mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CONTINUE AMERICA'S LEGACY OF FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM
James A. Himes (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2024-2-29

every generation or so, our country is challenged with a fight. It is a fight in which we prgtoken invariably line up on the side of freedom, of liberty, of the right of all individuals to make their own decisions, to not be told by dictators or by mullahs or by totalitarians what to think, how to pray, or who will lead them--every generation. prgtoken My generation was 9/11 when we were brutally attacked by extremists who hated our way of life; my grandparents' generation was the Cold War in which we stood against totalitarianism and communism in Europe and elsewhere; my great-grandparents' generation was World War II in which we stood up to fascism--always on the side of freedom, always on the side of liberty. prgtoken While we don't always get it precisely right, and the cost in blood and treasure has often been horrendous, we are invariably there. We have stood against the odds for freedom and democracy. prgtoken Now we waver. This generation, now we waver. prgtoken , 2 years ago, something that we didn't imagine we would ever see again: Russia invades a sovereign country, crosses a border with tanks. Now we waver. prgtoken Our parents and our grandparents, who fought those wars and the Cold War against Nazism, are saying: What is wrong with you? What has become of the instinct to stand for freedom and democracy? prgtoken , we hear these objections about the border over and over again. My friends are right about the border. We need to move. prgtoken By the way, we did move. We had a bipartisan agreement supported by s in the Senate, and the s in the House said no. prgtoken Do you know what, ? This country, this body, can do more than one thing at the same time. We can stand for freedom and democracy and fix the border. Do not tell me that we choose between the two. prgtoken We hear that the objectives in Ukraine are unclear. The objectives are as clear as can be. We will sustain this fight until Vladimir Putin realizes it is too expensive for him to stay in that fight. prgtoken We hear that the Ukrainians are corrupt. We didn't hear that about our Afghan allies or about our Iraqi allies, but we hear that about the Ukrainians. prgtoken Meanwhile, China, North Korea, and Iran are watching. What they are seeing is that s--forget about loss of life--if it is a little bit of money, we don't sustain the fight. prgtoken Do you think President Xi is not watching this moment carefully? Can you imagine what the implications are down the road for Taiwan? prgtoken Failure to respond to Russian aggression will be something that we pay the cost for in years to come. A leader of this body said it: A failure to respond to that aggression ``empowers other dictators, other terrorists and tyrants around the world, because if they perceive that America is weak or unable to act decisively, then it invites aggression in many different ways.'' prgtoken That was Johnson, the leader of this body.
Nomination of Marjorie A. Rollinson (Executive Session)
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2024-2-29

in a few minutes, the Senate will vote on the confirmation of Marjorie A. Rollinson to serve as Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, and I want to make a few key points about her. prgtoken First, she has exactly the right experience to do the job. She has decades of tax and management experience in both the private sector and the public sector. She spent several years at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. She has also been the Technical Deputy Associate Chief Counsel and the Associate Chief Counsel--both times on international tax issues--so she has real expertise on these issues. That is a big reason she got bipartisan support in the Finance Committee. prgtoken And this is a crucial time for the Agency in terms of implementing and enforcing tax laws, and I will just give colleagues a couple of quick examples that I know Members feel strongly about, and I would like to start with energy. prgtoken One of the big implementation jobs in the works--something that I have been very involved in and I know Members on both sides have--deals with a key part of the Inflation Reduction Act, specifically the area of incentives for energy production. This was the centerpiece of the Finance Committee's Clean Energy for America Act, a bill that I first introduced in 2015. prgtoken What motivated that legislation--and I see a number of my Finance Committee colleagues here--is we said that, for the future, to tackle climate in the right way, we had to set aside the old system of picking winners and losers and just propping up the old, carbon-intensive technologies and, in effect, go to a new system--a brandnew system--of technological neutrality--in effect, giving all the energy sources in America the opportunity to compete and compete in a way where there are no mandates--in effect, private sector style competition--with one goal: reducing carbon emissions. prgtoken The Senate Finance Committee--and there are several members on the floor right now--understands this. Our committee had never done anything like this in 100 years--to create this kind of market incentive, a market incentive to actually reduce carbon emissions. prgtoken Now, the administration has been working through, right now, a number of challenging rules. Technology neutrality is the next big one for them. It is essential to get this guidance out there so that taxpayers and clean energy producers can take full advantage of the law and, particularly, be part of this new system, this new approach, that we call technological neutrality. It will give every Member of this body-- and I see additional members of the Finance Committee coming in--an opportunity to be part of this very new world in energy, and Ms. Rollinson will play a chief role as IRS Chief Counsel once she is confirmed. prgtoken If she is confirmed, she is going to play another important role in terms of tax enforcement. Every member of the Finance Committee feels strongly about
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Alex Padilla (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-2-29

I rise to introduce the Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act. prgtoken The Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act would place four parcels of approximately 172 acres of land already owned in fee by the Jamul Indian Village into trust by the United States for the benefit of the Tribe. prgtoken The four parcels of land in the bill would not be used for any class II or class III gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. prgtoken Over time, Jamul's ancestral lands have diminished from over 640 acres to just 6 acres, which now comprise the Tribe's entire trust land base. This 6-acre reservation is one of the smallest reservations in the country. prgtoken In 2005, Jamul Tribal members voluntarily moved off of the reservation in order to allow the Tribe to pursue economic development, build a casino, and become self-sufficient and less reliant on the Federal Government. prgtoken The Tribe has worked hard to maximize the use of its 6-acre reservation. Jamul opened a casino in 2006 and is working towards the opening of an adjacent hotel next year. Once the hotel is complete, the casino and hotel will occupy the entire Tribal reservation. prgtoken This legislation would place additional acres into trust for the benefit of the Tribe, allowing Jamul to build a true homeland and bring their members back to the reservation. On the largest parcel covered by the bill, Jamul plans to develop housing for their Tribal members so they can create a true homeland, as well as use the land for administrative offices, a health clinic, a childcare center, educational services, a community center, law enforcement offices, and other community resources for Tribal members. prgtoken Another parcel contains the only physical access road to the Tribe's reservation, and the fourth parcel contains the Tribe's historical church and cemetery. prgtoken I am proud to work with the Jamul Indian Village to introduce this bill that would enhance Tribal community development, preserve a sacred site, and improve economic development opportunities that will positively impact the Tribes' members and culture for generations to come. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act in the Senate as quickly as possible.
Border Security (Executive Session)
Mark Kelly (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2024-2-29

3 weeks ago, I stood here and spoke about the consequences of my colleagues walking away from the border agreement. prgtoken After decades of crisis after crisis at our border, we had a chance to be the Senators who actually did something about it. We had a real opportunity, a real bill ready to be signed into law by the President-- technology to stop fentanyl, more than 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents, authorities and policy changes to prevent the border from being overwhelmed, visas to keep families together, and more. That is what Senators Sinema, Murphy, and Lankford worked on together for months, with both and Senate leaders at the table and with the administration at the table, and that is what Senate s turned and walked away from. prgtoken I said then that some politicians see more advantage in shouting about problems than actually solving them. Well, let's take a look at what has happened in the last 3 weeks. prgtoken A couple of my colleagues traveled to Texas so they could record videos about how bad things were at the border. Neither of them supported the bipartisan border bill. Other of my colleagues have stood on this floor giving speeches, pointing fingers at President . They have done the same on cable news. President supported the bipartisan border bill; they did not. prgtoken In fact, one of my colleagues said in his floor speech the other day that he hasn't seen the two Arizona Senators on this floor giving prgtoken speeches about the border. To that Senator, I say this: That is because we are not here to just talk about the problem; we are here to do something about it. prgtoken By the way, that same Senator did not support the bipartisan border bill. prgtoken A group of House s came to my State for what they called a ``factfinding tour.'' What more facts do you need? That it is bad? Of course, it is. It would be better if Border Patrol agents had the resources and staffing and policy changes from the bipartisan border bill we could have passed. That would have helped them. But the folks who went on that trip didn't want to vote for that bill. So, no, this wasn't a factfinding tour; it was just another photo op, because they would rather keep talking about the problem instead of solving the problem. Who does that help? It doesn't help Border Patrol--who, by the way, supported this bipartisan bill. It doesn't help border communities that desperately need some relief. prgtoken The problems at the border do not go away when you fly back to Washington, DC. They just don't. And they don't go away when the TV camera stops rolling. prgtoken In Arizona, these aren't just talking points; it is a challenge that we face every day that strains our communities, and it strains law enforcement. That is why I am not going to stop working to solve these issues with our border and our immigration
Israel (Executive Session)
Brian Schatz (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2024-2-29

before I begin my remarks, in the Hawaii Legislature, there was a common custom to ask the presiding officer that the previous speaker's remarks were adopted prgtoken as if they were my own. And although I didn't listen to the entirety--I am not prepared to do that because I only got the back end--I just wanted to commend the senior Senator from Massachusetts for her moral clarity about the conduct of the war in Israel and the fact that it is a strategic and moral failure, and that the Prime Minister of Israel must be held to account for the fact that so many people are suffering so unnecessarily.
Israel (Executive Session)
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2024-2-29

I rise today in pursuit of peace in the Middle East. After nearly 5 months of war in Gaza, the human suffering must end. Just today, Americans woke up to the news that Israeli troops had opened fire on Palestinians desperate for humanitarian aid, killing dozens and adding to the more than 30,000 people in Gaza who have been killed during this conflict. prgtoken Hamas's October 7 terrorist attack on Israel took more than a thousand lives. Israel, like every nation, has the right to defend itself and the right to prevent another terrorist attack like this one from ever occurring again. prgtoken Other rights are important as well. The people who live in the Middle East deserve a lasting peace and deserve to live their lives with dignity and self-determination. prgtoken For decades, the United States Government has supported a two-state solution to guarantee those rights for both Israelis and Palestinians-- two states for two people. For years, I have spoken out against the diminishing prospects for a two-state solution. For years, Palestinians have been poorly served by their leaders, both in the West Bank and in Gaza. For years, even before October 7, Hamas's governance of Gaza was a major impediment to peace. And also for years, I have believed that Israel's long-term strategic interests were endangered by Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership. prgtoken Since October 7, it has only gotten worse. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his rightwing war cabinet have created a massive humanitarian disaster, pushing the region even further away from a two-state solution. Indiscriminate bombings in Gaza have killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, wiping out entire families and leaving thousands of children orphaned. Nearly 2 million people have been displaced, and 45 percent of the residential buildings in Gaza have been destroyed. The Israeli Government's refusal to allow adequate humanitarian aid into Gaza has left hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of starvation. prgtoken And still, more than 100 hostages are held by Hamas. The Israeli Government's top priority should have been to bring those hostages home, but, instead, Prime Minister Netanyahu focused on revenge. He publicly invoked the plight of hostages to justify indiscriminate bombing that thwarts the negotiations that would bring them home. This is a betrayal of the families whose loved ones are still held hostage by Hamas. prgtoken Netanyahu's opposition to a two-state solution is fierce and longstanding. For decades, he has undercut Palestinian independence. He has deliberately propped up Hamas to try to keep the Palestinian people divided. He approved Qatar's payments to Hamas--payments that may have been used for Hamas's military operations. He expanded settlements in the West Bank, turning the region into a patchwork of disconnected parts that undermine Palestinian hopes for a united homeland. prgtoken The result has been a v
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2024-2-29

I rise today to recognize February as National Children's Dental Health Month. Since 1981, this month has given us the chance to acknowledge the importance of dental health for children, recognize the progress we have made on this front, and renew our commitment to ensure that all children in our country have access to quality, affordable dental care. prgtoken Oral health is an aspect of health that is often overlooked, despite its critical role in the overall health of a person. As former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop once said, ``There is no health without oral health.'' prgtoken In my state, like many others, we have witnessed firsthand the consequences of neglecting oral health in young people. One story that has shaped my view on this issue is that of Deamonte Driver, a 12-year- old Prince George's County resident who tragically died in 2007 due to a lack of comprehensive dental services. Deamonte's death was particularly heartbreaking because it was entirely preventable. What started out as a toothache turned into a severe brain infection that could have been prevented by an $80 extraction. After multiple surgeries and a lengthy hospital stay, sadly, Deamonte passed away, 17 years ago this month. prgtoken Stories like this underscore the need for access to affordable oral health care for all Americans, particularly vulnerable and underserved communities. prgtoken While trends over the past several decades show promising reductions in tooth decay among young children, tooth decay remains one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. About 1 in 4 preschool children experienced tooth decay in primary teeth and at least one in six children aged 6 to 11 years experienced dental tooth decay in permanent teeth. It is also important to note that neglecting oral health at a young age increases the need for more advanced and expensive dental services, which are even less accessible than more standard types of dental care. prgtoken There is a persistent pattern of oral health disparities, as children from lower-income and minority racial and ethnic groups generally experience more disease and have less access to treatment. prgtoken Children from low-income households are twice as likely to have cavities, compared with children from higher-income households. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for children aged 2 to 5 years, about 33 percent of Mexican-American and 28 percent of non-Hispanic Black children have had cavities in their primary teeth, compared with 18 percent of non-Hispanic White children. For children aged 12 to 19, nearly 70 percent of Mexican-American children have had cavities in their permanent teeth, compared with 54 percent of non-Hispanic White children. prgtoken In its most recent Oral Health in America report, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, one of National Institutes of Health, identified disparities as one o
FLOOD INSURANCE
Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2024-2-29

. Madam , as I prepare to leave office at the end of this Congress, one of my greatest disappointments has been an inability to make progress dealing with our flood insurance system and the dangerous pattern of development and infrastructure. prgtoken What is so frustrating to me is that the handwriting has been on the wall. Even though I have tried to sound the alarm, we really have precious little to show for it. prgtoken I was on national TV 2 weeks before Hurricane Katrina, sketching in very vivid terms what was going to happen to New Orleans when the big one hit. Sadly, that was true even though Katrina wasn't the big one, but it could have been much, much worse. The devastation was unimaginable, and our efforts at recovery were woefully inadequate, inefficient, and unfair. We keep having to learn the same lessons with new victims in new disasters. prgtoken This inspired my first major piece of legislation, which aimed to reform the flood insurance program. However, looking back, it was simply inadequate. We tried to provide incentives which simply weren't strong enough. There are all sorts of examples. prgtoken Houston has been a poster child for repetitive flood loss. I used an example of one home flooded 22 times over 35 years and received more than $1.8 million in flood insurance claims for a home worth a fraction of that amount. prgtoken While we labored mightily through the legislative process to make modest gains in the flood insurance program, it was too little and too late. Our incentives weren't strong enough to overcome a 200-year history of people making poor decisions on where and how they live and how we designed our infrastructure. prgtoken People continue to live in low-lying, flood-prone areas because we are attracted to water. Rich and middle-class people are attracted to it, and poor people are forced to live in vulnerable areas because the land is less expensive. prgtoken Both strategies are flawed. What is so frustrating is that we spend enough money to potentially do things much better. Madam , $1 in prevention saves $6 in costs of damages, but we continue to make the mistakes of the past by spending billions of dollars on flawed reactions to catastrophes like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. prgtoken Additionally, it is not just massive storms. Day in and day out, we continue to put people in harm's way. We treat our rivers, waterways, and wetlands like machines that make the inevitable floods worse. We are happy to invest in decidedly suboptimal solutions. Traditional infrastructure that paves wetlands, channelized our rivers, and fortifies our coastlines make the inevitable flooding worse. prgtoken By giving people the illusion of protection, we encourage more people to move into harm's way. Over the past 20 years, we have failed in fundamental reforms. Making people respond to accurate flood mapping is too painful in the short term, so more people suffer pain in the long term. prgtoken T
HONORING THE LIFE OF BISHOP CARLTON PEARSON
Ro Khanna (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-2-29

today, we honor the selfless life of Bishop Carlton Pearson who passed away last November at the age of 70. Bishop Carlton Pearson was an evangelist, ministry leader, author, and award- winning singer. He was raised in San Diego, California with five siblings. He is survived by them, his wife, and his two children. prgtoken An expert in many crafts, his congregation often praised his diverse passions and the limitless communities impacted by his work. He preached what he called a gospel of inclusion. He saw all human life as an integral part of a broader community. He was welcomed in Synagogues, Islamic groups, Atheist and Agnostic organizations, and a variety of other spiritual communities. He felt a mandate to strive for peace through an emphasis on inclusion in spirituality and interfaith fellowship. prgtoken I commend him again today and emphasize his teaching that we don't have to go along to get along. That we can mind many of the same things without necessarily having the same mind about everything. We honor the life of Bishop Carlton Pearson, the legacy he left won't be soon forgotten. I include in the Record this Rolling Stone Magazine memoriam about how he has inspired generations to come. How Bishop Carlton Pearson Inspired a Generation of Singers and Gospel Artists (By Meagan Jordan) Bishop Carlton Pearson, a renowned preacher, singer and composer, known for his Live At Azusa albums, died on November 19 after a battle with cancer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His theology, known as the ``gospel of inclusion,'' preached against homophobia and embraced the LGBTQ community, but cost him his congregation and approval within the evangelical community. However, his message of inclusion and his denial of hell has become a model, and his impact in gospel music continues to inspire new generations of artists. ``He has an album of hymns that people would sing in the Black church for communion like `I Know it Was The Blood,' or his version of `Precious Memories.' gospel artist and former Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams tells Rolling Stone, referring to Pearson's Live At Azusa 2: Precious Memories album from 1997. ``He amplified those songs and made them mainstream for church.'' Pearson was born and raised in San Diego, California, where his father and grandfather were preacher men in a storefront ``heaven or hell'' Pentecostal church. After graduating high school, he attended Oral Roberts University, an evangelical Christian University, where Oral Roberts, a white preacher who had the leading religious television broadcast in the Seventies, was the school's founder. Roberts mentored Pearson as he navigated the ministerial realm. Pearson left the school before graduating in 1977, starting his own church, Hi