mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING MAYOR WILSON ``EDDIE'' BARBER OF EMERALD ISLE, NORTH CAROLINA
Gregory F. Murphy (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-12-1

. Madam , I rise today in honor of a devoted public servant in our community who will retire at the end of this year, Mayor Wilson ``Eddie'' Barber of Emerald Isle, North Carolina. A selfless and dedicated minister and town Mayor, Mr. Barber has been in the service of others for the past 40 years. prgtoken Beginning in 1969, Mayor Barber commenced his service as a minister performing services throughout eastern North Carolina until 2015. Nearing the end of his ministerial years, Mayor Barber soon devoted his career to public service, where he served as a member on the Emerald Isle Land Use Steering Committee and Emerald Isle Planning Board from 2004 until 2013. Concurrently, from 2009 until 2013, he served as Vice- Chair of the Planning Board. During this time, Mayor Barber was a tenured and established public servant with many accomplishments under his belt and a name recognized by everyone in Emerald Isle. prgtoken After years of civil service on municipal boards and committees, Mayor Barber was elected Mayor of Emerald Isle in 2013 and re-elected in 2017. Currently, Mayor Barber is a member of the Carteret County Tourism Development Authority, and was the past Chair of the Down East RPO, and past Chair Person of the Crystal Coast Mayors Association. He has also been involved with the Emerald Isle Business Association, Hope for the Warriors, and served on the Board of Directors of Methodist University. As a tenured mayor, Mayor Barber was able to allocate $37 Million towards beach re-nourishment initiatives at no expense to tax payers. He and the board also made sure to work closely and diligently to keep Emerald Isle's reputation as a welcoming and family friendly beach town. This was all accomplished through several hardships that struck the community such as Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Dorian, and the COVID-19 pandemic. prgtoken Madam , please join me in honoring the retirement of this incredible and noble man and wishing Mayor Eddie Barber a happy retirement from his life of public service.
HONORING PASTOR KENNY GRANT
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2021-12-1

. Madam , I rise today with gratitude to honor the service and ministry of Pastor Kenny Grant at Calvary Baptist Temple in Savannah, Georgia. prgtoken It is not often in life that you meet someone with as complete an understanding and unwavering trust in God's plan as Kenny Grant. prgtoken Kenny has served as senior pastor at Calvary Baptist Church for 10 years, and this past Sunday, he delivered his final sermon. prgtoken Kenny dedicated his life to serving others at 17 when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. It was during this time in the Marine Corps that he came to Christ and discovered his calling to preach and minister to others. prgtoken After 9 years in the Marines, Kenny went straight into the ministry by founding his own church. Kenny took his experience from his time in the Marines and used it in his ministry, growing his church and nourishing the hearts of his brothers and sisters in Christ. prgtoken Kenny has served the members of Calvary Baptist Temple selflessly, and we are excited to see where God takes him next.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2021-12-1

in reserving the right to object, here is my problem. prgtoken Yesterday--and I mean yesterday--the Secretary of Defense released out a memorandum. The memorandum was about pay for National Guard members and the vaccine. We have National Guard members in very large numbers and percentages all around the country who have not been vaccinated at this point. prgtoken Now, there are two sets of rules for the National Guard--one for the Air National Guard. Their deadline for the vaccination is tomorrow. Now, remember, this memorandum came out yesterday. Their deadline for the vaccination is tomorrow, December 2. For the Army National Guard, their deadline is the 30th of June--so two sets of rules for the Air National Guard and for the Army National Guard. They are completely different--6 months apart, plus. prgtoken For the Air National Guard, this word came out yesterday with this statement: No Department of Defense funding may be allocated for payment of duties performed under title 32 for members of the National Guard who do not comply with Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccination requirements. prgtoken Then there is this statement: No credit or excused absence shall be afforded to members who do not participate in drills, training, or other duty due to failure to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. prgtoken What does this mean in real life? prgtoken Well, in real life it means, as of tomorrow, members of the Air National Guard, not the Army National Guard--they have 6 more months, plus. But members of the Air National Guard, as of tomorrow, even if they are not on Federal duty, will no longer be paid, will no longer be allowed to drill. That means, this coming weekend, Air National Guard members who were headed to drill who have not been vaccinated can't drill. prgtoken What does that mean in real life? prgtoken Well, National Guard members don't get TRICARE free and taken care of and provided for by the taxpayers like Active Duty does. To get TRICARE from them, it comes out of their checks, but if they are not getting a check, then it interrupts their payments. prgtoken So what the Secretary of Defense did yesterday was announce that Air National Guard members, as of this weekend, will not be paid anymore, will not be allowed to drill anymore, and we have thousands of them all over the country. At the last check, the Guard had about 50 percent compliance on the vaccination. prgtoken In some areas of the Guard, they have very serious concerns--well, let me just identify this--not just as a readiness issue in that we have individuals who have served in the Guard for years who now are, suddenly, not going to be paid and are going to have their insurance at risk. It is not just that, but this is also a federalism issue. I know this gets lost in the conversation, but the National Guard is not Active Duty. They are not reservists. The National Guard, when they
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2021-12-1

yesterday, in a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell finally confirmed what we have all known for a long time; that the threat of persistently higher inflation has grown and that the risk of more persistent inflation has risen. prgtoken He acknowledged to the committee that use of the word ``transitory'' in the media has caused confusion and that it is probably a good time to retire that word and try to explain more clearly what is actually happening with the economy. prgtoken Now, that is bad news for the spin doctors over in the administration who have spent months trying to convince Tennesseans and the American people that we will be out of the woods any day now, that this is all coming to a fast end. It is back to the drawing board for the White House comms shop. They cannot split hairs over vocabulary words pertaining to inflation. prgtoken The inflation that we are seeing is real; it is felt; and the consequences of ignoring this are very real. prgtoken Of course, Tennesseans could have told Washington, DC, this long ago. Out in the real world, they have been dealing with the cost of inflation. Contrary to what the White House would have you believe, inflation isn't just a problem for the rich, and it certainly won't fade into the background after the holidays. prgtoken I have spoken at length about how inflation has affected Tennessee families and their budgets. Just a few weeks ago, I used the price hike on your average Thanksgiving dinner as an example of how a dollar here and a dollar there can add up to a massive grocery bill that we wouldn't have thought possible even a year ago. prgtoken But when I tell you that Tennesseans are worried about inflation, I don't want you to think they are only worried about the little extras. It is a helpful visualization, but it is a serious issue. This isn't about the price of turkey. This is about an out-of-control administration pursuing an agenda that has forced families to choose between food and fuel. prgtoken This is beyond out of touch. It is intentional, reckless activism that started the very moment that President walked into the Oval Office, sat down at the desk, pulled out a pen, and started to sign Executive orders, beginning with killing the Keystone Pipeline. prgtoken If we forgot everything we know about the modern ic Party, it would be easy to write off the administration's pursuit of big spending packages as politics as usual, but we know and have known for a long time, actually, that the in power view the next few years as an opportunity to tear down what we have and rebuild this country in their own socialist image. That is right. Radically transforming the country, that has been their goal for more than a decade. prgtoken Now, this is not just bad economic policy; it is a full-blown power grab. How else could you possibly explain the administration's c
AN UNBORN CHILD IS A HUMAN LIFE
Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (Republican, AR) \u2014 2021-12-1

. Madam , I thank my friend from Florida for hosting this Special Order. prgtoken Madam , I stand today alongside my colleagues, my constituents, and millions of Americans in support of life and in defense of the democratic process. prgtoken Human life begins at conception. Just 5 weeks into a pregnancy, an unborn baby's heart begins to beat. At 10 weeks, they have fingers and toes. prgtoken However, for 48 years, the Roe v. Wade decision has trampled on the democratic process and the unborn. prgtoken Since the 1973 decision, over 62 million abortions have been performed. That is over 1 million per year. This is a disgraceful attack on human life. prgtoken It is imperative that the legislative powers to make laws, especially of this magnitude, be vested in the people's representatives and not nine unelected judges. prgtoken Arkansans and citizens across this Nation want to protect life, but their hands have been tied by the Supreme Court. prgtoken I urge the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. It is time to return the abortion debate back to where it belongs, with the people.
TOO MUCH SALT IN WASHINGTON'S DIET
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-12-1

middle- and lower-income households across the country are getting the short end of the stick under the so-called Build Back Better Act. prgtoken For months, House s have exposed radical provisions in this bill that do nothing to help the American people or the country. One such provision is the raising of State and local tax deductions, commonly referred to as SALT. prgtoken Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a $10,000 cap was placed on SALT deductions. This meant that taxpayers who itemized their returns could deduct up to $10,000 in certain taxes that are paid to State and local governments. prgtoken Under the so-called Build Back Better Act, the cap would be set at $80,000. That is a $70,000 increase in tax deductions for high-income households in America. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that raising the SALT cap to $80,000 equates to a gift of $625 billion in perpetuity to wealthy Americans. prgtoken Pelosi was quoted as saying that raising SALT deductions is ``about which States get the revenue they need in order to meet the needs of the people.'' prgtoken , that claim may sound appeasing to some, but not all Members of the Party are sold. Jason Furman, the former chair of former President 's Council of Economic Advisers and current Harvard economist, calls this giveaway obscene. prgtoken Representative Jared Golden, a from Maine, who voted against the so-called Build Back Better Act, said he was concerned about tax giveaways to millionaires. Even Senator Bernie Sanders came out in staunch opposition to these proposed changes for the SALT cap. Noticing a pattern here? prgtoken Consider who will be the people reaping these benefits. Here is a hint: it is not hardworking American families. With the tax deduction cap set at $80,000, the households with the highest income would be saving $25,900 more than they do under the current law. prgtoken The Tax Policy Center found that this $80,000 cap would directly benefit the top 1 percent of households. Middle- and lower-income households will be left behind. With only 5.4 percent of the households earning more than $200,000 per year in North Carolina, few people would receive this handout. prgtoken Higher-income States such as California, New York, and New Jersey have historically benefitted from SALT cap deductions--with North Carolina being far removed from the conversation. prgtoken , economic experts, s, and even Members of Congress agree that Washington has too much SALT in its diet. If the majority believes upping SALT deductions and leaving both middle- and lower-income Americans behind is a viable route to take, the consequences would be a lot more than they bargained for. prgtoken The Senate should kill the so-called Build Back Better Act immediately.
BLACKWELL SCHOOL NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ACT
Tony Gonzales (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-12-1

. Madam , I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4706, the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act. prgtoken The Blackwell School is located in the heart of my district, Marfa, Texas. This week we are voting on legislation that makes this landmark a national historic site under the National Park Service. prgtoken When it comes to recognizing lands as national historic sites or national parks, it is paramount to look outside traditional parameters. We must identify and preserve our history from all walks of life and share stories of forgotten Americans, including the history of Mexican Americans and their struggle for equality. prgtoken The Blackwell School operated from 1909 to 1965 as a segregated school for children of Mexican descent. While segregation was mandated by law for African Americans, it was optional for school districts to segregate Mexican students. Marfa chose to segregate. Children who attended the Blackwell School were banned from speaking Spanish and even had to bury slips of paper with Spanish words in a mock funeral ceremony. prgtoken The school operated during a time of American history when separate but equal dominated our culture. Segregation is an ugly stain on America's legacy, and while we have progressed as a country, we must acknowledge the painful role segregation played in our Nation's history. prgtoken Establishing the Blackwell School as a national historic site ensures that the building is maintained properly so generations to come can understand its rich but complicated history. The impact of establishing this landmark as a national historic site goes beyond cultural influence as well. My district is home to eight of Texas' 16 national parks such as Big Bend National Park. As I traveled through my district, I have seen the positive economic and societal impacts our national parks have on our communities. Establishing the Blackwell School as a national landmark would bring increased tourism and increased economic activity to Presidio County and Marfa. prgtoken Madam , I would like to thank my friend, Fil Vela, for cosponsoring this bill; Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva; and, of course, Ranking Member Bruce Westerman for prioritizing this legislation.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2021-12-1

it is typical for commentators to talk about how China is no longer really a communist nation. Of course, only the most ardent China apologist would question that China is still a one-party, authoritarian state. It is just that the economic policies pursued since the early 1980s are hard to square with Marxism-Leninism. prgtoken I want to say to everybody: Not so fast. The sixth plenary session of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party contained a brand new historical resolution. This is only the third such paper since the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. The first, historians will remember, was when Mao Zedong put out one in 1945, and the second one was Deng Xiaoping in 1981. prgtoken Now, revising the historical narrative has been used in the past to set a stage for a whole new era in China and a whole new era for the Communist Party. Most China watchers see this paper as a consolidation of power by the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jingping. But to what end does he pursue? His rhetoric sounds more like Mao than the Chinese leader--any Chinese leader since Deng Xiaoping. General Secretary Xi's historical resolution reads as a break from China's economic policies--what we thought was moving towards a free market system since the 1980s, and until the last few years, I would say it was moving towards a free market system. But it is too late to turn back now, right? Well, don't be so sure. The Soviet Union pursued its New Economic Policy as a short-term effort to strengthen the state before returning to a more pure Marxism. prgtoken In a similar vein, General Secretary Xi has been cracking down on non-state-owned businesses, giving seemingly no care to the cost to the Chinese economy. General Secretary Xi's recent policies reportedly wiped out up to $1 trillion in stock value. He is doing this under the banner of so-called ``common prosperity,'' giving a socialist ideology backbone to what seems to be a power play to put him in a position of forever, the rest of his life, governing China. prgtoken American businesses need to pay attention to all this. Even if they don't care about the slave labor camp full of Uighurs, even if they don't care about the suppression of democracy in Hong Kong, if our business leaders don't care about China's increasingly aggressive military posture--even willing to look the other way to China's stealing intellectual property and trade secrets--considering all that for American business over there, I would urge extreme caution to any business that still sees the Chinese market as a cash cow. prgtoken Many people thought China would become very democratic once it was sufficiently capitalist. Maybe General Secretary Xi is worried about just that--being too capitalistic, making too many people successful without the help of the government. So if anyone thinks that General Secretary Xi would not dare sacrifice economic growth
MAKING REVISIONS IN TITLE 51, UNITED STATES CODE AND MAKING TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO IMPROVE THE UNITED STATES CODE
Darrell Issa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2021-12-1

as this section for the Judiciary Committee comes to a close, I want to thank the chairman for his hard work and cooperative nature as we went through each and every one of these pieces of legislation, first at the committee and now in the full House. prgtoken Often members of the public see Members of Congress not getting along, not getting things done, and sometimes the most tedious work is that which we do in the most congenial and noncombative manner. This is a good example of it. Hopefully the public will take note that Members of Congress can and do work together to do the American people's work. prgtoken Again, I want to thank the chairman for his diligent work. Mr I urge support for this piece of legislation, and .
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Ron Johnson (Republican, WI) \u2014 2021-12-1

on Sunday, November 21, 2021, a Christmas parade in Waukesha, WI, meant to usher in a season of peace on Earth, good will toward men, turned into a nightmare. An 8-year-old child and 5 adults were murdered, 62 others were injured. Some of the injured, including three children, remain in critical condition, their lives forever altered. prgtoken Families with their children who came to see Santa Claus, high school bands, the Dancing Grannies instead witnessed a horror that will leave lifelong psychological scars. First responders and law enforcement who rushed in to administer first aid and compassionately deal with the tragedy will be burdened by their terrible memories for the rest of their lives. prgtoken But as is so often the case, in the midst of an awful event caused by the worst of humanity, the absolute best of humanity is fully revealed. This is what we are witnessing in Waukesha. The healing process has already begun. It began immediately as members of the community came together to help the victims and survivors. prgtoken The very next evening, hundreds of people gathered at an interfaith prayer vigil to pray for healing and strength. I had the privilege of attending that vigil and speaking to members of the community, first responders, and those who knew the victims. It was a moving experience that I will never forget--sorrowful and yet hopeful. prgtoken From that experience, I have no doubt that the citizens of Waukesha will recover from this tragedy, but it will take time and a great deal of effort. It will also be the responsibility of civil society to administer justice for this heinous act of evil because the victims and the community of Waukesha deserve justice. prgtoken Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to bring back the six innocent lives who perished: Virginia Sorenson, Leanna Owen, Tamara Durand, Jane Kulich, Wilhelm Hospel, and Jackson Sparks, who was only 8 years old. prgtoken We can pray for healing for those broken in both body and spirit and also pray for those who helped them heal. We can also show our support by offering a moment of silence here on the floor of the U.S. Senate, which I will ask for following the remarks of my colleague from Wisconsin whom I now yield to.
AN UNBORN CHILD IS A HUMAN LIFE
Jefferson Van Drew (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2021-12-1

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding and for the amazing example that she is in her leadership to our entire Congress. prgtoken Madam , of particular concern to myself and many of my constituents in south Jersey is the ' attempt to stuff their tax and spend reconciliation bill, or as I like to call it, the big, bad bill, with massive expansions to the IRS. prgtoken In order to pay for this monstrosity of a bill, are looking to hire more than 87,000 IRS agents. This army of auditors have the singular goal of spying on private transactions of millions of Americans and our small businesses. prgtoken And it isn't the ultra-rich that they are going to be going after. With a threshold of only $10,000 a year, nearly every American who has a job will be targeted. This is despicable at best and anti-American at its worst. prgtoken administration policies are already leading the way to rampant inflation and to job shortages. The last thing the American people need is to prgtoken worry that their daily transactions will become the target of the IRS. Unsurprisingly, this policy received near unanimous support from House , despite the widespread backlash it received from the American public. prgtoken Madam , I implore the Senate to strip this dangerous provision before it ever become laws.
SAINT ANDREWS SOCIETY TOAST
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2021-12-1

. Madam , on Monday I was grateful to attend the annual meeting of the Saint Andrews Society of Columbia, SC where William Brunson DePass, Ill, was elected President. The traditional toast to the President was provided by John McCabe, a fellow graduate of valued colleague, Tim Burchett's Bearden High School Class of 1982, of Knoxville, Tennessee. prgtoken Toast to The President of the United States, Saint Andrew's Society of Columbia Annual Meeting, November 29, 2021, Forest Lake Club I have been bestowed the honor of offering a toast to his honor, The President of the United States of America, . In order to prepare for this prestigious task, I sought advice from my neighbor across the street, John Brandon. Brandon Advised me to be of the utmost comportment, elevate all comments to the highest level, and offer the toast with the greatest of respect. Good Advice Therefore, Gentlemen, I offer a hearty health to the Honorable , Jr The President of the United States of America!