mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PLUM HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB 100TH ANNIVERSARY
Brenda L. Lawrence (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , today I recognize the historic Plum Hollow Country Club which has been a staple in the Metro Detroit community as one of the premier country clubs in the Midwest since 1921, and is now celebrating its 100th anniversary. prgtoken Plum Hollow Country Club has been known to have a world-class golf course, playing host to several national events and tournaments including its very first PGA Championship in 1947. For a century, Plum Hollow Country Club has worked tirelessly to provide an inclusive environment for members of all skill levels to enjoy a great golf experience. prgtoken Plum Hollow Country Club continuously works to offer a variety of member options to provide a comprehensive and diverse club for networking and more. Plum Hollow also provides a strong community service element through its well-known Caddie Program that allows for younger generations to grow and learn in the game of golf. prgtoken Plum Hollow Country Club is indeed an integral part of the Southfield community, a place that noticeably touched the lives of each member over the last 100 years in concrete ways and will continue to do so for years to come. prgtoken On this momentous occasion, I wish to proclaim Plum Hollow Country Club as an American Landmark Site of Distinction. On behalf of the United States of America, I salute them for their many years of faithful service and celebrating 100 years.
HONORING JOHN KARRAS AS IOWAN OF THE WEEK
Cynthia Axne (Democrat, IA) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the co-founder of RAGBRAI John Karras as Iowan of the Week. RAGBRAI is the world's oldest, largest, and longest recreational bicycling tour event, and it is a beloved Iowa tradition. John, who was a feature writer for the Des Moines Register, took his first ride across Iowa with some friends in 1973. They chronicled their journey, and that trip sparked the inspiration for what is now known as RAGBRAI--an acronym for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. prgtoken John died on November 10, 2021, but the bicycle ride he helped create will continue in Iowa in 2022 and for many more years. RAGBRAI attracts 15,000 people to Iowa every summer, and allows visitors to see the state's beautiful cities, towns, counties, and countryside while riding their bikes an average of 468 miles between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. prgtoken RAGBRAI generates more than $364.8 million annually for the State of Iowa. The week-long event also brings in nearly $25 million in direct spending, which means towns that are lucky enough to have RAGBRAI ride through see upwards of $3 million a day in tourism spending. That money means so much to the Iowa towns that host RAGBRAI each year, and to the vendors that help support the bicycle ride. prgtoken The ride does more than raise money for our great state. It brings bicyclists from all over Iowa, the nation, and the world together to share their love of their favorite sport and pastime. It has created friendly rivalries between news organizations as they compete to see who can eat pies the fastest, and good laughs for everyone as the bicyclists have come up with some memorably humorous team names throughout the years. prgtoken I've had the pleasure of riding RAGBRAI and can honestly say there's no experience quite like it. I loved spending time in rural areas along the route, meeting Iowans and out-of-state riders to hear their stories, and the physical challenge of a cross-state ride. You have to push yourself through the unpredictable weather of an Iowa summer and the hilly landscape, but you're rewarded with seeing and experiencing the state's beauty from a unique perspective. RAGBRAI is a great way to connect with family, friends, and strangers alike while making memories that last a lifetime. John leaves a lasting legacy through the creation of this iconic event. prgtoken John certainly didn't know what RAGBRAI would grow into when he took his first bicycle ride across the state, but I am so thankful he went out anyway and tried something new. Iowa summers would not be the same without this phenomenal tradition and John will be missed by everyone who knows and loves RAGBRAI. It is my pleasure to honor John Karras as Iowan of the Week.
FURTHER EXTENDING GOVERNMENT FUNDING ACT
Lucille Roybal-Allard (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , each year, the first and most important responsibility Congress has is to determine how taxpayer dollars will be spent on behalf of our constituents. The continuing resolution before the House will prevent a government shutdown and give us sufficient time to complete the full-year funding bills if the minority will finally come to the negotiating table. prgtoken Some friends on the other side of the aisle have suggested simply enacting a yearlong CR, which would effectively wash our hands of our constitutional duty. My subcommittee is responsible for drafting the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. If, as my colleagues have suggested, we were to pass a full-year CR, DHS would lose critical increases in the House bill that are imperative to the security of the United States. This includes a historic 20 percent increase for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; funding to increase FEMA's capacity to respond to the growing frequency of disasters linked to climate change; a quadrupling of funding for trade facilitation and security at our ports of entry; a 6 percent increase for Homeland Security Investigations; and an 8 percent increase for critical Coast Guard operations. prgtoken Let's quickly approve this short-term CR and then roll up our sleeves and work together to fulfill our constitutional duty by negotiating full-year bills.
CANCEL STUDENT LOAN DEBT
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. We are here, Bronx boogie down caucus checking in, yerr caucus checking in, student loan cancellation caucus checking in because this is getting ridiculous. This is ridiculous. prgtoken I am 32 years old. I am a first-generation college graduate on my mom's side, and growing up, I was told, since I was a child: Your destiny is to go to college. That is what is going to lift our family up and out. That is our future. That is what we are here to accomplish. prgtoken I was 17 years old when college recruiters started coming to my high school saying: This is worth it. prgtoken We still do that today because it is teenagers signing up for what is often hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, and we just do that, and our government allows that. We give 17-year-olds the ability to sign on and sign up for $100,000 worth of debt, and we think that is responsible policy. prgtoken I am 32 years old now. I have over $17,000 in student loan debt. I didn't go to graduate school because I knew that getting another degree would drown me in debt that I would never be able to surpass. This is unacceptable. prgtoken Not only that, but 65 percent of all jobs in this country require an education beyond high school; first-generation college students are two times as likely to report being behind on student loan payments; and 63 percent of borrowers who made payments with Navient during the COVID forbearance still owe more now than they originally borrowed. There are hundreds of thousands of people in this country who owe more on their student loans now than they did when they first took them out. prgtoken We as a country are profiting off of insurmountable and crushing educational debt, and it is wrong. It is absolutely wrong. Four years after graduation, 48 percent of Black students owe an average of 12.5 percent more than they originally borrowed. prgtoken But this isn't just an issue of a debt crisis. This is an educational crisis in the United States of America. If we want to remain competitive, if we want to remain innovative, and if we need the technological investments necessary to address things like climate change, we need an educated country. prgtoken The United States has a policy of actively disincentivizing higher education. We disincentivize people from getting a college or secondary education beyond high school. That is backward. The least we can do--we have a moral obligation, an economic obligation, a political obligation to cancel student loan debt in the United States of America. prgtoken We have seen the benefits that this has had during the forbearance alone. It has given people the breathing room to do what they need to do so we can stop writing these ridiculous articles that young people are killing diamond rings, that they are not buying houses, and that they are killing this industry or that, that we are not having children. It is because we are being crushed by im
FURTHER EXTENDING GOVERNMENT FUNDING ACT
Mike Quigley (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , I rise today in disappointed support of a second continuing resolution, but let's remember, every continuing resolution reflects a failure to govern. prgtoken House did our job and passed government funding bills, all of them, to create good-paying jobs to support the hardworking middle class and protect our national security. prgtoken In September, we voted on a bipartisan basis to extend government funding through December 3 to allow negotiations to finalize legislation. Since then, my colleagues across the aisle have refused to seriously negotiate with us on funding. prgtoken That leads us to where we are now, considering another new short-term CR right before the holiday break, when we should have already completed our work. prgtoken The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Sure enough, here we are again, having to pass another short-term CR because we can't pass funding bills in a regular manner. prgtoken There is more than enough time in a year to come to an agreement and pass funding bills. America's friends and enemies around the world are watching us to see if our country can continue to function in a changing world. We must show them we can, but this effort requires compromise, as it always has. prgtoken I ask them to join us for a bipartisan, bicameral negotiation to resolve our differences and keep government working for the people.
CANCEL STUDENT LOAN DEBT
Jimmy Gomez (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , I thank Mr. Bowman for organizing this Special Order hour. prgtoken I like to describe the student loan debt crisis as a boot on the neck of the American Dream and on the neck of millions of Americans who make that American Dream a reality. And that is because higher education is the one way that we achieve the American Dream. It is what I did. prgtoken I am the youngest of six of immigrant parents from Mexico. My two parents never made it past third grade. Both could read but not really write. One of the things that they knew is that coming here would give me that opportunity to change my life. I was fortunate enough to be born here. My brother Javier and I were born here, and I was one of the first to graduate from college. prgtoken It allowed me to believe that I could do more, to believe I could be part of this country, and about that American promise. You come here, you believe in our values, you work hard, you give back, you are going to have a place, and you are going to succeed; and the next generation, your kids and your grandkids, are going to do even better. prgtoken I am fortunate. I got to go to a community college after I worked at Subway and Target, and then I transferred to UCLA, graduated in the top 10 percent of my class. Then I got my master's of public policy from Harvard University. prgtoken I ended up walking away with $15,000 in debt from undergrad, which wasn't bad. I thought it was a lot of money. When you graduate, and you are only getting paid $24,000 a year, it was a lot of money. And I walked away with a little bit over $65,000 from the Kennedy School for my master's degree. And don't forget, a lot of students also have credit card debt on top of that. prgtoken But you know what, I am fortunate that I got to go to school. I am fortunate that I have been able to change my life. I am fortunate that I have been able to get jobs that provide me health insurance for the first time in my family's history, and that my debt isn't as crippling as the current generation's debt. prgtoken The current generation's debt after the Great Recession ballooned to historic proportions. That is why you have trillions of dollars in student loan debt on the backs of 47 million Americans. prgtoken You know what? These are dreamers; these are people who believe in the American Dream, that say, you know what, I have been told, go to school, work hard. And you know what, it doesn't matter, if you get into the best school possible, take out that debt because it is going to come back tenfold. In the past, that was the case. prgtoken But we don't see that now. We see that the debt that has been put on the backs--because we underinvested in higher education, we underinvested in K-12--is crippling people to living their version of the American Dream. prgtoken It is so severe, and it pains me and it depresses me, that people are actually are deciding, I would rather not go to college because I don't want to ha
HONORING ADEOLA ``ABRAHAM'' OLAGBEGI
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , I rise today to honor a remarkable public servant, Adeola ``Abraham'' Olagbegi from Jackson, Mississippi. prgtoken After a successful bone marrow transplant in November 2020, Adeola Olagbegi was given a chance to Make-A-Wish. Instead of wanting something a typical 13-year-old fighting cancer may ask for, he used his wish to start something bigger than himself prgtoken Mr. Olagbegi chose to use his wish to feed the homeless for a year in his hometown, Jackson, MS. Before being diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder, Mr. Olagbegi and his family looked forward to feeding the homeless every third Saturday in every month. This service to the community is known as ``Abraham's Table.'' ``It was always a good thing to do, and that's what I grew up doing that, so I go back to my roots to do what I was taught to do.'' ``I am a person of hope, so when you come against a big mountain, you have to remember you have a big God.'' Mr. Olagbegi is a living testimony that if you pour out good unto God's people, God will turn around and bless you beyond measure. prgtoken After 10 months of ``Abraham's Table'', Mr. Olagbegi hopes to turn his wish into a nonprofit organization that will continue to impact the City of Jackson for the better. Since the beginning of Abraham's Table, Mr. Olagbegi has fed over hundreds of homeless citizens. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. Adeola ``Abraham'' Olagbegi for his dedication to serve the homeless for years to come.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2021-12-2

there are no words that can capture the terror and the tragedy of the horrific events that unfolded at Oxford High School on Tuesday afternoon. prgtoken In a matter of minutes, a routine school day was twisted into scenes of chaos, shattering the safe environment that Oxford High students and teachers and families trusted in. This shocking event will change their lives forever. Our heart breaks for every Michigander in America who continues to be affected by this tragedy and so many others like it. prgtoken It was a scene that has become all too familiar in America. A gunman opened fire inside a public school, taking four young lives and wounding seven other people. Four students went to school that morning with bright, exciting futures ahead. They never made it home. prgtoken Hana St. Juliana, the youngest victim, was only 14 years old. A freshman who was a promising athlete on the volleyball and basketball teams, her teammates remember her as having a kind heart, a silly personality, and an absolute passion for sports. Her father remembers her as the happiest kid, who had a full life ahead of her before it was tragically cut short. prgtoken Madisyn Baldwin, a 17-year-old senior and the oldest of three siblings, was preparing to graduate this spring. An aspiring artist and talented student, she recently celebrated acceptances to several colleges, including some under a full-ride scholarship. She will always be remembered by her family and friends as a kind, smart, and loving girl. prgtoken Tate Myre was 16 years old, No. 42 on the football team. Tate was a star student athlete and was recently honored with an all-region award from the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. He had already started college recruitment visits and was looking forward to many more until the unthinkable happened. His friends, his family, and his fellow students remember him as someone who always put his full heart into everything that he did. prgtoken And Justin Shilling, a 17-year-old senior, was cocaptain of the school's bowling team. His coworkers called him an exemplary employee, a devoted friend and coworker, and simply an absolute pleasure to be with. prgtoken As we mourn Hana, Madisyn, Tate, and Justin, we must also remember the victims who were injured during this attack. At this very moment, dedicated doctors and nurses are working around the clock to ensure that the wounded can swiftly recover. We are all thinking of them and wishing them well, along with those who were wounded, treated, and have now been discharged from the hospital. prgtoken As a parent, I just simply cannot imagine the grief and anguish that these families are forced to endure and the unimaginable pain that these parents are feeling in knowing that they can never--never ever-- hold their loving child again. prgtoken I am grateful for the brave first responders who quickly responded to this harrowing scene. Thanks to their swift a
FURTHER EXTENDING GOVERNMENT FUNDING ACT
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , s' refusal to put the American people first and faithfully negotiate leaves every parent and mom-and-pop shop less secure. prgtoken Let's get serious about governing. prgtoken I say to my colleagues: It is time to show up for work and stop worshipping at the altar of for 5 minutes, long enough to do your job. prgtoken Let's stop this legislative brinksmanship and immediately begin to negotiate the FY 2022 bills so we can meet our country's needs.
HONORING DR. MAXINE O'DELL GERNERT
Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann (Republican, TN) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , I rise today to honor Dr. Maxine O'Dell Gernert of Athens, Tennessee and recognize a lifetime of service to her community and our nation. Dr. Gernert retires from my Congressional staff today. prgtoken Dr. Gernert obtained a BS in Education from the University of Tennessee and subsequently earned a Masters of Divinity from the Church of God School of Theology and a Doctorate of Ministries from Columbia Theological Seminary. prgtoken Dr. Gernert is an ordained minister, has taught at Lee University, and has spoken internationally for chaplain training. She performed Clinical Pastoral Education training in hospitals and was interim director and chaplain for the Serenity Women's Shelter in Knoxville, TN. prgtoken Maxine has been married to Dr. John N. Gernert for over 50 years, and the two have three children and seven grandchildren. prgtoken Maxine has been a pillar of public life in East Tennessee for over 30 years. She served as the Area 2 President for the National Federation of Women and as Chairman for the McMinn County Party for two terms. prgtoken Dr. Gernert was recognized as the Tennessee GOP Stateman of the Year for District 2 in 2005 and received the Lincoln Award from the McMinn County Party in 2016. She was awarded the Extraordinary Leaders prize from the American Association of Physician Specialties in 2017. prgtoken For the past twelve years, Maxine has worked as Field Representative, first in Tennessee's Second Congressional District for Congressman Jimmy Duncan, and since 2013 on my staff in Tennessee's Third Congressional District. In this role, she has tirelessly served our great East Tennessee community helping countless individuals by providing constituent services. prgtoken Dr. Maxine Gernert has been an asset to East Tennessee and to me. Always positive and assertive, she has had a tremendous impact on all those fortunate enough to know her. I will treasure my time spent with Maxine and know we will continue to cross paths in the many ways she remains engaged in our communities. I wish her all the best in a well- deserved retirement. prgtoken God bless Maxine.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Tom Cotton (Republican, AR) \u2014 2021-12-2

for the record, I would object on behalf of anyone who is not here, and so the question is moot. prgtoken If the really wanted all these nominees to go forward, maybe you should talk to the President about the fact that he caved in on Nord Stream 2 sanctions. prgtoken I know the Senator from New Hampshire has been strong on that, but she could have stopped any single bill or nominee going forward by insisting that the President impose Nord Stream 2 sanctions. prgtoken Now we are in a situation where all of Western Europe is hooked on German gas and Vladimir Putin is about to invade Ukraine, and the best we can get is stern words. prgtoken So, yes, I would object on behalf of any Senator who is not present, and I don't even know what I am objecting to.
HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF PASTOR BYRON JONES
Lance Gooden (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , I rise today to honor Pastor Byron (Boonie) Jones of First Baptist Church in Gun Barrel City, Texas, on his retirement. During his thirty-five years of service, Byron has been a stalwart of the community, always putting others' needs before his own. prgtoken Byron first joined the Ministry in 1979 at Eastside Baptist Church in Rusk, Texas and served on staff for three years before joining as Youth Minister at First Baptist Church, Gresham. In 1985, the First Baptist Church Gun Barrel City was fortunate to have Byron join as Pastor. When Byron first came to Gun Barrel City, the church was meeting in a city council meeting room until they were able to build a house of worship. Now, the First Baptist Church in Gun Barrel City, Texas, is one of the largest churches in Henderson County. prgtoken After 35 years of service, Pastor Byron Jones more than deserves a peaceful retirement, and I wish him the best. prgtoken I commend Pastor Byron Jones for his dedication to serving the people of Texas, and I know the First Baptist Church in Gun Barrel City will be sad to see him go.