mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DEFENDING RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
Brian J. Mast (Republican, FL) \u2014 2021-6-28

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , I would just say this: Number one, I think you would do well to turn off the phone and pay attention to this Special Order while you have the honor of presiding over the floor of the House of Representatives. The words being spoken are important here. prgtoken I would just share a brief anecdote with you, and it is this: I have spent many nights in combat. And like many of my friends, helmet, night-vision optics, lots of Velcro camo, backpack. I was a bomb technician, so I normally carried 30, 40 pounds of explosives. I had my side arm. I had my carbine. I had a metal detector and a number of other things. I normally had about 10 magazines across the front of my vest. And we were heavy. We were carrying a lot of weight on any given night. And every single night, both myself and my brothers in arms would decide how many more magazines we were going to put into our backpacks, into our kits, because we always felt that the dumbest reason for any of us to die would be for a lack of shooting back. prgtoken And I think that is something that would, in turn, be one of the dumbest reasons for any law-abiding American to bring about their death, would be because they can't shoot back.
RECOGNIZING DARRELL HARRIS
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Republican, IA) \u2014 2021-6-28

I rise today in recognition of an individual in my district who has been the true embodiment of Iowa nice and midwestern tough his entire life. prgtoken Darrell has lived his entire life in rural southeastern Iowa. prgtoken Darrell grew up very poor and dropped out of school in the eighth grade to help take care of his family. prgtoken Throughout his life, Darrell spent time working on the railroad and started a family farm that is still in operation today. prgtoken Darrell was lucky enough to marry the woman of his dreams and have three beautiful children with her. prgtoken Sadly, his wife passed away at a young age, leaving Darrell as a single father to raise three young children. prgtoken Nevertheless, Darrell kept his head down and he worked hard, never asking for help and always willing to lend a hand when others needed it. prgtoken Darrell's work ethic, kindness, and never-give-up attitude are an inspiration to us all, and I am proud to represent him in Congress.
TAXPAYERS SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERIES
Gregory F. Murphy (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-6-28

. Madam , today I rise to speak on the recent ruling by the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs to allow taxpayer dollars to be spent to provide sex reassignment surgeries. I have been a board certified urologist for 30 years, so I am quite knowledgeable about patients who suffer from gender dysphoria. Those who experience this mental and physical ambiguity may seek care that involves years of psychological and psychiatric evaluation counseling, years of hormonal manipulation, and then multiple cosmetic surgeries. The cost of these interventions may easily run into the hundreds and thousands of dollars. prgtoken Recent numbers cited by the National Center for Transgender Equality stated there were an estimated 134,000 transgender veterans in our Nation. However, using the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders data from 2019, that calculated number appears to be far less. Regardless, the new Secretary has mandated that sex reassignment surgery be covered by the VA. prgtoken Again, I am very empathetic to the challenges that these patients face, but as a surgeon and a Member of Congress, I must question the surgical priorities here. The VA is already understaffed and overburdened, and now requiring a competing array of treatments may lead to a delay in diagnosis for serious life-threatening disorders. It is an issue of resources and priorities. prgtoken There is actually a much heated debate on whether this sex reassignment surgery is truly appropriate or beneficial. In fact, in 2016 the administration came to the conclusion that it was not. In 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revisited the question of whether sex reassignment surgery would be covered by Medicare plans. Despite receiving a request that its coverage be mandated, it refused. It refused to cover it on the grounds that we lack evidence that it truly benefits patients. prgtoken It is well documented that up to 40 percent of the transgender population will attempt suicide at some point. There is no clear evidence that this tragic statistic changes anything after having sex reassignment surgery. In fact, as recent as August of 2020 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, it states that comparing those with gender dysphoria who had sex change surgery with those who did not, that the results demonstrated no advantage of surgery in relation to subsequent mood or anxiety disorder-related healthcare visits or prescriptions or hospitalizations following suicide attempts in that comparison. I could go on with the medical statistics, but suffice it to say, there is no clear consensus regarding surgical intervention in this population. prgtoken Madam , I represent the sixth largest number of veterans in any congressional district in the country. These surgeries that are required require complex surgical intervention by highly trained surgical specialists that the VA does not have, nor ha
DEFENDING RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
Chip Roy (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-6-28

. Madam , I thank the gentleman from Georgia for his conviction and his dedication to this issue and getting us this opportunity for all of us to share that. prgtoken I appreciate the remarks from my friend, the gentleman from Kentucky. I couldn't agree more about how offensive what we heard from the President of the United States with respect to our Second Amendment protected rights; and then coming in and talking about the foolishness of our desire to have our Second Amendment rights protected when, in fact, we would be up against F-15s and potential nuclear weapons. prgtoken Imagine the absurdity of having the President of the United States say that. prgtoken Meanwhile, I live in Austin, Texas, where currently crime rates are skyrocketing. Murder rates almost double. prgtoken Why might that be? prgtoken The President of the United States gave a speech allegedly about crime. prgtoken Did he talk about the defunding of police? Did he talk about the $150 million stripped out of the budget in Austin, Texas? prgtoken How about Oakland right now, doubling down on their foolish defunding of the police? prgtoken It wasn't enough to take $15 million out of it last time, and now seeing murder rates skyrocket. They are now doubling down for another $16 million. They think that is going to solve their problems. prgtoken The genius of the current administration, my on the other side of the aisle, is to take police off the streets and then come after our Second Amendment rights. prgtoken How about the border of Texas? prgtoken The border of Texas is wide open with cartels operating fully from the Gulf of Mexico all the way up through Big Bend. They have operational control of our border. We have images of gunmen coming across the Rio Grande. We have humans being sold into sex trafficking and human trafficking. We have 7,500 pounds of fentanyl pouring across our border; Americans dying in this opioid epidemic. We have Americans in danger. prgtoken And what do want to do? prgtoken Take away our Second Amendment rights to defend ourselves as they defund police and empower cartels. prgtoken That is your ic Party, ladies and gentlemen. They want you to be in danger. They want you to have to suffer the consequences of their rote incompetence and disbelief in your ability to take care of your own families and your communities. prgtoken The President of the United States actually said the other day that, in fact, you are not allowed to have a cannon. prgtoken Well, you know what? prgtoken In Texas, there was a moment when we had a cannon and we looked at the Mexicans and we said: Come and take it, in 1835. prgtoken And that is what I say to the President of the United States: Come and take it, because it is our Second Amendment rights and we are going to defend ourselves. prgtoken And when he asks why we need 20 rounds of ammo, maybe it is because he is saying that he wants to come after the American people with F-15s a
HONORING OUR PROMISES THROUGH EXPEDITION FOR AFGHAN SIVS ACT OF 2021
Cliff Bentz (Republican, OR) \u2014 2021-6-28

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 created a special immigrant visa, or green card, program for Afghan nationals who have worked for or on behalf of the United States Government for at least a year and who have experienced a serious threat as a result of this work. The program also provides green cards to the spouse and children of the Afghan national. prgtoken To date, over 15,500 green cards have been issued to principal applicants. Additionally, for each principal applicant, an average of 3.5 green cards have been issued to the spouse and children. prgtoken Section 221(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act requires an alien seeking a U.S. green card to undergo a physical and mental exam prior to the issuance of the green card. Any communicable diseases found during the exam must be treated before the alien is allowed to come to the U.S. This reasonable requirement helps to ensure that aliens do not introduce communicable diseases into the U.S. population once in the country. prgtoken H.R. 3385, the HOPE for Afghan SIVs Act of 2021, allows the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State to waive the medical exam requirement until after the Afghan SIV holder is admitted to the U.S. Proponents of the bill believe that the waiver authority granted by the bill will speed the pace of processing for some of the Afghan population seeking green cards. prgtoken Timing is important because, earlier this year, President announced that American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. The Taliban continues to fight and take over districts in Afghanistan. There is concern that the lives of the Afghan nationals who work for the U.S. Government, and their families, are in danger because the Taliban intends to kill them. prgtoken Many in Congress would like to see all 18,000-plus remaining Afghan nationals and their families who are at some point in the SIV process immediately brought to the U.S. However, there is no way to adequately conduct the necessary background checks and to otherwise process that many green card applications in such a short timeframe. prgtoken As sympathetic as we are to this population and this situation, we should not abdicate our duty to thoroughly vet potential green card recipients. H.R. 3385 is a measured response to the chaotic situation surrounding the Afghan SIV program. prgtoken This bill is yet another piece of legislation that has skipped the committee markup process this Congress. Had this bill gone through regular order, we would have been able to discuss concerns and make potential changes. That said, late last week, Judiciary Committee s worked with Mr. Crow and Mr. Wenstrup, as well as Chairman Nadler, to address some concerns. prgtoken For instance, the sponsors agreed to reduce the 90-day window after admission for the alien to complete the medical exam to 30 days. During a global pa
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE ACT
Michael Waltz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2021-6-28

I rise in support of H.R. 2225, the NSF for the Future Act, which I am proud to be an original cosponsor of, along with Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member Lucas, and Chairwoman Stevens. prgtoken As ranking member of the Research and Technology Subcommittee, I am proud of the process this bill went through to get here today, with well over a year's work, including meetings, roundtables, legislative hearings, and two committee markups. prgtoken The final bill includes over 13 amendments and standalone pieces of legislation and 11 recommendations from the House GOP's China Task Force. It is projected that China surpassed the United States in 2019, in total research and development spending. prgtoken I would like to thank Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for their leadership throughout this process, which set the tone for developing thoughtful legislation. prgtoken H.R. 2225 takes important steps in expanding the mission of the National Science Foundation to ensure we maintain our edge against rising global competition, while protecting the foundation's primary mission of supporting fundamental research. prgtoken It makes key investments in the STEM workforce to expand the American talent pipeline. It supports world-class research facilities, like Embry-Riddle, Bethune-Cookman, and Stetson Universities, all of which are in my district. It promotes the research needed to develop revolutionary technologies that are crucial to our national and economic security. prgtoken While making these investments, we also secure taxpayer-funded research and technologies from adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party. prgtoken The National Science Foundation Inspector General is seeing a 1,000 percent increase in FBI referrals for research theft inquiries. H.R. 2225 gives the NSF security office the resources, the authority, and the tools for the foundation, for the sponsoring institutions, and for the applicants to identify and address malign foreign influence and to address research theft. prgtoken The bill also instructs the NSF to develop mandatory security training to ensure that individual researchers, frankly, have no more excuses and that they understand the threat and the Federal policies and guidelines. prgtoken Lastly, Representative Randy Feenstra and I successfully added an amendment during the full committee markup that bans grant applicants from participating in malign foreign prgtoken talent programs, like the Chinese Communist Party's Thousand Talents program. prgtoken It is critical that we strike a balance between keeping our research enterprise open, but also protecting it from adversaries who seek to take advantage of our open system. prgtoken There is more work to be done, but I think these provisions take some big steps in striking that balance. prgtoken , I encourage my colleagues to vote for this bill.
AMERICA MUST DEMAND BETTER
John Joyce (Republican, PA) \u2014 2021-6-28

. Madam , nearly 100 days after being appointed as the administration border czar, Vice President finally visited the southern border at the end of last week. It was 800 miles away from the crux of the problem, but I suppose it is a start. prgtoken Clearly, the - administration knows that it is facing a border crisis. To them, it is a PR crisis. To the American people, the border crisis is so real. prgtoken As I have said time and time again, the illicit fentanyl that is made in China or elsewhere crosses the porous southern border and winds up on our streets in Pennsylvania. It spurs addiction; it tears apart families; it destroys the workforce; and worst of all, it is killing friends and neighbors. prgtoken Last month alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted more than 900 pounds of fentanyl. In fact, border agents have seized more fentanyl at the border so far this year than in all of last year. prgtoken As my friend and Franklin County Coroner Jeff Conner just recently told me, fentanyl is easy to get and fast to kill. This is true in Pennsylvania, and this is true across our country. prgtoken Can you imagine what 900 pounds of fentanyl means for American communities, what it means to American families? prgtoken The chaos on the southern border is absolutely a crisis for first responders, law enforcement, healthcare providers, and community leaders on the front lines of the drug epidemic in our communities. Every day, I hear from Pennsylvanians who have experienced the ramifications of this crisis firsthand. For them, this is a stark reality. prgtoken Vice President says that the administration is making progress on this crisis. If that is the case, what is the President's definition of progress? prgtoken Does the President believe that his administration is making progress on the economic crisis, as inflation spirals out of control and hardworking families bear that cost? prgtoken Does the President believe that his administration is making progress on the crime crisis, as violent crimes skyrocket in cities across the country and our brave law enforcement officers face unprecedented opposition? prgtoken If this is President 's idea of progress, we must demand better. prgtoken Once again, I stand ready to work with the President and my colleagues on commonsense reforms to restore law and order and end the administration's border crisis. We must demand real progress. prgtoken Lives are depending on our work. All of America is depending on our work.
HONORING AMELIA BROWN WILSON
James Comer (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-6-28

. Madam , I rise today with a heavy heart to report some very sad news that late last week Kentucky lost a champion, and my congressional office lost a friend and a true warrior with the passing of our beloved field representative, Amelia Brown Wilson, at the young age of 39. prgtoken Amelia was born and raised in Monroe County. Like me, she graduated from Monroe County High School and her family and my family go back many generations through Monroe County. prgtoken Amelia was someone that I noticed coming up along the public school system as someone who was going to be a future superstar, someone who had class, who had brains, who had a work ethic, who had charisma. And I followed Amelia through her educational career. Amelia's older sister Kelly and I played ball together on the varsity girls' and boys' basketball team of Monroe County. We also went to Western Kentucky University at the same time. Amelia obviously was a little younger. prgtoken Amelia went to the University of Kentucky because she was the biggest University of Kentucky fan in the history of Kentucky. She got three degrees from the University of Kentucky. I don't know anyone else that can say that. Amelia got her bachelor's degree, her master's degree, and her Ph.D. all from the University of Kentucky. prgtoken Amelia worked right out of the University of Kentucky in the Cooperative Extension Service as the family consumer scientist for Fayette County, which is Lexington, Kentucky, for many years. prgtoken Amelia and I always kept in touch, and I knew she was someone with a very bright future. prgtoken But while Amelia was at University of Kentucky, she had to receive a liver transplant, and she went through that battle. And for the 20 years after her liver transplant she battled sickness almost daily, but you would never know that because Amelia always had a positive attitude. prgtoken Amelia was one of the kindest, most sincere people that you would ever meet. Amelia is someone that everyone who met her loved her, respected her, and was inspired by her, especially if they heard her story. prgtoken Amelia was very active in the Kentucky Organ Donor Program. She was a spokesperson for that program and gave speeches around the State and got thousands and thousands of people to sign up on the back of their Kentucky driver's license to be a Kentucky organ donor. prgtoken So we will never know how many lives Amelia saved because of her testimony and her story that she would deliver all over Kentucky. prgtoken When I was elected Commissioner of Agriculture in Kentucky, I asked Amelia to come join me at the Department of Agriculture and be my Kentucky Director of Agriculture Tourism. She did that. prgtoken Madam , I had about 275 employees. I can say with confidence that Amelia was the most popular employee in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Everybody loved her. And when I got elected to Congress in 2016, Amelia followed me. She was the one emplo
DEFENDING RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
Claudia Tenney (Republican, NY) \u2014 2021-6-28

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for hosting this great Special Order on a fundamental right. prgtoken Madam , our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-protection is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. prgtoken However, many States, including my own home State of New York, home to Remington Arms, of all places, unconstitutionally restricts our right to carry concealed outside of our home. In most New York jurisdictions, an applicant must justify their need for such a concealed carry permit. prgtoken Despite the plain words of the Second Amendment enshrined for centuries in the Bill of Rights, State and local authorities in New York continue to reject applications for law-abiding Americans for entirely arbitrary reasons or for no reason at all. States like California and Massachusetts do exactly the same thing. prgtoken This arbitrary standard must be rejected. That is why I am leading the amicus brief for an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Corlett. This case will decide if New York's burdensome concealed carry law violates the Second Amendment. prgtoken A little background on the case: In 2016, Rensselaer County, New York, officials denied the concealed carry permit of Robert Nash for the purpose of self-defense. Later, in 2018, they also denied the concealed carry application of Brandon Koch for the same reason. prgtoken Both these individuals are honorable, upstanding, and law-abiding citizens. They met every requirement of New York's rigorous concealed carry license application. These two men simply applied for a concealed carry permit for personal protection after a rash of robberies in their neighborhoods and their community. prgtoken New York State is now witnessing the highest crime rate that we have had in the history of our State. However, even after all of that, the county licensing officers did not believe that self-defense was a valid exercise of constitutional rights under the Second Amendment. prgtoken The gun control measures being considered by the Supreme Court in this key case amount to a blanket ban on the right to keep and bear arms outside the home. The amicus brief I am submitting, with the support of more than 50 Members of the House of Representatives so far, defends citizens' rights against elected officials and government bureaucrats who are attempting to deny these fundamental constitutional rights to all Americans. prgtoken We argue that it is unconstitutional for the government to apply a balancing test for a fundamental right such as the Second Amendment under our Constitution. The Bill of Rights was drafted and passed to protect citizens from government overreach. prgtoken It is worth noting that New York is an original colony with a very strong history of citizens who stood up for our basic rights. In 1788 and 1789, before and during the Constitutional Convention and the founding of our