mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DEBT CEILING
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-1-25

as the debate over raising the debt ceiling continues, Leader McConnell said something yesterday that, I think, is right on the mark. He said that when it comes to moving a debt ceiling proposal through Congress, the House should go first. He is correct. Not only should the House go first, but they must quickly show the American people what their plan actually is for avoiding a first-ever default on the national debt. So far, we haven't heard anything beyond vague and troubling talking points about the need to cut Federal spending. That is not going to fly when you are in the majority, as McCarthy, of course, is. The substance and details make all the difference. The debt ceiling is not some political game, and McCarthy has an obligation to level with the American people on what precisely the new House plans to do in order to avoid a default. prgtoken President and the have reportedly agreed to sit down in the near future on this topic, and the is apparently heralding this development as some sort of big win or concession. But look, McCarthy sitting down without a clear plan is no win. Sitting down to talk about the debt ceiling without a plan is like coming to the table with no cards. President , meanwhile, has a plan. He has cards. He has been clear that there must be no brinksmanship and no default on the debt ceiling. prgtoken McCarthy, what about you? The House GOP is threatening spending cuts. Well, what are they? why the evasion? Why is your conference hiding from the American people? prgtoken House s, where are your cards? prgtoken Again, I want to be clear that the debt ceiling is a subject of the highest consequence, and using it as a bargaining chip--using it as brinksmanship, as hostage-taking--as s are trying to do, is exceedingly dangerous because if the House of Representatives continues on their current course and allows the United States to default on its debt obligations, every single American is going to pay a terrible and expensive price. prgtoken The consequences of default are not some theoretical abstraction. If default happens, Americans will see the consequences in their daily lives. Interest rates will go soaring on everything from credit cards and student loans to cars, mortgages, and more. That is thousands of dollars for each American going right out the door. That will happen and through no fault of their own. prgtoken Retirement plans, like 401(k)s, would lose their value, robbing people of their hard-earned livelihoods. For millions prgtoken of Americans who one day dream of owning a home--their own piece of the rock--a default would add $130,000 to the lifetime cost of a new home. Imagine spending years putting a little bit of your paycheck aside every month in order to buy a house, only to find out that suddenly that dream is entirely out of reach because radical politicians in Washington bumbled their way into a financ
MEDICAL RESEARCH FUNDING
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2023-1-25

in the last two centuries, Federal support for scientific research has helped to split the atom, defeat polio, explore space, create the internet, map the human genome, develop vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, and so much more. prgtoken No nation has made such significant investments in science, and no nation's scientists have done more to improve the quality of life. prgtoken But with the challenges we face today, from devastating diseases to climate change, there is more progress to be made. prgtoken So America is at a turning point, and unless we commit to providing strong and sustained funding increases for our Nation's premier medical and scientific researchers, our position as the world leader will be at risk. prgtoken That is exactly why, since 2014, I have continued to introduce legislation to keep our Nation on the cutting edge. It is entitled the American Cures Act. prgtoken This bill will provide our top medical research Agencies with 5 percent real funding growth every year. That is steady, predictable growth, pegged above the rate of inflation. prgtoken This money would support the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense Health Program, and the Veterans' Affairs Medical and Prosthetics Research Program. prgtoken This investment would be game-changing for the Agencies. Consider the National Institutes of Health. It is our Nation's--if not the world's-- premier medical research Agency. Their pioneering work at this single agency saves lives and fuels our economy, supporting nearly 20,000 jobs just in my home State of Illinois. prgtoken Today, the NIH budget is $47.5 billion. More than 95 percent of this funding is competitively awarded to scientists, research institutions, and small businesses in every State across the country. prgtoken Researchers supported by the NIH make tens of thousands of new discoveries every year--breakthroughs that could literally change the world. prgtoken In recognition of these remarkable feats, Congress has, on a bipartisan basis, increased the NIH annual budget by more than $17 billion since I first introduced the American Cures Act in 2014. prgtoken This chart is an indication of that growth. It has gone from $30 billion to $48 billion in that period of time since 2014--a 58-percent increase. prgtoken These increases would not have been possible without a bipartisan effort in the U.S. Senate. prgtoken I enlisted a willing participant and ally and really effective Member of the Senate, Patty Murray, to be part of this; former Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, who, when the s were in majority control of the Senate, kept up this promise to increase the spending; and retired Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee, who shared our passion for medical research. prgtoken Luckily, we had a leader at the time, Dr. Francis Collins, former Director of the NIH, who really did his part in enlisting suppo
MORNING BUSINESS
Alex Padilla (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-1-25

I rise today to honor the life of Walter Ulloa, a trailblazing figure in the media and entertainment industry, a role model to many in California, and my personal friend. prgtoken Walter grew up in Brawley, CA, at a time when Latinos were still segregated in his community. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1970, before earning his law degree from Loyola School of Law in 1975. prgtoken After earning his degrees, Walter embarked on what would become a nearly five-decade career in media, playing a pivotal role in the growth of Spanish-language television and radio across the United States. prgtoken At KMEX in Los Angeles, there were some early signs that Walter's work ethic, intellect, and mind for media would make him successful. During his 13 years there, he worked as operations manager, production manager, news director, local sales manager, and account executive before venturing out to create his own projects. prgtoken In 1996, he cofounded Entravision, a now global Latino media, marketing, and technology company. For over 25 years, he served as chairman and chief executive officer at Entravision, where he grew his young company to own over 100 television and radio stations, as well as digital platforms throughout the United States. Whether in Los Angeles or across the country, if you watched or listened to Spanish-language media in the last five decades, there is a very good chance you have Walter Ulloa to thank. prgtoken But away from his industry impact, communities in California knew him for his generosity and his commitment to public service. So respected was Walter for his expertise and appreciation of the arts, that President appointed him to the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. prgtoken For more than 20 years, I had the privilege of knowing and working with Walter. I always admired how he generously gave his time and contributed resources to help increase Latino civic engagement and voting in California. The fact that after growing up in a segregated community in the 1950s, Walter could go on to not only an extraordinarily successful career, but to help future Latino communities prosper time and time again is a testament to his character. prgtoken The life of Walter Ulloa is nothing less than the American dream come true, from his educational and economic success, his philanthropy, and his service to our country. He will be missed. prgtoken Angela and I send our love to his wife Alexandra Seros and son Bruno Seros-Ulloa and to all those whose lives were touched by his service.
LOOMING DEBT CEILING
Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2023-1-25

. Madam , I was very encouraged with today's reports that the leadership is planning to teach their Members about how the debt ceiling works. This is a very good sign, especially after the embarrassing first week with 15 votes to elect a , and the House leadership ending up exactly where it started. Unfortunately, the leadership is hallowed out, but they have empowered the exact same element or any other faction who want to hold the hostage. prgtoken But there is a key difference going forward. They are playing games with the full faith and credit of the United States, which is underpinning the global economy. Note, the debt ceiling is not just a way station on the way to a full government shutdown. While government shutdowns have real costs and consequences, the debt ceiling has massive ramifications that you cannot unwind. prgtoken This game of chicken with the global economy is very much more consequential. You can recover from the shutdown. But the attacks on professionals, for example, drove thousands of people out of government service, and it is going to take years and millions of dollars to repair. These implementations of political slogans have real consequences. prgtoken In the end, I suspect we will be right where we started. The only way to reduce the deficit, to balance the budget books, is to actually reduce government spending, which they refused to do in the administration when they were in total control of the government. They instead had a huge increase in the deficit. There were, of course, tax cuts that were a part of that, unfunded, and there was a major spike in military spending. prgtoken My friend, Hal Harvey, a leader in climate science, is fond of saying that you can't refute science, math, and economics. That is exactly the situation that my friends are facing with this game of chicken with the debt ceiling. prgtoken There is no gimmick, there is no commission, and there is no slogan that avoids the painful truth that you actually have to reduce spending. There are real things we could do. prgtoken I would suggest any Member could avail themselves of a secret weapon that is in each and every one of our districts. There are amazing young people who are involved with civics, with leadership congresses, with the efforts to understand how government works. I think we ought to employ them. They understand the dynamic: Cut spending, raise taxes, or just collect the taxes that are due and owing, which would be hundreds of billions of dollars. Unless and until we do this, all the rest is simply meaningless slogans and posturing, unfortunately with real risks of threatening the full faith and credit of the United States. prgtoken My friends have no alternative to the borrowing, and I am afraid that we are going to end up going through this meaningless exercise, agitating ourselves, confusing the public, and losing an opportunity to make real progress, impro
REFORM THE NOTICE TO AIR MISSIONS SYSTEM
Brian Higgins (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-1-25

on January 11, the failure of the Notice to Air Missions system grounded thousands of flights across America. This malfunction created air travel chaos for days. prgtoken This system is essential to safe flight operations and needs to be reformed. The Notice to Air Missions Improvement Act takes a proactive approach to make much-needed upgrades. prgtoken Many of the airline safety measures implemented over the past 15 years were borne out of the lessons we learned following the crash of flight 3407 outside of Buffalo. We must not wait for another tragedy to make the prgtoken necessary steps to protect the flying public. prgtoken I support this bipartisan bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
HONORING RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPUTY ISAIAH CORDERO
Raul Ruiz (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-1-25

. Madam , I rise today to honor a fallen hero, Riverside County Sheriff's Department Deputy Isaiah Cordero, who gave his life serving our community. prgtoken Every day, our law enforcement officers put on their uniforms, kiss their loved ones good-bye, and go to work not knowing if they will come home. prgtoken On December 29, 2022, Deputy Cordero put on his uniform, said good- bye to his loved ones, and went to work that day to protect and serve. That afternoon, he was tragically shot and killed in the line of duty during what should have been a routine traffic stop. prgtoken Now, a family mourns a loved one, our local law enforcement grieves a brother, and our community lost a guardian, protector, and friend. prgtoken Deputy Cordero's service began with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department as a correctional deputy on May prgtoken 5, 2014. From the start, he was a hardworking, loyal colleague who led by example and wanted his partners to succeed. prgtoken As a correctional deputy, he worked on cases at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility and the Indio jail. Later, he was promoted to deputy sheriff after completing training with the 204th Basic Academy. prgtoken When he was transferred to the Jurupa Valley Station, Deputy Cordero achieved his goal to serve as a motor deputy. He had served in his dream job for only 3 months before his death at just 32 years old. prgtoken Our community will remember Deputy Cordero as a selfless public servant who gave his life for our safety. His mother, Rebecca; father, Gilbert; stepbrother; loved ones; and friends will cherish his memory as a good man, devoted son, and loving uncle who brought a smile to everyone's face and as a kind soul who was quiet, polite, and humble, a ray of sunshine who loved motorcycles, cars, and punk rock. prgtoken Together, as a community, let us honor his legacy, and together, as a Nation, let us salute his courage, remember his sacrifice, and show our appreciation for his fellow brothers and sisters who wear the badge, continuing to protect and serve every day. prgtoken Memorializing the Life and Legacy of Riverside County Deputy Darnell Calhoun
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION REAL ESTATE LEASING AUTHORITY REVOCATION ACT
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2023-1-25

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank Chair Graves and Ranking Member Larsen for bringing this important bill to the floor. prgtoken This bill would revoke the independent real estate leasing authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission and direct the Government Accountability Office to update its 2016 report on independent real estate leasing authority in the Federal Government. The House passed this bill last Congress. prgtoken While a number of Federal agencies have independent real estate leasing authority, the SEC has a history of egregious real estate practices. prgtoken In 2005, the SEC disclosed that it had unbudgeted costs of approximately $48 million for the construction of its headquarters near Union Station. prgtoken In 2007, after moving into headquarters, the SEC shuffled its employees to different office space at a cost of over $3 million without any cost-benefit analysis or justifiable explanation. prgtoken In 2010, the SEC conducted a deeply flawed analysis to justify the need to lease 900,000 square feet and to commit over $500 million over 10 years, overestimating its space needs by over 300 percent. In addition, the SEC failed to provide complete and accurate information and prepared a faulty and backdated justification and approval after it had already signed the lease. prgtoken In August 2016, the General Services Administration and the SEC entered into an occupancy agreement to authorize GSA to secure a new 15-year lease. prgtoken In December 2016, GSA, with the approval of SEC, submitted a prospectus to Congress for approximately 1.3 million square feet, which Congress approved in 2018.
HONORING NORA MANELLA UPON HER RETIREMENT
Adam B. Schiff (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-1-25

I rise today to honor the Honorable Nora Margaret Manella, who will soon retire as Presiding Justice for the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division Four. prgtoken Justice Manella has held numerous highly esteemed positions over the course of her career ranging from being a complex civil litigator in private practice and a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles to being a U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and U.S. District Judge. prgtoken Born and raised in Los Angeles, Justice Manella received her Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College and her Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California Law School. She began her judicial career as a law clerk for Judge John Minor Wisdom of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, before serving as a counsel to the Subcommittee on the Constitution in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. After some time in private practice, she returned to working for the government as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. I had the pleasure of being her colleague in that office when she led the appellate division. Her sparkling intellect, quick wit, expansive knowledge, analytical skills and brilliant oratory were legendary in the office. An accomplished lawyer in the courtroom as well, she prosecuted a wide variety of cases ranging from homicide to commodities fraud to international narcotics trafficking. She later served as a judge on the Los Angeles Municipal Court and Los Angeles Superior Court. prgtoken In 1994, former President Bill Clinton recognized her dedication and public service by nominating Judge Manella to be the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, where she oversaw an office of over 200 lawyers. During her time as U.S. Attorney, she was recognized by the National Law Journal as one of ``The 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in the United States'' and by the Daily Journal as one of ``The 100 most Powerful Lawyers in California.'' After being nominated again by former President Clinton to be a U.S. District Judge, where she was unanimously approved by the United States Senate, she was named ``Federal Judge of the Year'' by Century City Bar Association, Criminal Section. In 2006 she was nominated by former Governor Schwarzenegger to the California Court of Appeal and in 2018 to her final position as Presiding Justice by former Governor Brown. prgtoken While her list of accomplishments is far longer than can be included here, it is clear that Justice Manella's expertise in the legal field and her devotion to serving and improving her nation is unmatched. She is a true role model and inspiration for all, but above all else, Nora is a fierce friend, with an everpresent smile and zeal for life that extends beyond the courtroom. She has been a trusted mentor to countless young people and women across the legal field in Southern California, service that will continue past her time on th
STRATEGIC PRODUCTION RESPONSE ACT
Daniel S. Goldman (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-1-26

. Mr. Chair, I am not surprised that my colleague across the aisle thinks this is not germane because I understand that my colleagues on the other side don't believe that oil production has an impact on climate change. prgtoken The sad reality is that fossil fuel production is what is causing our climate to burn and is what is causing the climate crisis that we are facing. Whether it is in California recently, after years and years of drought that now has torrential downpours, or other extreme weather events around the country, the reason for that is greenhouse gas emissions, and that stems directly from fossil fuel production. prgtoken So, yes, this is precisely germane to what the issue is in terms of additional oil production and the----
STRATEGIC PRODUCTION RESPONSE ACT
Mark Takano (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-1-26

. Mr. Chair, the United States is at the forefront of clean energy development and clean energy deployment globally. Not only are we developing countless private renewable energy projects across the country, but we have hundreds more wind, solar, and geothermal projects on Federal lands, with many more on the way. prgtoken If we are to remain a global leader in renewable energy deployment, then we should ensure any new oil and gas drilling does not impede the rapid deployment of renewable energy projects that are so critical to our energy independence and security. prgtoken Before we consider approving even more land for outdated and highly polluting forms of energy, we must continue on our march into the future and invest in renewable energy projects, not just on Federal lands but in every community that stands to benefit from these projects. prgtoken My amendment would require the Secretary to not only certify that increased oil and gas drilling on Federal lands will not negatively impact renewable energy project development but also prohibit the inclusion of any recommendations to expand such drilling in this plan if it would do so. prgtoken Yes, we must make gas affordable at the pump, but the President of the United States has already helped lower prices for the American people by drawing down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In fact, the underlying legislation would create additional barriers to keeping gas prices low. prgtoken The answer is not more drilling. The answer is to invest in renewable energy and to make these new technologies more affordable for everyday Americans. prgtoken If we want to keep the United States from falling second to China in the deployment of renewable energy projects, then we should be taking every reasonable step to continue their deployment. My amendment would do just that by ensuring the plan required in the underlying bill mitigates any impacts to renewable energy projects on Federal lands. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment, and . Point of Order
STRATEGIC PRODUCTION RESPONSE ACT
Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2023-1-26

. Mr. Chair, so let's get this straight. When developing H.R. 21's gross drill baby drill plans, the Secretary of Energy is required to consult with the Secretaries of Agriculture, Interior, and Defense, but not with the Administrator of the EPA or the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality. prgtoken These plans are rigged against frontline communities that I represent and, really, around our Nation. The message is clear: When making plans to destroy our environment, don't consult the environmental regulators because those plans can't be justified. prgtoken So my amendment is a commonsense fix amendment. Include the EPA and CEQ in the process in regard to the impacts on our environment. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to, again, please support this amendment, and .