mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
STOPPING HOME OFFICE WORK'S UNPRODUCTIVE PROBLEMS ACT OF 2023
Byron Donalds (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-2-1

I thank the chairman for yielding time. prgtoken , in short, the pandemic is over. It is time for Federal employees to go back to the office. prgtoken I find it interesting in this debate that one of the things that is occurring right now is that the President's budget is due next week. We are in the middle of this calamity around debt ceiling which the President, by the way, has led us to. His budget is due next week, and he is telling everybody he needs another month. prgtoken I wonder if this is because some of his own budget staff aren't in the office. This is something that should have been done long ago. If the President was doing his job being the leader of the executive branch, those employees would have been back. Since Congress is the body responsible for appropriating funds to the executive branch and the President does not do his job of making sure it is working effectively, then Congress does have a responsibility to make sure that these employees come back and get back to work. Life has been happening here in the people's House. prgtoken A couple of things: It has already been said about the IRS delays. It is shocking that right now it takes 2 to 4 months to get assigned an agent. If you call the IRS, you won't get a call back for 4 weeks. prgtoken It is also important to understand that right now it takes 30 days for USCIS to respond to a Congressional inquiry. There are many backlogs at the VA; some of them almost 2 years, 197,000 backlogs. How is that affecting the men and women who have served our country with honor and with dignity? prgtoken , this is simple stuff. Most of the American people have gone back to work. All we are saying is let's go back to pre-pandemic protocols which does have telework provisions throughout all of the Federal agencies. It is clear, looking at the backlogs that have occurred through COVID-19 and continuing, the extended telework situation in the Federal agencies is not working for the American people. prgtoken , my colleagues should be supporting this legislation. This is good legislation. It will help all of the American people and, frankly, help the President probably pass his budget on time.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S PR STUNT TO TOUR SMALL BUSINESS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Roger Williams (Republican, TX) \u2014 2023-2-1

this week, the Vice President traveled to North Carolina to tout the administration's so-called accomplishments in helping our Nation's small businesses. prgtoken Well, the American people can see through the Vice President's PR stunt and know sky-high inflation, worker shortages, and supply chain disruptions are nothing to celebrate. prgtoken I have been a small business owner for 52 years and still am, and I know these economic headwinds job creators are facing firsthand. prgtoken The reality is small businesses are worse off due to this administration's disastrous policies and out-of-control Washington spending. prgtoken As the chairman of the Small Businesses Committee, I welcome anyone who wants to celebrate entrepreneurship and recognize our great small businesses. prgtoken However, no amount of media events will change the dire reality Main Street continues to experience under prgtoken this administration's 2-year crackdown on job creators. prgtoken More needs to be done to unleash the full potential of Main Street, and the direction must change before anyone goes on a victory lap or asks for a trophy. prgtoken In God We Trust.
CHINA
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2023-2-1

I rise today to speak about a gross miscarriage of justice--the imprisonment of Mark Swidan by the Government of China and the Chinese Communist Party. prgtoken Mark is from Luling, a small city in my home State of Texas. His mother, Ms. Katherine Swidan, still lives in Luling, while Mark eventually became a resident of Houston, my hometown. For over 10 years, Katherine has been waging a desperate battle to see her son again. prgtoken In 2012, Mark traveled to China on a business trip, which turned into a nightmare. On November 13, 2012, Mark was abducted by China's Public Security Bureau while he was taking his family back home. A witness to the abduction has said that Mark was detained because Chinese officials wanted to view the contents of his cell phone. prgtoken Mark was accused of being a part of a criminal conspiracy with 11 other individuals to manufacture and traffic drugs--charges that Mark has denied and which have been debunked over and over again. prgtoken Chinese authorities tried to coerce Mark into confessing. He refused, and he pleaded not guilty in a trial that occurred in November 2013. During the trial, the prosecution didn't produce any forensic evidence to back up their allegations, and no drugs were found on Mark or in his hotel room. Records in Mark's passport showed that he wasn't even in China during the time of the alleged offenses, and the 11 other individuals indicted in relation to this alleged drug conspiracy couldn't identify Mark. Nevertheless, outrageously, in 2019, a Chinese court sentenced Mark to death. prgtoken Mark remains unjustly detained today. He is suffering in a Chinese prison right now, as we speak. In prison, Mark has been kept in deplorable, abusive conditions. His jailers seek to break his will and break his faith. They have confiscated his Bible and his rosary. Mark's cell exposes him to extreme heat and extreme cold. He is deprived of sleep and subjected to physical abuse. He is in danger of high blood pressure, skin infections, and asthma. He has lost more than 100 pounds. His health is dire. Throughout all of this, Mark has been denied access to his family and access to American diplomats. prgtoken Mark has communicated with his mother, and his mother has told me and told the world that the Chinese communist government has failed to break Mark's faith, which remains strong. prgtoken I spoke with Mark's mother earlier this week. This is a mom whose heart is breaking. This is a mom who wants to see her son again. This is a mom who wants to hold and hug and care for the son she loves. prgtoken The treatment of Mark has been atrocious, so much so that even the United Nations has called on China to release him. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention--a U.N. group of human rights experts who investigate cases of arbitrary detention around the world--found that Mark is being held in violation of customary international law and international norms,
SUPPORTING THE OBSERVATION OF NATIONAL TRAFFICKING AND MODERN SLAVERY PREVENTION MONTH--Continued
John Hoeven (Republican, ND) \u2014 2023-2-1

I am pleased to rise today and join my colleagues from West Virginia and Mississippi, and I join them to, once again, call attention to the disastrous effects of President 's price hikes and his policies. prgtoken Americans are facing soaring inflation that has not been seen in generations. Price increases families are seeing at the grocery store, at the pump, in monthly electric bills, and for basic housing needs have far outpaced wage gains and left Americans struggling to make ends meet. prgtoken The numbers speak for themselves. In 2022, annual average inflation reached 8 percent, the highest level in 40 years. Rather than working to solve the problem, the administration seems set on making it worse. You don't need to look any further than your kitchen to find the latest example. prgtoken In 2022, the food-at-home price index, which measures grocery prices, rose 18.6 percent--18.6 percent--reaching heights not seen since the Carter administration. This rise in food prices is directly related to increases in the cost of production faced by our hard-working farmers and ranchers. prgtoken These increases are driven by the administration's continued regulatory overreach, failure to empower our domestic energy producers, and failed economic policies. Our producers are facing increased prices for diesel fuel, fertilizer, and for crop protection products, and more. New regulations from this administration threaten to drive up the cost of production even further. prgtoken The recently published ``Waters of the United States,'' or WOTUS, is a prime example of regulations that will stifle our agriculture and energy industries and make inflation worse. Instead of this disastrous rule--this WOTUS rule--we should take a States-first approach to protect our land and water that respects private property rights. This comes on top of the administration's misguided approach to domestic energy production, which has caused us to increase our reliance on foreign energy suppliers, which has increased the price of the gallon of gasoline by more than $1 since the administration took office--more than $1 a gallon. prgtoken We should be empowering our domestic energy producers, including those in my State of North Dakota, to restore our energy independence, reduce our reliance on foreign oil imports, create more jobs here at home, and help reduce prices for consumers. We need to unleash America's vast energy reserves. That is the right solution to lower prices and help provide hard-working families and businesses relief from the record inflation that has been caused by the policies of the administration. prgtoken The administration needs to stop doubling down on failed economic policies. The administration needs to get government out of the way and focus on the fundamentals. That includes increased domestic energy production, securing our border, and taking meaningful action to reduce
STOPPING HOME OFFICE WORK'S UNPRODUCTIVE PROBLEMS ACT OF 2023
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2023-2-1

. By the way, I don't bring this up back home. We are talking about it today, but I think it is such an insult to all the people back home, many of which are whole factories that never took any time off, to be told that they have to wait for the Federal Government because their people are, I mean, my goodness, still at home almost 3 years after this thing. prgtoken Do you know any private businesses that are still having their people stay at home?
BURMA
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2023-2-1

finally, today marks a solemn anniversary for the people of Burma and for all of us around the world who spent years--literally years--rooting for them to make progress toward greater freedom and democracy. Two years ago, their hopes of a stable democracy were wrenched away by a brutal military coup. prgtoken To date, this takeover by the Tatmadaw, which is their army, has displaced 1.2 million people, including many thousands who have been forced to flee the country altogether. prgtoken Inside Burma, more than 16,000 people have been taken as political prisoners. At one point, the military was detaining American journalist Danny Fenster and Nathan Maung; the Australian economist, Sean Turnell; dozens of innocent children; and, of course, my friend Aung San Suu Kyi, whose latest conviction and a sham trial leaves her facing the possibility of life in prison. prgtoken Expert observers count the coup's death toll at 19,000. That includes people this illegitimate government simply executed outright, like the activists Ko Jimmy and Phyo Zeya Thaw. prgtoken Now the leaders of the Tatmadaw coup are laying out plans in broad daylight to stamp out Burma's pro-democracy movement once and for all. The military is shedding any last ounce of legitimacy it pretended to have and is now conducting airstrikes against innocent civilians. prgtoken The junta's new regulations for this year's election are designed to make viable opposition virtually impossible. No wonder the illegitimate Tatmadaw rulers rolled out the red carpet for Putin's Foreign Minister to visit Burma. Thugs recognize other thugs. prgtoken On the second anniversary of the coup, with a potentially devastating sham election on the horizon, it is absolutely vital that the United States continue our assistance to the National Unity Government and other key groups working inside Burma to protect the innocent and advance the cause of democracy and increase cross-border humanitarian aid. By our example, America should rally our partners to raise the international stakes for the Tatmadaw's continued brutality. prgtoken In December, the National Defense Authorization Act instructed the administration to take several more concrete steps to bulk up American support for the people of Burma. It made sanctions on senior junta officials mandatory. It required more targeted and precisely timed sanctions against state-owned enterprises like MOGE, M-O-G-E. Finally, the NDAA also notably authorized funding for programs to strengthen federalism in and among ethnic states in Burma and for technical support and nonlethal assistance to Burma's ethnic armed organizations and People's Defence Forces to strengthen communication, command and control, and coordination of prgtoken international relief and other operations between and among those entities. prgtoken So, , the people of Burma are fighting for the sort of future that citizens of democracies like
SUPPORTING THE OBSERVATION OF NATIONAL TRAFFICKING AND MODERN SLAVERY PREVENTION MONTH--Continued
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2023-2-1

I rise today to discuss yet another of the consequences of President 's policies, and that is that prices are going up, the price hikes. prgtoken Families in West Virginia and across our Nation are struggling because the policies and priorities of these past 2 years have made essential items and goods seemingly unattainable. Whether it is gas, goods or services, energy prices, utility costs, small business expenses, owning a home, or simply affording to put food on the table, American families are squeezed at every turn. prgtoken According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, prices have risen 13.7 percent since President took office. A recent report from the Heritage Foundation found that because of that staggering rise, the average American family has $7,400 less in their pocket at the end of the year. prgtoken This is a timely topic today because the Federal Reserve has just announced the eighth consecutive interest rate hike they have had to deploy in order to curb this administration's 2-year spending spree which is fueling our high-inflation economy. But an interest rate hike--once reserved as a measure that sends a direct signal to policymakers--is just another Wednesday in this President's America. prgtoken Chairman Powell warned last August that the continued interest rate increases and inflationary pressures would bring ``pain to households and businesses.'' And, boy, does that ring true today. Meanwhile, President continues to laud small inflation changes and slowed economic growth, but he refuses to recognize his administration's role in the record-high prices that the American middle class is continuing to have to face or the further economic fallout Americans are likely to face--projected by many economists--later this year from interest rate hikes in the past year. prgtoken So let's just dive into this a little bit. Whether it is a conversation with Senate colleagues, waiting in line at a store, or a constituent calling my office, the cost of food remains a central topic of concern all across this Nation. According to the most recent reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of groceries went up 11.8 percent from the year prior. You hear about it with meat, eggs, bread, and butter--all the essentials. To add to this, the cost of restaurant purchases is up 8.4 percent. In fact, the price of every food category has continued to grow at a faster rate than its historical average. prgtoken A recent PBS analysis also points out that America's rural population is experiencing their cost of living going up faster and lingering longer than those in urban areas, and that is a factor that disproportionately impacts people in my State of West Virginia. In the words of one West Virginian who wrote in to my office, ``How are we supposed to keep our houses warm and food on the table?'' prgtoken Speaking of housing, it remains unaffordable. Because of Presi
MORNING BUSINESS
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2023-2-1

today I rise to recognize and congratulate the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission's 30th anniversary. prgtoken For three decades, the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission has worked to promote and preserve the life and legacy of Dr. King in The Natural State and advocate the principles of nonviolence and equality among all citizens. prgtoken Dr. King devoted his life to pursuing equality and fighting injustice. His leadership of the civil rights movement ushered in a turning point in our country's history. His vision and influence will forever be part of America's identity. prgtoken Arkansas's MLK Jr. Commission works year-round teaching about the life of Dr. King and encouraging us all to take action to improve the lives of others. Through programs devoted to empowering individuals and communities, it has made a positive difference and inspired the next generation of leaders. prgtoken The commission organizes a number of community outreach projects that help further education, foster appreciation of history, and encourage youth to engage in positive leadership development right in their own neighborhoods and beyond. Notably, it hosts one of the largest national celebrations and day of service events in recognition of Dr. King. prgtoken It has been praised by Dr. Bernice King, daughter of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr as one of the most active commissions in the country. In 2017, the group hosted what was coined a MegaKing Fest that emphasized a theme of ``Passing the Torch'' of the civil rights icon's legacy to future generations. prgtoken I am pleased to congratulate the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission on this milestone of 30 years of service to our State. Dr. King's legacy and mission live on through its efforts and we are proud of what it represents and the impact is continues to make.
TRIBUTE TO LON PRIBBLE
Roger F. Wicker (Republican, MS) \u2014 2023-2-1

today I am pleased to recognize the dedication of an exemplary civil servant, Mr. Lon Pribble, on the occasion of his upcoming retirement. Lon Pribble began his service to the Nation as a cadet in the U.S. Military Academy in 1979, serving as a military officer until his first retirement at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2005. However, as a dedicated, energetic individual, he could not stay away from Army service for long. He soon began supporting the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, also known as ERDC, as a contractor analyst. In 2010, Lon became the director of government and legislative affairs for ERDC as a civil servant. My staff and I have had the pleasure of working with him ever since. In his role, Mr. Pribble has communicated the Army's emerging research priorities as well as how my constituents at ERDC help meet the needs of American warfighters. His deep knowledge of key legislative issues and advice to Army leaders and Members of Congress alike positively impacted the Army's interests with Congress. He has kept us informed about facility improvements, changes in the workforce, and partnerships that ERDC is developing throughout Mississippi and the rest of the Nation. prgtoken Part of the legacy Lon Pribble leaves at ERDC is an enhanced capability to meet critical Army research needs. He did this through his work supporting facility upgrades, such as construction of the Fragmentation Research Laboratory, the Target Preparation Facility, and the Supercomputing Research Center. Through these efforts and many others, the four ERDC laboratories in Vicksburg have become world-class facilities, and I am proud to represent them. While I am particularly grateful for his work in Mississippi, I know that he similarly supported improvements to the Army's research and development capabilities in other locations across the Nation. These efforts include a new annex housing researchers who study military beach operations in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and an expansion of the Permafrost Research Tunnel near Fairbanks, AK, which is improving our understanding of the Arctic terrain. During his tenure at ERDC, Lon Pribble's experience in facilities led him to become a resource to the broader defense research enterprise by chairing a government panel charged with assessing defense laboratory infrastructure issues. prgtoken Lon Pribble is an outgoing personality and was instrumental in making connections for industry and academic partners across the State and the Nation to help carry out ERDC's mission. I have appreciated his efforts to ensure that partnerships between ERDC and Mississippi universities continue to grow, advance the science and technology to meet Army needs, and develop a diverse student talent pool experienced in Army priorities. prgtoken For these efforts, Lon Pribble has received numerous civilian recognitions in addition to his former military awards,
PROTECTING PISTOL-BRACED FIREARMS
Kat Cammack (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-2-1

I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde) for hosting this Special Order on an important topic. prgtoken My speech is well beyond the time I am allotted, so I am just going to dispense with the notes, really, and talk about how absolutely insane, ridiculous, and unconstitutional this new rule is. prgtoken Not only has it been completely blown out of proportion what the brace is, a brace that was originally designed for disabled veterans, increases stability, and since 2015, had been ruled as an accessory by the ATF which, under their own regulations, under their own guidance, they said that they didn't have jurisdiction over accessories. prgtoken So I thought that was very interesting that now we have an unelected swamp creature, a bureaucrat who thinks that they can now make felons-- law-abiding citizens, felons by now instituting this 120-day rule. prgtoken A lot of people have talked about this, but few have talked about the prgtoken economic impact this will have. Based on the NICS data that we have, this is going to be a $1.9 billion hit to the firearms industry; $1.9 billion to law-abiding citizens. prgtoken Believe me, this rule has nothing to do with gun safety. This has nothing to do with making communities safer. This is just a backroom attempt, a backdoor attempt to get at the firearm industry. That is all this is and nothing more. prgtoken This is why, , we have to pass the SHORT Act. This is why we have to pass the REINS Act, because the REINS Act would prohibit any regulation that has a $100 million or more impact to an industry to come back to Congress for an up or down vote. prgtoken You can fire your Congress-critter, but you cannot fire these unelected bureaucrats. We need to pass the REINS Act. We need to absolutely stop this regulation in its tracks. It is time to, once and for all, let those swamp creatures know that the Second Amendment shall not be infringed. prgtoken , thank you to the gentleman from Georgia and my friend, Mr. Clyde, for hosting this special order on such an important topic. Most of you have likely heard about the new rule from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, that targets stabilizing braces for pistols. The rule wrongly reclassifies these braces as ``short rifles,'' which are heavily regulated under that National Firearms Act. The final rule, published yesterday, January 31st started a 120-day clock for law-abiding gunowners to destroy, forfeit, or register their braces with the ATF. Otherwise, the new regulation will consider any unregistered stabilizing pistol brace as a short-barreled rifle and will subject the owner to penalties of up to 10 years of imprisonment, up to a $10,000 fine, or both. prgtoken This is insane and it's an infringement on Americans' Second Amendment rights through bureaucratic rulemaking. prgtoken For those who aren't familiar with stabilizing braces, these devices were originally designed with disabled veter