mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN RECOGNITION OF THE SERVICE OF JONATHAN B. HOTCHKISS TO THE NEW HAMPSHIRE FARM MUSEUM
Chris Pappas (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2022-3-16

. Madam , I rise today in recognition of Jonathan B. Hotchkiss's long history of volunteerism and nearly 20 years of service to the New Hampshire Farm Museum in Milton, NH. For the past two decades, Jonathan has served his community as a steadfast supporter of New Hampshire agriculture and culture. prgtoken Jon worked with the Farm Museum in a variety of capacities including the facility maintenance, cost-saving program development, grant writing, reenactments, and as both a member and President of the Board of Trustees. He worked tirelessly to develop community and business relationships that enabled the museum to become more organized, creative and financially stable. prgtoken As public health precautions during the coronavirus pandemic caused many institutions to close their doors to the public for prolonged periods of times and face financial hardship. Due to Jon's hard work developing the museum's innovative cost-saving program, the Farm Museum gained a financial stability that has helped it weather the continuing pandemic. prgtoken Prior to 1900, nearly 90 percent of New Hampshire residents lived on a farm. Our state's history is deeply tied to its agriculture and Jonathan's commitment to the preservation of this history is commendable. prgtoken On behalf of my constituents in New Hampshire's First Congressional District, I want to thank Jonathan for his continued dedication to the Granite State and wish him the best as he transitions from his work with the museum.
Nomination of John H. Chun (Executive Calendar)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2022-3-16

reserving the right to object, I got my start in national politics as a parent advocating for my kids' preschool program. I am a former preschool teacher. I am a former school board member. I prgtoken am now chair of the Senate Education Committee. I have worked across the aisle on fixing No Child Left Behind. I have also fought against efforts--many during the former administration with Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education--because I felt they took us further from the goal of making sure that every student in our country, no matter who they are or where they live or how much money their parents make, can get an excellent public education and all the opportunity that comes with it. prgtoken All this is to say that I could not care more deeply about making sure every child gets the chance to learn and succeed in life, and my belief that parents should be as involved as possible in their kids' education could not be more firmly or personally held. In fact, I can remember the times when, as a U.S. Senator with young kids at home myself, I would try to read all my memos at night and help with their homework. I wanted my own kids to have that support from me, just like I want every parent to be able to be on top of what is going on in their kids' school. prgtoken I also know from talking to my own family and so many students and families across Washington State that these last two years have been some of the toughest, most overwhelming times for parents and kids that many of us can remember. prgtoken Here in the Senate, our job is to recognize that and do everything we can to get things back on track, which is why acted quickly to pass the American Rescue Plan and give schools the resources they need so they could reopen and stay open safely. prgtoken We also recognized that after 2 really disruptive years, many students would need extra help, so the American Rescue Plan is, as we speak right now, paying for afterschool programs and tutors and summer learning so students all across the country can catch up. prgtoken I will remind you that this bill to help reopen schools safely and keep them open passed with zero votes--not one. Not only that, Senate s have come to the floor twice last month alone with ideas about snatching Federal funding away from our schools, and leaders even rolled out a plan that would eliminate the Department of Education altogether. Could there be a clearer message about their priorities? prgtoken At all times but especially after the last 2 years, there is no excuse for anything short of an all-hands-on-deck national effort to put students' education first, but, unfortunately, here is what we have got happening: acted to reopen our schools safely and keep them open. Congressional s, down to the last one, voted no. prgtoken believe that quality public education for every student is a good investment. The Re
JAPANESE AMERICAN WORLD WAR II HISTORY NETWORK ACT
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2022-3-16

. Madam , I rise in support of H.R. 6434, the Japanese American WWII History Network Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish, within the National Park Service, the Japanese American World War II History Network. prgtoken We must never forget the maltreatment that these Americans endured. prgtoken The establishment of this network would educate generations to come on past racial injustices in our country, in an effort to avoid future prejudice. prgtoken The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, marked the United States' official entrance into World War II. prgtoken Two months later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which ordered 120,000 people of Japanese descent to be forcibly removed from their homes and placed in internment camps, based on the widespread suspicion that they were acting as foreign agents. prgtoken The belief was baseless, but that didn't stop the War Relocation Authority from rounding up more than 120,000 people--two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens. prgtoken Japanese Americans were interned and essentially treated as prisoners. prgtoken After decades of pressure from the Japanese American League (JACL) and the Japanese American community, President Jimmy Carter opened an investigation to determine if the imprisonment of these people was justified by the government. prgtoken The investigation found virtually no evidence of Japanese disloyalty and concluded that the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans was a product of abject racism. prgtoken In 1988, over 40 years after the internment camps closed, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, which offered a formal apology for the government's policy toward Japanese Americans and paid $20,000 in compensation to each of the 80,000 living survivors. prgtoken The reparations granted to the survivors and the official apology were necessary for our country to move past this grave racial injustice. prgtoken It must be noted that, just as our government recognized that reparations to the Japanese American community was necessary to acknowledge and move beyond that injustice, America's original racist tragedy must be similarly addressed. prgtoken On July 30, 2008 the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 194 apologizing for American slavery and subsequent discriminatory laws. prgtoken The Senate has never passed a resolution, and no reparations have been granted. prgtoken Millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States from 1619 through 1865. prgtoken Slavery in America resembled no other form of involuntary servitude known in history, as Africans were captured and sold at auction like inanimate objects or animals. prgtoken Africans forced into slavery were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized, and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and heritage. prgtoken In 2022, he passage of H.R. 40 is essential to solving the deep racial, econom
GRAYSON FOX
Ed Perlmutter (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2022-3-16

. Madam , I rise today to recognize and applaud Grayson Fox for receiving the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. prgtoken Grayson Fox is a student at Pomona High School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. prgtoken The dedication demonstrated by Grayson Fox is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives. prgtoken I extend my deepest congratulations to Grayson Fox for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassador for Youth award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character in all of his future accomplishments.
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Lois Frankel (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2022-3-16

. Madam , I thank Representative Speier. I will tell you what, it is really hard to follow those remarks. I think all of us--all Americans--really all people around the world who have been following the brutality of Putin's war, our hearts are breaking. I thank the gentlewoman for highlighting the special plight of the women. prgtoken As I said, it is almost hard to talk about anything after that, but I do want to say this. For about 200 years women have been fighting for rights, for rights that White men and then eventually Black men had, but we are still fighting for them. prgtoken I was just thinking back to my own childhood--and probably your childhood, too. They had limits on how many girls could get into law school or medical school; there were no sport scholarships available. If you were a married woman, you could only get credit in your husband's name. Abortion was illegal. Equal pay was not even a concept. We did finally get the right to vote after women were arrested and chained themselves to the White House. prgtoken So if you look back in history, we have been fighting very hard to get our rights. I want to thank Representative Jackson Lee, she has highlighted some of the victories over the years and some of the women who led the way, whether it was with Title IX or Roe v. Wade, or the bill that was just celebrated today by the President, the Equal Pay Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act. A lot has been done, but, wait, they are all in jeopardy. prgtoken It is just shocking that after all these years of fighting, every one of these rights are in jeopardy, including the right to vote, which is why--and I know my colleagues here would agree--we must have an equal rights amendment. We must have inscribed in the U.S. Constitution equality for men and women that cannot be changed at the whim of a political body. prgtoken Madam , from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
The Economy (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-3-16

the leader referred to the American Rescue Plan, which did not receive a single vote in support. He referred to it as runaway Federal spending. prgtoken What did we buy with the American Rescue Plan? prgtoken We bought vaccines, and we bought an administration and management of delivering those vaccines to the American people in the midst of a pandemic that was claiming American lives every day. prgtoken Runaway Federal spending--how much stronger would this Nation be if we were still in the depths of this pandemic? prgtoken We are emerging from it, thank God. But it wasn't for lack of effort on our part on this side of the aisle. prgtoken Yes, we spent the money. We administered the shots, and people across America are now protected from hospitalizations and death because of it. No apologies here to my colleague from Kentucky. It was money well spent, not just for that--and that was the number one public health purpose--but, secondly, to keep businesses afloat so they can reopen their doors as the pandemic ebbed. prgtoken That investment in the capital of America, in the businesses of America, paid off for business owners who otherwise would have lost their life savings and family investments and for their workers who finally returned to work. prgtoken I think it helped the small businesses, and I think it helped the families. The child tax credit, which cut in half child poverty in America--that child tax credit, according to the Senator from Kentucky, was runaway Federal spending. Tell that to the family who lives paycheck to paycheck and tries to provide the basics in life for their children. No apologies here for the American Rescue Plan. prgtoken And when you ask the American people, ``What about this inflation,'' it is a problem. Of course, it is. We see it as they do. And we see it all across the world. Inflation isn't confined to the United States. It is reflected in a world that is emerging from COVID-19, where economies--local economies--were strangled and choked and restricted. Now, they are expanding. People are expanding their needs and spending on that side of it. If the supply doesn't keep up with it, then inflation results. We have a battle ahead of us and many plans here to try to address it with a number of items to reduce the cost of living for families.
ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-3-16

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m Thursday, March 17; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be prgtoken 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; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Nathan nomination; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday'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.
One-Year Anniversary of Georgia Shootings (Executive Calendar)
Raphael G. Warnock (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2022-3-16

I rise today to reflect on a dark day in Georgia's recent history. prgtoken One year ago today, a hateful act of violence shook Metropolitan Atlanta and reverberated across our State, our country, and indeed the world. In the span of just a few hours, our sense of safety and sanctuary was pierced by bullets of hate and fear. Eight precious people lost their lives--eight people who were loved by their families, their friends, their children; eight people with their own successes and struggles, hopes, and dreams. prgtoken We speak their names: Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng. prgtoken My heart aches for these Georgians and their families for whom I am sure the wounds are still fresh. They were the victims of unconscionable, senseless hate. prgtoken As a pastor, I believe in the sacred worth of every human being--that we are a strange admixture of dust and divinity, of sod and sky, of beauty and possibility. prgtoken So I will ask now for all of my colleagues and everyone who can to join me in taking a moment of silence to remember these eight Georgians and to pray, each in our own way, for their families. (Moment of silence.) prgtoken Thank you.
HONORING ROSA LUCAS
Raul Ruiz (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-3-16

. Madam , I rise today to honor a local leader in public health, an exceptional community advocate, my constituent, and my friend, Rosa Lucas. prgtoken I first met Rosa during my freshman year at UCLA in 1991 while I was working at a farmworker health clinic. Ever since, I have admired her integrity, humility, selflessness, and passion for justice. prgtoken Rosa's story begins in Los Angeles, California, December 7, 1945. She spent her childhood in Beverly Hills before studying at UCLA-Berkeley and UCLA. In 1968, she graduated UCLA with her bachelor's in Spanish languages and literature. Shortly after, Rosa launched her career as a charge nurse of neurosurgical intensive care at the UCLA Health Sciences Center, eventually leading her to become a certified nurse practitioner in 1975. prgtoken Ten years later, she settled in our desert and began her work in the Coachella Valley. prgtoken Throughout her career, Rosa has worked to serve the poor, the marginalized, and the underserved. She has provided care to those most in need at rural and farmworker clinics like El Progreso del Desierto, Santa Rosa Del Valle Medical Group, Desert Hot Springs Arthritis and Medical Clinic, and the Borrego Springs Community Health Foundation. Now she works for Eisenhower Health Urgent Care Centers. prgtoken Rosa truly embodies what it means to think globally and act locally. She has devoted her life to addressing health disparities in our valley and has made it her goal to expand access to healthcare for our most vulnerable. prgtoken As a physician, I have seen her dedication to this mission firsthand. In the summer of 1996 during a summer fellowship as a medical student, Rosa taught me the well-child exam. I will never forget her passion to care for at-risk newborns, and I knew then that she would be a great partner in the fight for health and social justice. prgtoken Sure enough, in 2007 when I returned home from medical school, we saw patients together and provided free medical care to the poorest farmworker communities with the Flying Doctors. prgtoken Together, we joined the founding board of directors for a new nonprofit called Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine which is the only free clinic in the Coachella Valley that provides free healthcare to the medically underserved. In fact, we started the street medicine program and launched that in order to take care to the people and to the homeless under bridges, at the parks, and in the homeless camps. Wherever they find themselves, we took care to them, and she still does that. prgtoken In fact, Volunteers in Medicine was the first in the valley to implement the street medicine model during the pandemic. We took tests directly to our most vulnerable populations, including farmworkers and the homeless. This model later grew into a collaborative approach to vaccinating at-risk populations at work sites, schools, churches, and local trailer parks. prgtoken On top of that, Rosa f
Supreme Court Nomination (Executive Calendar)
Alex Padilla (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-3-16

I rise to speak on behalf of a few Federal judge nominees from the State of California. prgtoken In recognizing that, right now, many Americans are certainly following the news and the potential news of the Federal judiciary and are focusing on a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I certainly look forward to hearing more from Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson next week as we conduct her confirmation hearing. prgtoken The choices for the Supreme Court are certainly critical for the future of our democracy, but the fact of the matter is--and the Presiding Officer knows I like numbers and knows I like data. So the important data point here is that it is only a tiny percentage of cases in our Federal court system that actually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. In fact, more than 90 percent of the Federal cases are decided at the district court level. That means the vast majority of people who interface with the Federal judiciary will only ever meet a district court judge, sitting on the other side of the bench, whether prgtoken they are witnesses to a crime, whether they are parties to a lawsuit or defendants in a criminal case. prgtoken That is one of the primary reasons I have worked so closely with the administration in helping to identify and recommend and support talented nominees for California's district courts. prgtoken Today, I rise to highlight three nominees to serve as Federal judges whose confirmation processes we are beginning today.
Ukraine (Executive Session)
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-3-16

I rise today also in recognition of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022. prgtoken I am delighted President signed it into law yesterday as part of the omnibus spending bill. prgtoken It is important to know that this bill reauthorizes critical programs that help respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. It is long overdue, but today, this bill will become law. prgtoken Last month, I introduced this reauthorization bill alongside Senators Ernst, Durbin--both of whom are on the floor today--Murkowski, who is also here today, and additional cosponsors. prgtoken A number of advocates joined us, including Angelina Jolie, to speak about the importance of the legislation. prgtoken The bill we introduced and the bill we are passing today has really strong bipartisan support, including that of 11 cosponsors. prgtoken In addition to reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act through 2027, the law includes bringing it up to date, and that is important. It means that existing programs will be able to do an even better job protecting and supporting survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. prgtoken It is the result of a truly bipartisan effort, and I want to thank Senators Ernst, Durbin--both are on the floor--particularly Senator Murkowski, for working with me to prepare this important piece of legislation. I am very appreciative of the partnership because the law will become a reality. We also had help from a number of our Senate colleagues on both side of the aisle who made important contributions to the effort. prgtoken This act plays a critical role supporting law enforcement in their efforts to stop these perpetrators before it is too late. It reauthorizes important programs and provides the necessary updates to strengthen them. prgtoken So what does it do? prgtoken First, it enhances and expands services for survivors, including survivors in rural communities, LGBT survivors, survivors with disabilities, and survivors who experience abuse later in life. Older people get a lot of violence. prgtoken It strengthens the criminal justice response to domestic violence, including by improving the Justice Department's STOP grant program and strengthening the ability of Tribal courts to address instances of domestic violence on Tribal lands. prgtoken It also establishes a pilot program that focuses on addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through community-based, victim-initiated efforts to seek accountability. prgtoken And the law invests in prevention education efforts that will improve the healthcare system's response to sexual violence--we hope. prgtoken And these changes can have a real impact. Here is one example: The International Association of Forensic Nurses reports that only one in four U.S. hospitals has a sexual assault forensic nurse on duty--not a special place