and other overseas assignments. Brigadier General (Retired) Williams is an employee with the Engineer Research and Development Center at the United States Corps of Engineers Reachback Operations Center in Vicksburg. prgtoken She is a proud member of the Vicksburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Vicksburg Branch of NAACP and a lifetime member of the Army ROTC Hall of Fame. She was recognized as the Vicksburg Post Hero of the week in April 2022. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Brigadier General (Retired) Donna R. Williams for her passion and dedication to serve Mississippi and this Country.
SPECIALIST FOUR CHARLES JOHNSON POST OFFICE
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-5-10

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise today in support of H.R. 92 to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 110 Johnson Street in Pickens, South Carolina, as the Specialist Four Charles Johnson Post Office. prgtoken Specialist Four Charles Johnson was born on August 4, 1940, in Pickens, South Carolina, to Mr. Charles Johnson, Sr and Mrs. Essie Jamison Johnson. prgtoken He attended the Pickens County Training School and was a 1958 graduate of Clearview High School in Easley, South Carolina. prgtoken After completing high school, he enlisted in the United States Army with the military parental consent of his mother since he was only 17 years old when he began his military career. prgtoken Specialist Four Johnson completed his basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was a paratrooper. Unfortunately, he was killed in action by a gunshot wound to the chest while serving in Vietnam. prgtoken His mother described him as a playful boy and happy all the time. He served with his brothers, Specialist Four John H. Johnson and Specialist Four Leroy Johnson. prgtoken I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Specialist Four Johnson by naming the post office at 110 Johnson Street in Pickens, South Carolina, as the Specialist Four Charles Johnson Post Office. .
Lucille Roybal-Allard (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-5-10

today I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1096 because I believe the time has come to recognize our Congressional Workers' Right to Organize. Just as celebrated Mexican American Civil Rights Activist and Labor Leader, Cesar Chavez said (`` Se Puede.''). Yes, you can. prgtoken Madam , the American Labor Movement was born out of a creed and fundamental belief rooted firmly in protecting the common interests of workers by promoting and advancing the social, political, and economic equality of every man, woman, and child. prgtoken Throughout our nation's history, workers have come together to bravely share their workplace experiences and illustrate their need for the protected right to organize. The earliest labor unions were inspired by a just society, deriving their ideals from the American Revolution. They sought to create conditions that fostered social equality, celebrated honest labor, and relied on independent and virtuous citizenship. prgtoken It was the American Federation of Labor, a union, that successfully negotiated wage increases for its members and enhanced workplace safety in the early 20th Century. prgtoken And it was the dedication and efforts from unions like United Farm Workers, United Auto Workers, and United Steelworkers, that have long championed religious freedoms, the evolving demands of the environmental movement; the rights of farm workers; promoting human rights both domestically and abroad; advancing civil liberties; social justice, and economic equality for every American. prgtoken It took President Franklin D. Roosevelt's leadership and the hard work of unions for Congress to pass the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, which is responsible for establishing the eight-hour day and five-day week for wage employees. As FDR once told union and civil- rights leader A. Philip Randolph, he agreed with the labor movement's ideas, but it was the work of the activists that made him go out and advocate for these reforms. prgtoken Throughout our Nation's history, workers and their unions have agitated lobbied, organized, struck, and voted for decades to achieve more equitable and safe working conditions. prgtoken For the past thirty years, it has been my great honor to serve the California's 40th Congressional District and the American people. I prgtoken have been able to do this through a hard-working, dedicated and committed staff. prgtoken I am happy to join my colleagues in bringing Congressional Staff closer to having the legal right to organize and bargain collectively. prgtoken Yes, you can. (Si, Se Puede)
WOMEN'S HEALTH PROTECTION ACT
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2022-5-10

I will probably get in trouble with somebody for saying this, but the question of when life begins, the deeper question of what defines life, which biological entities are alive or possess independent existence versus which biological entities are simply part of something else that is alive--man, those are really hard questions. prgtoken I heard my colleague Senator Daines on the floor earlier tonight talking passionately about his belief that life begins at conception and that humans have an obligation to defend a day-old fetus equally to our obligation to defend the life of someone who has been born. prgtoken Now, I disagree. I believe that life begins at birth. I believe that our legal obligation towards a born human is different than our legal obligation toward an unborn fetus. But on that narrow question of when life begins, I don't cast any particular judgment on Senator Daines for believing what he believes. His belief system is shared by millions of Americans--not the majority of Americans, but a significant share. prgtoken This disagreement that he and I have over when legally protected life begins, though, is as significant and as important a disagreement as exists--right--because it is about the most foundational questions in human existence: What is life? Who decides whether a woman bears a child? Who has control over that woman's body? Who has control over the most sacred and critical function of a human being, the act of giving birth? It just doesn't get any more important than that set of questions. prgtoken And given this fundamental disagreement, given the weightiness of these questions, given the large number of Americans who sit on either side of these questions, I come to one simple conclusion: No government, no group of politicians, should make this decision for anyone else. This decision about whether to abort a pregnancy, so morally complicated, so socially divisive, should and must be left to individuals--in this case, to women--to decide. prgtoken Over the course of history, millions have died in fights over another weighty moral issue--the question of whether God exists, and if a God exists, exactly what form that being takes and what it requires of humans. Disputes over religion have eradicated entire civilizations. prgtoken What does this have to do with Roe v. Wade? prgtoken Well, our Founding Fathers decided that there were some topics that were so personal, so subject to disagreement and controversy, that government should just be barred from registering judgment. prgtoken That is part of the reason why our civilization has not been plagued by wars between religious groups--a reality that continues to paralyze societies to this day in other parts of the world--because we keep government out of the question of which God is the right God. That is up to every American to decide for themselves, even though many Americans believe that the consequence of observing or foll
U.S. SUPREME COURT
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2022-5-10

I am here for the 14th time to keep unmasking the scheme to control our Supreme Court--a scheme that is now poised to destroy a woman's right to make her own reproductive health choices and to smash foundational Supreme Court precedent to get there. prgtoken Last week, Politico confirmed a fear that many of us have had for years. We now see that the Supreme Court has at least five votes to eradicate Roe v. Wade, one of the most important decisions in the Court's history. For nearly half a century, women in this country have relied on Roe's recognition that our constitutional right to privacy includes the right to decide when to have a child. This is one of the most profoundly personal and life-changing decisions anyone can make. Now, the draft opinion from Justice Alito shows in black and white how the Court plans to steamroll over that right--and afterward probably many others that are anchored in that same American right to privacy. prgtoken If Justice Alito's draft opinion becomes law, women in this country will have a well-established constitutional right stripped away. That has not happened before. prgtoken Already 13 States have trigger bans that will snap into place the moment Roe is overturned, and 13 more are expected to ban or severely restrict abortions in the future. And it won't stop there. For example, Louisiana's lawmakers just advanced a bill that would criminalize abortion as homicide and allow prosecutors to charge women seeking abortions as criminals. prgtoken In the week since the news broke, a lot of Americans have expressed just how strongly they disagree with the path this Court is headed down. They are disappointed, stunned, outraged, and they are right. When you take a second to remember what these same Justices told us in the past about Roe, you can be doubly outraged. I know on the Senate Judiciary Committee are. We saw the last three Justices come through that committee and look us in the eye as we asked what they thought about Roe. Let's be clear: Each of these Justices came before the committee; each was specifically asked about Roe v. Wade. prgtoken Here is what they told us: prgtoken Neil Gorsuch: Roe v. Wade, decided in 1973, is a precedent of the United States Supreme Court. It has been reaffirmed. prgtoken Brett Kavanaugh: It is settled as a precedent of the Supreme Court, entitled to respect under principles of stare decisis. prgtoken Amy Coney Barrett: Roe is not a super-precedent because calls for its overruling have never ceased. But that doesn't mean that Roe should be overruled. It just means that it doesn't fall within a small handful of cases like Marbury v. Madison and Brown v. Board that no one questions anymore. prgtoken Add in Alito himself: Roe v. Wade is an important precedent of the Supreme Court. prgtoken Yet here is what Alito's draft opinion
Abortion (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-5-10

last week, Americans woke up to the news that was perhaps not unexpected but still stunning. prgtoken It appears that in a matter of weeks, we may soon live in a country where women have fewer constitutional rights than their parents or grandparents. prgtoken In one bold move, the ultraconservative, activist majority on the Supreme Court appears poised to erase the constitutional right to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term. prgtoken I want to be clear: The leak of the majority draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is an unprecedented breach of the Court's confidential deliberations. It may harm the trust the Justices have with one another, as well as the public's trust in the Court. prgtoken Still, one must wonder, Why is it that our colleagues have been focused so exclusively on the leak of the draft opinion rather than the substance of the opinion itself? And why do we hear in the last few days a continued reference to the security of Supreme Court Justices without a real discussion of where the proposed opinion will take us? prgtoken Let's make it clear--unequivocally clear--in a bipartisan fashion: Violence is never acceptable. Violence is never acceptable against Supreme Court Justices, their families, their staff, or anyone associated with that branch of government. prgtoken Nor is violence acceptable on January 6, 2021, in this Chamber, when the mob--the insurrectionist mob--leaving a rally came here and tried to stop the business of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, and we left as fast as we could move out the back door to try to escape that. That was violence which led to five deaths and the assaults on 150 members of law enforcement. That violence is unacceptable as well, and I hope my friends on the other side of the aisle, who vetoed an effort for a bipartisan commission to investigate the violence of January 6, will step up now and say they were wrong. prgtoken Violence against a Supreme Court Justice, violence against a Member of the House, and a Member of the Senate--none of those is acceptable, period. Unequivocally. Period. prgtoken I am in favor of protecting the Justices, of course. I have been party to efforts in my home State of Illinois, after a tragic incident over 10 years ago, when a disgruntled client ended up killing a Federal judge's mother and husband in their home. prgtoken Since then, I have called for more security, and I am glad to add my name to this effort now to provide security to this Court and all the members of the Court, their families, and the staff who are involved. prgtoken It is unacceptable. Violence, either in this building or across the street, is unacceptable. prgtoken But I would like to speak as well to the substance of the statement just made by the Senator from Texas. prgtoken He recalled the case of Kermit Gosnell, a case where a doctor in Philadelphia was convicted, virtually of