mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2022-2-14

last week, most of my friends on the left pretended to be shocked by a new CNN poll that proved what a lot of Tennesseans have known for quite a while, and it is that and his agenda with the administration is truly upside down with the American people. prgtoken Here is what we found out: Fifty-eight percent of the American people disapprove of the way he is handling his job as President. That alone is really an indictment on what they have been putting forward, but it gets a little bit worse. Sixty-two percent disapprove of how he has mishandled the economy. prgtoken Fifty-seven percent think his approach to fighting crime is not working. They believe that because they are seeing it in their streets in their hometowns. prgtoken Fifty-five percent don't like how he is responding to Xi Jinping. Fifty-six percent are worried about how he is handling Putin, and I am sure that number, in particular, will go up before the next poll comes out. prgtoken These numbers are brutal, but here is the cherry on top. Fifty-seven percent believe 's first year in office has been a total failure; and when asked whether or not 's government represents the views of people like themselves, 68 percent of the people polled said, No, and his administration do not represent my views. prgtoken It is pretty simple--the American people are not buying what and this administration are selling. And the people in the White House seem to put their hands up, and they just cannot figure this out. They can't understand why the people won't just shut up and do what they are told. prgtoken Here is the secret: It is because when the people look at Washington--when Tennesseans look at Washington, and they look at who is in charge of our government--and have control of the House, the Senate, the White House--all they see is an empty suit with an agenda. prgtoken There is no vision, but there is agenda. They have got the to-do list. They have got the list of boxes they need to check off. We killed the Keystone Pipeline. We put mandates in place. We have got people in masks. We have got people in lockdowns. They are going to lose their job if they don't go get a jab. They have got an agenda. prgtoken For all of his bluster about fundamentally transforming our way of life, all has managed to do is to alienate his fellow countrymen. prgtoken Now, his allies are trying to turn the tide by revamping their talking points. But here is the problem: It won't work, because this administration--the administration--does not have a messaging problem. Their problem is their agenda that they have that is lackluster with no vision. prgtoken But the American people are paying attention to this. And you know what they are seeing? I have to tell you, it really frightens them. It frightens them. prgtoken Doesn't matter if I go to one of the grandkids' ballgames, go to church, go prgtoken
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-2-14

today--I should say, these days--the United States is breaking all kinds of records and all the wrong kinds. In 2021, illegal border crossings hit a new high, with more than 2 million border encounters along our southern border, 1,200 miles of which is the U.S.-Texas border with Mexico. prgtoken Other numbers: the worst inflation in the last 40 years, 7\1/2\ percent--meaning that your paycheck is worth 7\1/2\ percent less than it was before this inflation rocket took off. A number of major cities are experiencing their deadliest year as the murder rates have spiked. A combination of inflation, open borders, and rising crime rates is a dangerous combination. prgtoken Drug overdose deaths reached a grim new milestone as well. For the first time on record, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses during a 12-month period. That is 100,000 families who lost their children, parents, siblings, and loved ones to an entirely preventable cause. prgtoken Our country has been fighting this scourge of the opioid epidemic for years now. In 2018, we celebrated incremental progress, as overdose deaths dropped 4 percent--dropped 4 percent--from the previous year, the first decrease in three decades. Unfortunately, that trend did not last. Overdose deaths increased in 2019, and they absolutely skyrocketed in 2020. We are still waiting for complete data for 2021, but it is not looking good. prgtoken The isolation, the anxiety, and the financial stresses of the pandemic have taken their toll on virtually every American, but our most vulnerable friends and neighbors are the ones who have been hit particularly hard. On top of the physical and financial struggles of the pandemic, many individuals are battling substance use disorders and lost access to treatment centers and outreach facilities. prgtoken There has never been a more important time for us to examine our response to the opioid epidemic and to take decisive action to stem the tide. prgtoken Last week, the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking released its report, which analyzed the state of the synthetic opioid crisis and offered recommendations. The Commission referred to illicit synthetic opioids as ``a slow motion weapon of mass destruction in pill form.'' Now, that may sound a little dramatic until you consider how much death and destruction this crisis has created. Since the Centers for Disease Control began collecting overdose data in 1999, more than 1 million Americans have died from drug overdoses. If you combined the number of servicemen who died in battles throughout our country's history, the number of overdose deaths would still be higher. prgtoken We all know there is no silver bullet when it comes to addressing this crisis. But it is not a matter of diverting illicit drugs or stopping overprescription or breaking the cycle of addiction; it is all of the above. But one of the most important places to start is by addre
RECOGNIZING GRAND AVENUE MARKET
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-2-14

today I wish to honor the hard work, determination, and sheer grit of the community of Plains, KS. Last month, Grand Avenue Market, the first grocery store in Plains in more than 20 years, opened for business. prgtoken For too many across Kansas, food deserts--areas with little access to fresh produce--are all too commonplace. Last month, thanks to the decades-long commitment of community members in Meade County, especially the Community Enhancement Foundation of Plains, the grocery drought was finally brought to an end. But it wasn't easy. prgtoken The project to bring a grocery store to Plains began in 2008, when the communities of Kismet and Plains raised nearly $500,000 out of the $2 million required for the initiative. Every day since, amid turbulence and trial, the greater community and the people of Plains never gave up. prgtoken After receiving a loan from a USDA, the dream of not having to travel between up to 25 miles to neighboring towns to simply get groceries began to look more like reality. But hurdles in the form of a bank unwilling to honor a letter of credit and banks reluctant to supply another made that dream look rather dim. That is when the community contacted my office. prgtoken Using our knowledge of USDA rural development financing programs, we reached out to banks in the area to see if they would be willing to participate in the project to bring fresh produce to Plains. Exploring community banks that understand the importance in investing in community infrastructure, one bank in particular began to emerge. prgtoken Heartland Tri State Bank in Elkhart simply made this dream of so many in southwest Kansas possible. I know I speak for all Kansans when I say thank you. Thank you for your investment. Not merely an investment in a grocery store, but a much more important investment--an investment in people and their lives. prgtoken It was my sincerest honor to play a small part in helping make Grand Avenue Market a reality. It is with great pleasure that I recognize Plains, KS; Heartland Tri State Bank; the Community Enhancement Foundation of Plains; and the surrounding community for their diligence, effort, and pure will in bringing an end to the grocery drought in their parcel of the prairie that we Kansans call home.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2022-2-14

reserving the right to object, I strongly disagree with Senator Lee's proposal amending what has been agreed to--not agreed to but what has gotten every single Member of the Senate but for one. I want to also say that I was on the floor about 10 days ago, I think, on the subject of this. I want the Chair and the Senator from Utah to know I didn't even mention who had objected while I was here, but it was 1 out of 100 Senators. This bill passed the House of Representatives with all but two votes. It passed with every single vote from the Colorado delegation, and we have this gamut of people in from Colorado. prgtoken The bill is strongly supported by my friend Ken Buck, whom I ran against in 2010. And if Ken were here, he would say there is very little upon which we agree. I hope there is more than he thinks we agree on, but we definitely agree on this. prgtoken So let me just explain why we wrote this bill. In 5 days, as the Senator from Utah has said, we are going to mark the 80th anniversary of Executive Order No. 9066, which began the forced dispossession and internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Two- thirds of them were citizens of this country, American citizens, forced out of their homes into camps by our own government--by their own. prgtoken One of those camps was Amache on the Eastern Plains of Colorado, where the Federal Government detained nearly 10,000 Japanese Americans against their will. Most of them had less than a week--most of them had less than a week--to get rid of virtually everything they owned and crowd onto buses and trains with no idea where they were going or what was going to happen to them. prgtoken Some of the first arrivals at Amache were kids younger than the pages who are on the floor here today with us, who were forced to build the camp where their own families were interred during the duration of the war. The conditions were horrible. Walls didn't always reach the ceilings. The windows weren't always sealed. It meant that snow blew in during the winter, and dust blew in during the summer. prgtoken This is what our government did to our fellow Americans, to children, forced to work in the fields to grow their own food in the jail that the United States of America had committed them to. And what is even more remarkable is that despite this treatment, 1 out of 10 of the people at Amache still volunteered to serve during the war--a higher rate than any other camp in America. Think about that. They were willing to defend the very government that was detaining them, that had locked up their children. That is how much they believed in America, even when America turned our back on them. prgtoken And I had the opportunity to visit Amache a few years ago with John Hopper, a high school principal in Grenada who worked with his students to create the Amache Preservation Society. They have been taking care of this site themselves all of these
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-2-14

I have come to the floor of the Senate many times over the last several years to discuss an aspect of higher education only few people even know exists. The so-called for-profit colleges. prgtoken This disgraceful industry enrolls 8 percent of all postsecondary students in America--8 percent--and yet accounts for 30 percent of all Federal student loan defaults. Those two numbers tell the story. For- profit colleges get 8 percent of the students and are responsible for 30 percent of the student loan defaults. Why? For obvious reasons. They are too expensive. They charge a higher tuition than community colleges or even many private colleges. Secondly, the students don't end up finishing because they get mired in debt. And third, if they end up with a degree, it turns out to be virtually worthless. prgtoken When I think of cases that we have looked into in Illinois, in Chicago, of the exploitation of well-meaning students, sometimes the first in their families to go to college, who are lured in by the siren song of the marketing of for-profit colleges--they sign up, sign all the papers, turn over all their Pell grants, then sign up for Federal student loans and other private loans and have a disastrous experience where they can't even finish. They are so deeply in debt or, if they finish, they find their degree was worthless. prgtoken How many of those young people I remember coming to me and saying: I was majoring in law enforcement, and I was getting this degree from one of the local for-profit colleges to go into law enforcement. And you know what, Senator? They laughed at me when they saw the name of the school: That isn't a real school; that isn't a real degree. prgtoken Senator--they tell me--it is a real debt. prgtoken And that is the reality of these for-profit colleges. prgtoken I have called for greater oversight of this industry, as they exploit these students and their families. We have called out some of the most vicious predatory players in the industry like Corinthian, University of Phoenix, DeVry, ITT Tech, Westwood--institutions that are more likely to lead students into a lifetime of debt rather than a lifetime of opportunity. prgtoken Now, just imagine, if you will, that one of the leading architects of this fraudulent industry was chosen to be one of its watchdogs by the Federal Government. Well, that is the situation we have today. Dr. Arthur Keiser, who embodies the worst of the for-profit industry, is the chairman of the board of for-profit Southeastern College. He is also chancellor and CEO of Keiser University, a so-called nonprofit university that he converted from for-profit status in the year 2011. This so-called conversion to not-for-profit is misleading. The overlap between Southeastern College and Keiser University is well established. For example, multiple executives at Keiser University are also executives at Southeastern. prgtoken An IRS filing shows that executives
Ukraine (Executive Session)
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2022-2-14

. Certainly, the Presiding Officer would agree with me that in the ic caucus we are also united with the caucus in wanting to support Ukraine to ensure that they can determine their own future and to hold Vladimir Putin accountable. prgtoken As you say, hopefully, diplomacy will win out, and there will be some way in which we can work with Vladimir Putin to address some of his concerns. We are certainly not going to allow Putin and Russia to determine Ukraine's future--to say to Ukraine ``You can't join NATO'' or to say to Europe and NATO ``You can't expand into Europe if countries want to join.'' Hopefully, he will choose a path that is prgtoken going to be good not just for Europe and the United States and Ukraine but for Russia, because, as the German Chancellor said to us last week when he met with a number of Senators: In the long run, this will not be good for Russia--for its energy future--because Europe is going to get off Russian energy a lot faster if Russia invades Ukraine, and it is not going to be good for Russia's standing either in Europe or in the world. prgtoken So, hopefully, Putin will choose the reasonable approach, which is that he will choose diplomacy and not choose war. prgtoken It is our job--that of the transatlantic alliance and those of us here in Congress--to hold Putin accountable if he makes the wrong choice, to make sure that we put in place crippling sanctions, that we provide the assistance that Ukraine needs in fighting Russia, and that we make it clear to the world that the world order that we have defended for the last 70 years we are going to continue to defend.
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2022-2-14

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2022-2-14

I rise today to once again express my extreme disbelief and disappointment that the U.S. Senate will vote to confirm Dr. Robert M. Califf to yet again lead the Food and Drug Administration. My opposition is nothing new. In fact, it was exactly 5 years ago next week that I came to the Senate floor to urge my colleagues to oppose Dr. Califf's nomination to serve under then- President in this same role. prgtoken In the 5 years since Dr. Califf was confirmed, more than 400,000 Americans and 5,000 West Virginians have died from a drug-related overdose. And 2020 was the deadliest year on record for drug-related overdoses, when 1,386 West Virginians and nearly 95,000 Americans died from a drug-related overdose. That number is just increasing, with over 100,000 Americans having died from overdoses between April 2020 and April 2021. Let's not beat around the bush: Dr. Califf bears a great deal of responsibility for these deaths. prgtoken We have a luxury with this nomination that we are not usually granted. Because Dr. Califf has already served as the FDA Commissioner, we have insight into how he will lead the Agency. prgtoken During Dr. Califf's previous tenure, drug-related overdoses went up. Five years later, they are up again--and this time at record numbers. In fact, despite his pledge to overhaul the FDA's policy, during his tenure and immediately following it, the FDA approved five new opiates for market. In that same time, they removed only one. prgtoken The wise Dr. Maya Angelou famously said, ``When someone shows you who they are, believe them.'' Well, Dr. Califf has shown us who he is, and he has shown a complete lack of interest in actually making the difficult decisions that we need the leader of the FDA to make. Nothing that Dr. Califf has said or done has led me to believe he will operate the FDA any differently than he did during his previous tenure. prgtoken As if this is not enough, reports have circulated that Dr. Califf intends to keep Dr. Janet Woodcock on board as a senior advisor at the FDA if confirmed. Dr. Woodcock bears more responsibility for the opiate epidemic in our country than any other person at the FDA because of her oversight role in the approval of every single one of the opiates that went on to ravage communities like ours in West Virginia. prgtoken She was in charge in 1995 when the FDA approved OxyContin--what we know now to be the tip of the spear of the opiate epidemic. In 2014, she ignored the advice of the FDA advisory committee that voted overwhelmingly, by a vote of 11 to 2, against approving Zohydro. She decided to approve Zohydro anyway at a time when we needed less opiates, not more. Zohydro is a questionable, pure hydrocodone drug with a strong risk of overdose and death. Experts estimated that just two pure pills can kill an individual. prgtoken The pharmaceutical industry has greatly benefited from the status quo that people like Dr. Califf and Dr.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-2-14

what we heard is why people really are frustrated and angered at the U.S. Senate. This is a broad, bipartisan bill months and months in the making, with large amounts of discussion, has the support of the ic chair of the committee, the chair of the committee, was voted in the House with a majority of and a majority of s, and would finally fix the post office. prgtoken I wonder if my colleague from Florida has ever heard his colleagues in Florida, his voters, talk about snail mail, about everything coming late--prescription drugs coming late, Social Security checks coming late, birthday cards arriving weeks after the birthday occurred. Finally, both parties come together in a bipartisan way in the House and Senate to pass this legislation, and the Senator from Florida is using a technical detail to hold us up. prgtoken It is the same bill that was on the floor Thursday, where we had agreement to move to vote on it tonight. But the House sent us a bill with a technical change. Five times in the past, this has happened; and each time, no Senator had the temerity to get up and block it on a technical issue. It just passed by UC, and we went and moved forward. prgtoken Our constituents want us to fix the post office. An overwhelming majority of and s want us to fix the post office. All the postal workers are for this bill. prgtoken My colleague from Florida says he is defending postal workers. Ask the people who represent them. I dare say, it is the head of the letter carriers and the head of the postal workers and the head of the mail handlers who represent the postal workers more than the Senator from Florida; and they are overwhelmingly for the bill, as is the Postmaster--an appointee of President . prgtoken So everyone tries to come together and get something done, and the arcane rules of the Senate allow one person to stand up--on a bill that has been out there and discussed repeatedly--at the last minute and raise objections. It is regrettable, and it is sad. prgtoken There is good news, though. Even though this will delay the bill, we will pass it. We will have to just go through this elaborate process-- the old-fashioned and often discredited rules of the Senate that the Senator from Florida is employing--we will have to use them, but we will pass this bill because America needs it. Rural people need it. Senior citizens need it. Veterans need it--80 percent of veterans' prescriptions are sent through the mail. Nobody should be standing in the way of this bill. It is a sad day that just one Member has. prgtoken to Senator Peters.