mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HOMETOWN HERO--FUSION CORPS
Beth Van Duyne (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-6-15

. Madam , I rise today to congratulate Fusion Corps, Cistercian Preparatory School's Robotics Team from Irving, Texas for their incredible accomplishment earlier this year. prgtoken The Fusion Corps won the top prize in the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship in Houston, Texas, which featured 456 teams from 12 countries and 43 U.S. states. prgtoken Since 1991, this competition has tested students from across the world on who can build the best industrialsized robot. This group of young North Texas minds proved to the world that our community harbors the kind of unmatched talent and innovation it takes to be the best. prgtoken Fusion Corps' robot, Resilience, was a testament to the many challenges the team overcame to bring home their school's first-ever world championship. Despite many setbacks and limited resources, the students' passion and dedication brought them success. prgtoken I thank Fusion Corps for representing our North Texan community well on the global stage. They have made us all back home incredibly proud.
THE INCREDIBLE TRANSITION
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2022-6-15

. Madam , so what have we had so far under the plan? Well, what we have heard about lately is that for s trying to be more fiscally responsible, we hear that he is complaining that we are worried about deficits and spending. prgtoken He says we are affecting lives. Boy, are we affecting lives with the policy coming out of Washington, D.C. Inflation. Energy crisis. But that is part of the incredible transition, we are told, that is being forced upon us to put us out of our vehicles or not being able to use gas appliances, if they have their way. prgtoken On the side, crisis acting is the new term. We are crisis acting. Well, I guess if we want to talk about crisis acting, let me remind everybody that carbon dioxide is only 0.04 percent of our atmosphere, right. You would think it is 40 or 50 percent by the way the hype is on that, and everybody has to change their lives in this incredible transition as we get forced into electric cars and have our appliances taken away, and who knows what else, as part of the Green New Deal that is being forced upon us, indeed, by executive action because it is not passing Congress. prgtoken So when you are looking at the American people out there, they think of you in Washington, D.C. as the great reset. You are the spring in the great reset button. You are not being listened to. Your pain is not being felt by Washington, D.C. prgtoken Inflation? Oh, not a big deal. It was 8.6 percent this month, right. Wages--though some of them have gone up for some people or are being forced up by legislation--are being outstripped by inflation. Wages up a little bit, inflation up a lot more. prgtoken Why? Trillions and trillions of spending and policies that take energy options away from Americans being productive. Oh. Well, let's get it from Russia--until we finally banned that. Let's get more from Saudi Arabia. prgtoken Why don't we get it here? Why don't we do more here instead of cutting off leases, cutting off permits for known reserves we have in this country? No, no. We are going to have the incredible transition forced upon us by these policies. prgtoken It doesn't matter what it costs. It doesn't matter what it is taking off the table. So live with it. Inflation and wages. Let them eat cake, as Senators drive past in an electric car, laughing at what the costs are at the gas stations. prgtoken Well, not everybody can turn around and go buy an electric car at $50,000 or $70,000, or even any new car right now with the way they are living paycheck to paycheck, and it is going to be more and more so. prgtoken So what is the Federal Government's answer? Well, we are doing something about inflation and the deficit. Yeah. Instead of borrowing trillions and trillions, I guess by not borrowing the trillions, it makes the deficit go lower. prgtoken So let's put things back on track, have our energy policy be one that actually produces in the United States of America by
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF RENEE VAN NETT
Pete Stauber (Republican, MN) \u2014 2022-6-15

I rise today to celebrate and honor the life of Renee Van Nett from Duluth, Minnesota, who bravely battled her diagnosis of terminal cancer and recently passed away. prgtoken Renee was well-known and well-loved across the northland. She was a dedicated mother, city council member, and active community member. Her tragic passing has affected many, showing the countless lives she touched and made a difference in. prgtoken Though the loss leaves a hole in the lives of many, the work Renee accomplished has left a legacy that will live on beyond any of us. prgtoken As the first Native American person to have been elected to the Duluth City Council, Renee will always be remembered as an inspiration to her fellow Red Lake Nation members and to the entire Native American community. prgtoken I am grateful for Renee sharing her compassion, dedication, and love for Duluth and all its people. May we all continue to help carry on her legacy.
INFLATION AND OUR ECONOMY
Brian Babin (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-6-15

. Madam , I thank my friend from Louisiana, the gentleman, for his leadership. I really appreciate it. prgtoken If valued America, if he valued our freedoms, our prosperity, our success, our influence on the world, he would value the security of our economy. He would value a balanced budget, and he would value your financial future. prgtoken But, of course, we know he doesn't. Your financial stability gets in the way of his agenda. The money that asked for and that in this Chamber incessantly spend is not only just random dollars and cents from who knows where, but also money that you have earned from your hard work, money that should have been used to ensure you and your family see a stable and prosperous future. prgtoken Plain and simple, these antigrowth and pro-tax policies have us hurtling toward a recession and will destroy your ability to build the future that you want to have. It is no wonder that consumer confidence and the ' agenda is reeling nationwide. prgtoken Last month, inflation increased at the quickest pace since December of 1981--8.6 percent over the past year. Those aren't just words. Inflation means that everything costs you more. prgtoken Inflation this high, rising that quickly, means that American families are now facing the very harsh reality that they could be on the brink of financial ruin which many respected economists now are fearing that the wheels may come off of our economy. prgtoken Commonsense solutions could have prevented most of this. Reckless socialist spending sparked the fire and paying workers to stay home fanned that flame. prgtoken The irresponsible policies coming out of the party spurred on a manufacturing and supply chain disaster like we have never seen before in our history--all for the sake of a woke socialist agenda. prgtoken I hope that they are proud of themselves. I hope that they are proud that they have caused energy prices to rise by more than 30 percent. I hope they are proud that gasoline is $5 a gallon across the country, nearly a 100 percent increase. prgtoken I hope they are proud that we still don't have baby formula on the shelves and that people cannot put food on the table because prices are way up, over 12 percent now, and that wages are shrinking, and that fewer women and minorities are in the workforce, and that the stock market is volatile and has lost trillions of Americans' wealth. I could go on and on. prgtoken My colleagues on the other side of the aisle are responsible for this, and it is time that they take responsibility and shift course before it is too late. Our very future hangs in the balance.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2022-6-15

I wanted to talk for just a few minutes, if I could, about a bill that is coming to the floor. It is called the PACT Act. And this is something that those of us at the Veterans' Affairs Committee have worked on for quite a period of time. prgtoken And we had worked diligently through what we thought was a prescribed and agreed-to process, and we are finding out that the majority leader is pretty much forcing this issue to the floor this week for a vote. And he is calling it ``the most ambitious and important expansion of veteran healthcare benefits that we have seen in decades.'' prgtoken Now, Senators Schumer and Tester have, indeed, put forth a bill that when you look at it, when you hear the intent, a first glance at it, you say: Oh, this is exactly what we need to help our servicemembers. prgtoken And, indeed, we all are just so grateful for the men and women who have served in this country, who have worn that uniform. But there is a lot to be said for bringing measures to the floor for passage when they are ready, when there has been agreement on critical importance. As the majority leader said, the biggest expansion of benefits that we have seen in decades. prgtoken Now, many of us have worked for quite a period of time on the issue of toxic exposure and have worked on how best to make certain that when we address this, that you are going to get care to the veteran in a timely manner--they are not going to have to wait; they are going to receive the care that they need. prgtoken So it is frustrating to me, as it is to many of my colleagues, to think about what could have been accomplished had the majority leader just done what he had promised to do and had allowed a thorough amendment process. We should all share the goal of making certain that legislation we pass that deals with our veterans, that deals with our men and women in uniform, is going to be a promise fulfilled and not a false promise or not a frustration. prgtoken Yesterday, at Veterans' Affairs Committee, we had a hearing with our VA Secretary. We have had a terrible problem with case backloads on benefits in health services. Currently, the case backload is about 188,000. That is the backlog. That is what needs to be worked through. And in passing this bill that is before us today, the estimate is that we are going to add about a million cases to that. prgtoken Now, I want you to put yourself in the shoes of a veteran who has suffered and is suffering with toxic exposure and has a rare cancer, has a respiratory disease, a cardiovascular disease, and is needing access to care. prgtoken What you want is to be able to get that care. What you don't want to do is have to wait for that care. And that is why we needed to go through this amendment process: to address this issue of how a veteran is going to be able to access that care in a timely manner when they need the care because with some of these rare diseases, days and weeks and
FEDERAL RESERVE RACIAL AND ECONOMIC EQUITY ACT
Patrick T. McHenry (Republican, NC) \u2014 2022-6-15

the balance of my time. prgtoken In closing, I would just reiterate the amendments in this en bloc are how we should have started this debate and how we should have started this bill. prgtoken These amendments would improve the bill and provide real solutions for American people who are suffering under the weight of misguided policies. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this en bloc, and .
FEDERAL RESERVE RACIAL AND ECONOMIC EQUITY ACT
Byron Donalds (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-6-15

the measure in front of us today just makes no sense. This measure is actually going to make inflation worse. Why? Because you are going to put a third mandate on the Federal Reserve--a Federal Reserve that has done a poor job of actually managing price stability. prgtoken The same price stability that hurts poor Americans whether you are Black, whether you are Hispanic, or whether you are White. The same price stability that hurts middle-income Americans whether you are Black, whether you are Hispanic, or whether you are White. prgtoken The only group of Americans who might even escape the sting of inflation in the United States are rich Americans who happen to be Black, rich Americans who happen to be Hispanic, and rich Americans who happen to be White. prgtoken The common denominator with massive inflation is that if you are poor, regardless of your race, you are being crippled. To have the majority party say today that they are going to add a third mandate onto the Federal Reserve is ludicrous. That does not address the systemic disparities that exist with respect to wealth in America between Black families and White families. prgtoken We all know the history. We understand why there are Black families who do not have the same size of net worth as White families on an average basis. What you do not do is saddle our economy with more regulation and more silly policies, which will actually make our economy more efficient. prgtoken How are Black families in the future going to actually increase their net worth if being able to apply for loans is more expensive? How do Black families actually increase their wages if our economy is saddled with more inflation? It does not help Black people going forward, it actually hurts them, and it hurts everybody along the way. prgtoken We should be getting the Federal Reserve back to one mandate--of sound money. That would actually help matters for poor Americans, regardless of their race. That is a bill myself and my colleague from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) have sponsored to get the Federal Reserve back into the right place. prgtoken If you want to seriously have a conversation about systemic inequities, if you want to have a conversation about the difference in net worth between Black Americans and White Americans, what you cannot do is shut off the economy, which would actually hurt Black families from growing their wealth into the future.
MORNING BUSINESS
Josh Hawley (Republican, MO) \u2014 2022-6-15

had there been a recorded vote, I would have voted nay on the confirmations of Executive Calendar No. 990, Joshua D. Hurwit, of Idaho, to be United States Attorney for the District of Idaho for the term of four years; Executive Calendar No. 991, Gerard M. Karam, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for the term of four years; and Executive Calendar No. 992, Jacqueline C. Romero, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for the term of four years.
2022 PHILANTHROPISTS OF THE YEAR
Jaime Herrera Beutler (Republican, WA) \u2014 2022-6-15

I rise to congratulate Ron and Terry Prill for being recognized as the 2022 Philanthropists of the Year. prgtoken For two decades, Ron and Terry have dedicated their lives to worthy causes, positively impacting residents across southwest Washington. prgtoken After retiring and moving to Camas, Ron served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Washington, helping make a difference in the lives of countless kids in our communities. prgtoken This venture inspired the Prills to continue giving back through other organizations. Among their numerous acts of charity, Ron and Terry have been highly supportive of several healthcare-related nonprofits and were critical in expanding PeaceHealth Southwest Washington's operations. prgtoken This includes a remodeled cardiology unit with state-of-the-art equipment and a cardiac education center, which provides care to countless patients and their families. prgtoken Ron and Terry, thank you for your unwavering support of our communities, and congratulations again on this well-deserved recognition.
Introductory Statement on S. 4409
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-6-15

former Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, in writing with Jared Cohen, once said: Modern technology platforms [are] even more powerful than most people realize [and that] our future world will be profoundly altered by their adoption and successfulness in societies everywhere. prgtoken There is no question that Big Tech plays an ever increasing role in our lives. I imagine most of us wouldn't even be able to count the number of times a day we interact with technology platforms, from checking our email to spending time on social media to searching on Google, and the pandemic only accelerated that trend as our reliance on technology for everything from social connection to food delivery increased. prgtoken I don't need to tell anyone that technology platforms offer lots of benefits. They are sources of entertainment and information. They make it easier to stay close to distant loved ones. They allow us to shop, to conduct business, and to connect with friends, and to advocate for causes that we believe in. prgtoken But I also don't need to tell anyone that technology platforms have a more problematic side as well. One big problem arises from the increased ability Big Tech has to shape the information we see through the use of opaque algorithms. Gone are the days when you logged into Facebook and just consumed content that had been posted chronologically since your previous login. Now, Facebook and other social media platforms use algorithms to shape your news feed and provide suggestions for additional content, emphasizing posts that the platforms think you will be interested in and deemphasizing other posts. prgtoken Now, obviously, algorithms are not all bad. Most of us like it when YouTube automatically plays another video by our favorite band instead of switching to something completely unrelated. But if a 15-year-old kid watches a video and then YouTube's algorithms lead him or her down a path of inappropriate videos--well, I think you could see that is a problem. prgtoken A 2021 Wall Street Journal investigation into TikTok revealed how easy it is for young users to be bombarded with inappropriate and disturbing content. And thanks to limited or opaque disclosures, people are often not aware of just how much their experience on technology platforms is being shaped by opaque algorithms. prgtoken When we search for something on Google, most of us don't spend a lot of time thinking about the fact that Google is tailoring our search results to what it thinks we want to see or what it wants us to see. But the fact of the matter is that almost all of the information being presented to us by Big Tech platforms like social media and Google is being filtered and tailored to us. And while, again, this can have a positive side, it can also have negative consequences, ranging from political polarization to addictive behavior. prgtoken As technology platforms play an ever mo
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2022-6-15

I rise today to recognize the bipartisan accomplishment by the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and the expanded support we are delivering for veterans living with illnesses as a result of toxic exposure due to their service in our Nation's uniform through the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022. This legislation ensures veterans who need help now can get it. We are all too familiar with the challenges that exist for veterans as a result of toxic exposure. prgtoken I have been working to improve veteran services and benefits for more than 20 years as a member of both the Senate and the House VA Committees. During that time, I have heard a lot about toxic exposure issues and have come to understand the immediate need to make improvement to benefits and care for post-9/11 veterans who were exposed to toxic substances as a result of burn pits. This exposure is known to cause serious illness, including rare cancers and respiratory ailments. Those suffering deserve to know they have not been forgotten and their voices have been heard. prgtoken The promise our Nation made to the men and women who served in these dangerous conditions must be kept. This bill fulfills that promise and delivers immediate access to healthcare for toxic-exposed veterans. It directs the VA to evaluate diseases for presumption of service connection and streamlines the process for toxic-exposed veterans seeking disability compensation for their illnesses without overwhelming the VA system. The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson PACT Act also invests in the tools and resources to help the VA process disability claims in a timely manner and deliver quality healthcare to veterans living with toxic exposure illnesses. prgtoken With this measure, we continue to correct past failures of the VA to provide healthcare and benefits to previous generations exposed to Agent Orange as well. These challenges have existed for decades, and it is time we fulfill our promise to Vietnam-era veterans once and for all. prgtoken The legislation we are poised to approve updates VA policies to provide veterans like Bill Rhodes of Mena, AK--a marine who served in Thailand during the Vietnam war era--provide them access to the care he and the others who served in that area deserve. Mr. Rhodes has been a relentless advocate of toxic exposure benefits. prgtoken The VA accepts that herbicides were used along the perimeter of military bases in Thailand but does not recognize the impact of the herbicides inside the perimeter. This current policy makes no sense and is not fair, preventing veterans like Mr. Rhodes from accessing benefits as a result of toxic exposure. prgtoken After developing illnesses linked to herbicide exposure, Mr. Rhodes turned to the VA for help, but his claim was denied. I have been working with him for several years to advance a provision that corrects this mista
INFLATION
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2022-6-15

. Madam , I want to give a story to my good friends in the press corps because they always feel they have a shortage of interesting things in the paper. This concerns the excessive inflation we have under the current administration. prgtoken The current administration claims that inflation last year was 8.6 percent. I am going to focus on two different parts of that, one is 5.5 percent for housing and 16.1 percent for used cars. prgtoken I ask the press corps to call some local builders or builders anywhere around the country--builders, landlords, and assessors--and see if you can find anybody who thinks the cost of housing has only gone up by 5.5 percent in the past year. My goodness, the cost of interest by itself has almost doubled in that time. The cost of many parts of a house has gone up. There is no way that it is only 5.5 percent. I think if you look around and ask builders and Realtors, they will laugh at that number. prgtoken I would also ask you to call some car dealers around the country and see what they think about the idea that used cars have gone up 16.1 percent in the last year. They, as well, laugh at that. The number has to be significantly higher. prgtoken So there is a gift to my friends in the news business.