mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT
Steve Chabot (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , this legislation represents an unfortunate missed opportunity. After witnessing the horrible tragedy that occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, we should be coming together and working in a bipartisan manner to take every constitutionally permissive step to make our schools safer and more secure and to protect our most valuable resources, our children. prgtoken That is what we did after the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida. Back in 2018, Congressman John Rutherford, a former sheriff, led a bipartisan group of Members, myself included, in reauthorizing the COPS Secure Our Schools grant program. The legislation we passed increased Federal funding for school security and expanded the safety measures for which the money could be used. prgtoken As a result, the Department of Justice announced over $125 million in grants last year to help improve security at local schools. Overall, it is a good program that will benefit millions of students and teachers, but there is always room for improvement. prgtoken That is why we should be looking for ways to get more money to schools to increase security, but the legislation before us today contains nothing that will really help make our schools safer. In fact, efforts to add school security provisions to the bill were rejected by the majority. prgtoken For example, during the Judiciary Committee markup, I offered an amendment to encourage the hiring of retired police officers and honorably discharged military personnel as school resource officers. After all, no one is better trained and better prepared to protect our schools. Unfortunately, the majority rejected this commonsense proposal to help improve safety and security at schools across the country. prgtoken Then, at Rules Committee, I offered an amendment to allow unspent American Rescue Plan funds to be used on school security programs. Billions set aside for schools under that legislation hasn't been spent and could be lost forever if schools don't meet certain deadlines. prgtoken While we do, or did, need to protect students and teachers from COVID, more children under 11 died at Robb Elementary in 1 hour than have died from COVID in the entire State of Texas this year. Yet, we have $100 billion--billion with a b--in unspent education funds to fight COVID while only $125 million--million with an m--available for school security. prgtoken It seems logical that we should allow these unspent funds to be spent to protect our children and our teachers. The money could be used for metal detectors, to adopt security plans, to train school officials, to hire school resource officers, including, as I mentioned, retired police officers, and to help identify students with mental health issues and get those students the treatment that they need. prgtoken Yet, this commonsense amendment, too, was rejected by the majority. prgtoken Instead of school security measures, we, unfortunately, have a bill full
PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT
Burgess Owens (Republican, UT) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , I rise in opposition to H.R. 7910. The violence that occurred in Uvalde, Texas, was horrific. As we consider the pain these families are experiencing, we can do more now. Let us focus today like a laser beam on protecting our precious children. prgtoken My friends on the other side of the aisle want us to vote on a hasty, partisan, and overreaching package of bills they developed in the middle of the night without any input. prgtoken The legislation we are considering today is clearly designed to strip law-abiding Americans of their constitutional rights. In a town hall meeting last summer, President himself said he would like to ban the sale of handguns and rifles, full stop. It is no wonder law-abiding Americans see this legislation as central Federal overreach. prgtoken History has taught us some great lessons. One is that, ``Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.'' prgtoken I grew up in the Deep South where, for a time, Black Americans were unable to defend themselves. After the Civil War, Black Codes and Jim Crow laws prohibited people of color from owning firearms. prgtoken Most people have heard the phrase, ``40 acres and a mule,'' the order issued in 1865 that allowed 40,000 former slaves to live on hundreds of thousands of acres. prgtoken After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the President, Andrew Johnson, a Confederate sympathizer, confiscated this land, displacing thousands of Black Americans prgtoken and families. This is an example of why the right to bear arms is necessary to safeguard and protect our life, liberty, and property. prgtoken The ' proposals are unhelpful in protecting our kids and go against all common sense. They ignore real solutions that will keep our children safe and help prevent future acts of senseless violence. prgtoken Most importantly, they are not proposing anything that protects our children now. We don't need to spend another 2 years fighting over solutions. We have solutions available immediately. The Securing Our Students Act, my legislation, would empower local school districts to immediately receive unspent funds from the American Rescue Plan and implement security measures in their schools now. prgtoken Of the $122 billion appropriated to the America's K-12 schools in last year's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, roughly 93 percent remains unspent. I invite my colleagues to join me in demanding these hundreds of billions of dollars be immediately used to help local schools determine and implement the safety measures that best fit their communities. We can harden our schools and protect our children at school now. prgtoken We can never bring back those precious children we lost, but we can, and we must, work together to prevent future tragedies. prgtoken This is a solution that will harness the full weight of American innovation and technology and keep our schools safe now to ensure that no child, educator, or family h
PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT
Thomas P. Tiffany (Republican, WI) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , not one word from our colleagues when it comes to the crime waves in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. prgtoken To do so would be to criticize their own soft-on-crime policies. It has been going on for a decade now. They hope Americans ignore the inconvenient truth. Criminals don't get background checks, and they don't fear laws because rogue prosecutors financed by progressive dark money groups don't enforce our laws. prgtoken These criminal strongholds and Washington, D.C have one thing in common: They are run by who refuse to enforce our laws. prgtoken This administration, responsible for a 40-year inflation high, erasing our border, and a shrinking economy, will say anything to distract from their own failures. Jimmy Carter says thank you for making the seventies look good. prgtoken Week after week, we hear about violent criminals revictimizing communities without being held accountable. The people furthering these policies and making our communities less safe are the same people who are fervently arguing to disarm Americans and defund the police. They are the same people weaponizing the FBI against their political opponents and the same people who want to repeal the Second Amendment. I wish they would just tell the American people the truth instead of deploying Trojan horses. prgtoken Whether it is rifle bans, 9-mm bans, Federal red flag laws, one thing is certain: They will not change the outcomes for the people in those cities. prgtoken As some Members of this body have said in the last few weeks: This is just the beginning. We will not stop. prgtoken They will continue to erode our rights because they believe in a nanny-state government, not a government of the people. prgtoken What Americans need is the enforcement of our laws holding criminals accountable and protecting our constitutional rights.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2377, FEDERAL EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDER ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7910, PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Jason Smith (Republican, MO) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , today's rule is an all-too- familiar pattern of the legislative laziness from my colleagues. prgtoken Once again, Washington are hiding their spending from the American people. They are smuggling their spending levels for the upcoming appropriations process into a rule for a totally unrelated bill so they don't have to debate or defend their out-of-control spending habits. prgtoken Last year, did the exact same thing. The chairman of the Budget Committee drafts a spending resolution; he skips over his committee; and then they toss it into a rule, hoping no one notices. prgtoken At no point in the last 4 years of the majority have House actually marked up a budget in the Budget Committee. Time and again, House have acted with as little sunlight as possible because they don't want to be held accountable for their record. prgtoken Americans know that Washington spending is driving inflation, and now are calling for even more. Last year alone, House voted for $7.5 trillion in new spending, including the $2 trillion so- called rescue plan that ignited the highest inflation in four decades. prgtoken Since President took office and one-party control of Congress took over in Washington, inflation is up 11 percent. Gas prices are up 110 percent on their watch. President 's 2021 deficit was the second highest in history, $517 billion more than the CBO said it should have been. prgtoken don't want to debate budgets. They certainly don't want to debate the President's budget, which would spend $73 trillion over the next decade, a 66 percent increase over the past decade. It would add $16 trillion in new debt with well over $1 trillion annual deficits every year. prgtoken don't want to talk about budgets because they are spending like they simply don't exist. If won't show their cards, allow me. The resolution that is tucked away in this rule has over $1.6 trillion in discretionary spending next year, a $132 billion, or 9 percent, increase over the most recent fiscal year 2022 omnibus. It is $21 billion more in spending than even 's budget proposal. prgtoken Instead of hiding, I urge my colleagues to be crystal clear with the American people about exactly what they have in store for them: tax increases, high inflation, open borders, energy dependence, and an ever-growing mountain of debt.
PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT
Matt Gaetz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Well, we have heard the plan from . This is not a modest, trimming around the edges of gun laws. It has been a full-throated assault on the Second Amendment; a desire to deprive people of the weapons that they choose at the age that they achieve majority. prgtoken And we have heard countless examples of where the good guy with the gun has been the difference between more or less bloodshed. prgtoken But this is particularly an aggrieved time to bring this legislation forward because we heard the of the House recently say that members of the Party were members of a cult. So you now have House demeaning, defaming, calling extremists, tens of millions of Americans, while they try to disarm you and then subsequently defund the police. prgtoken And so no good guys are coming when the woke mob ends up at your door. That is their plan for America. prgtoken And gun control, unrestrained gun control is a key part of it. And just like they said, they will pack the Court; they will blow up the filibuster; they will abuse every mores of this place for the opportunity to take down the Second Amendment. That is what is at issue. That is what we are fighting for. prgtoken And s in the United States Senate should not sign up for this charade. They should stand with our fellow Americans for the Constitution and with American gun owners.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2377, FEDERAL EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDER ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7910, PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Michael C. Burgess (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. prgtoken We learned in the Rules Committee yesterday--in fact, the gentlewoman from Minnesota pointed out--how s had little opportunity to provide any input into these bills that are going to be provided for in this rule. Unfortunately, the has no interest in involving half of the Representatives in this country in addressing an issue we all care about: Keeping Americans safe. prgtoken Yesterday, in the Rules Committee, it was stated that s vote against all mental health bills. I don't know where that concept comes from. s passed into law the 21st Century Cures Act, which represents the most significant reform to the mental health system in several decades. prgtoken s have also taken steps to reform the National Instant Criminal Background Check System with the so-called Fix NICS Act of 2017, which improved reporting to the database. prgtoken Unfortunately, we also know the Department of Justice inspector general reported that only 1 percent of individuals who try to purchase a firearm illegally, and it is known they are trying to purchase a firearm illegally, are prosecuted. prgtoken So, I have introduced a bill, H.R. 194, to require the Department of Justice to recommence this reporting to Congress so that Congress can have a better idea of how many guns exist illegally in commerce and, ultimately, to ensure that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recovers these illegal firearms. prgtoken s would have also engaged on the issue of the age of purchase, but honestly, as brought up by Representative Massie yesterday during the Rules Committee hearing, let's examine all the data points to determine whether the age for law enforcement officers, military service, and the Selective Service should also be considered. But that was not on the table. prgtoken Then, as if to underscore just how partisan and one-sided this rule is today, there is a provision in the rule that deems a $1.6 trillion budget resolution for fiscal year 2023. Madam , I am a member of the Budget Committee, and during the Rules Committee hearing yesterday was the first time I heard about this budget resolution. It is a 9 percent increase over fiscal year 2022 and $21 billion over President 's fiscal year 2023 budget proposal. prgtoken We have a problem with inflation in this country. We have a problem with inflation because the Federal Government and congressional and the administration are overspending what the economy can tolerate. Yet, here we are, adding a 9 percent increase on a resolution that is deemed passed when the rule is voted on. We don't even get to debate the pros and cons in the committee. It is just deemed passed when the rule is passed. I have to ask: When will this partisan policymaking end? prgtoken Half the country represented by s deserve--and we have a mandate from our constituen
REQUEST TO CONSIDER S. 4160, SUPREME COURT POLICE PARITY ACT
Kevin McCarthy (Republican, CA) \u2014 2022-6-8

earlier today, a man was arrested for plotting to kill Justice Kavanaugh. prgtoken Over a month ago, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to provide more security for Supreme Court Justices and their families, but House have let that bill gather dust. This is the same party whose heated rhetoric has encouraged political pressure on conservative Justices. prgtoken Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: I know that there is an outrage right now, I guess, about protests that have been peaceful to date, and we certainly do continue to encourage that, outside judges' homes, and that is the President's position. prgtoken And Majority Leader Schumer said: I want to tell you, Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Gorsuch, you have unleashed a whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions. prgtoken , with words like that and threats like these, Congress cannot afford to wait. We have a duty to protect the Court, the Justices, and their families from political violence and intimidation. And we can meet that duty tonight before the House adjourns by sending this bill to the President's desk. prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent to take from the 's table S. 4160, Supreme Court Police Parity Act, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Border Security (Executive Calendar)
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2022-6-8

over Memorial Day weekend, I spent a chunk of it in Yuma, AZ. In Yuma, AZ, it is 107 degrees in daytime, 102 at sundown. Those of us from Oklahoma are not used to that kind of heat, but it was very helpful to be there, to be on the ground and to see what is happening at that particular border area. prgtoken You see, each area of the border is a little bit different. But what we are experiencing right now on our southern border is a continual rolling, chaotic crisis there. prgtoken I have people who will catch me occasionally in Oklahoma and will say: It seems like things are going better because I don't hear the media talking about what is happening at the border anymore. And I will smile at them and say: Well, you remember last summer when the media was focused on the southern border? We had 6,000 people illegally crossing a day at that time. Now we have 8,000 people illegally crossing a day--8,000. In fact, last month, we had a quarter million people that illegally crossed the border in 1 month. That was a record, by the way. The previous record for a 1-month illegal crossing was the month before. Things continue to get worse. prgtoken But each area of the border is a little bit different. Now I had not been to this particular border crossing in Yuma, AZ, to be able to see how things are different there, but this is either the No. 1 or No. 2 most trafficked areas for illegal traffic across the entire southern border at this point. prgtoken What you see first when you are in Yuma, AZ, when you get there to the fencing area, you notice this: You notice in Yuma, AZ, that you have got a port of entry there; and at that port of entry, you have miles and miles of border fence and then a gap in the fence, where on January 20, 2021, construction was on to be able to complete this, but literally, that day, it stopped. And so that gap has never been closed, and so border crossings look like this. prgtoken Another picture of it is a picture like this. This scenario where there is a dam on the Mexico side, and on the American side there is the fencing--or at least there was going to be fencing. There is fencing on both sides of this. So individuals literally step over the dam, walk over and walk right up into the country. And you ask, well, why is this not complete? Is it because we ran out of materials? Actually, if you go just a mile from that last picture, in the desert you will see this: just stacks and stacks and stacks of steel, 30-foot sections all cut and ready to go to be able to close those gaps. But those gaps are not being closed because the administration a year and a half ago determined they were not going to close those gaps; they were just going to leave them open. So there they sit open. prgtoken So that is one of the issues. That is different in Yuma than in some of the other areas where they just literally left the steel sit horizontally in the desert rather than being installed
Border Security (Executive Calendar)
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-6-8

today, America looks like a country governed by teenagers who grew up reading ``Choose Your Own Adventure'' books. They got some authority and decided they could govern under a system of choose-your-own-laws. But a government that derives its power from the people cannot endure if its laws change every few years based on the whims of a select few in positions of power. That is, after all, why John Adams said we are ``a government of laws, not men.'' prgtoken Folks, our laws are not a buffet. You can't pick and choose which ones to uphold and which to overlook based on your desires. But that is exactly what we are experiencing today under ic control. This is a political party that wants to rule but do so without following the rules. They want to break our institutions, rig the system in their favor, and fundamentally transform our country. prgtoken Today, we are seeing the result of this radical agenda. Look no further than the border crisis. U.S. law requires that immigrants be deported or detained pending determination if they don't have a legal right to be here, but under this administration, enforcement simply no longer exists. prgtoken In September 2019, on the campaign trail, proudly said to those seeking asylum in America: You should come. prgtoken In March 2020, he said: The only deportations that will take place are commissions of felonies. prgtoken President knew we didn't have the detention space, the enforcement capacity, or the administrative staff to follow the law, but he encouraged people to come, and they listened. prgtoken If the illegal immigrants who have entered the United States since President took office establish a new city, it would be the ninth largest city in the country, with a population of 1.34 million. And they are still coming. Just this week, we learned that what might be the largest caravan ever--nearly 15,000 migrants--is headed to our southern border. This is unacceptable and unsustainable, and it was completely avoidable. prgtoken This manufactured border crisis is also a boon for the deadly drug cartels. Customs and Border Protection estimates that smuggling migrants into the United States earns cartels up to--get this, folks-- $6 billion a year. And in the first 3 months of 2022, Border Patrol seized over 150 pounds of drugs on the southern border. Our country has been struggling with an opioid epidemic for far too long, and the administration's solution is an open border that will allow some of the deadliest drugs to be transported across the country, turning every State into a border State. In fact, in 2021, more than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses--the highest number ever recorded-- with opioids such as fentanyl responsible for 3 out of 5 of those deaths. Not to mention the horrific abuses many young girls and women face at the hands of their smugglers. prgtoken Folks, don't miss t