mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-8-4

I regret that that is the case. I understand the argument and if I could explain a little further. prgtoken Florida is identified with the citrus industry. People have long understood it. It is a big part of our State. Here is the best way to describe this to people. About 60 years ago, the FDA created a standard for what they consider pasteurized orange juice. For orange juice to be marked with a stamp that says ``pasteurized,'' no less than 10.5 percent of the weight of the juice has to be accounted for by soluble solids, such as naturally occurring sugar. So this is just an arbitrary number. prgtoken By the way, the 10.5 percent of the weight has nothing to with the nutrition. It has nothing to with the safety. It has nothing to with the quality. prgtoken They had to come up with a number to define the difference between orange juice and something that is not orange juice, and that was the number they came up with. prgtoken So for decades, the citrus industry in Florida has been following that specification, and it hasn't been a problem. Then Florida was impacted by this thing called citrus greening, pests that came from Asia, particularly from China. What it has done is it has ravaged the trees. It ravaged the trees to the point where one of the impacts it has is that now the sugar content--you wouldn't notice it if you drink it or if you eat one, but the sugar content of the fruit that is now on the trees, because of the greening, often falls under the 10.5. Again, no one would know. It is not any less safe. It is not any less nutritious. It just falls under that number. Then, obviously, the hurricane we had in 2017 made those problems even worse when they suffered the loss of a bunch of trees. prgtoken So now, to meet this arbitrary 10.5 percent threshold, the juice processors in Florida now have to blend in oranges and orange juice that have higher sugar content, and they usually have to import it from a foreign source. Again, there is no health benefit to doing that. In fact, you could probably argue that less sugar is probably better. You wouldn't taste the difference. prgtoken You wouldn't know it. If I put two glasses of orange juice in front of you--one with the number they are asking for, which is 10 percent, and the other one with 10.5--you wouldn't notice the difference. prgtoken So they have been asking the FDA to change the standard so they don't have to import a bunch of oranges from Brazil and mix it just to be able to hit the sugar content. If they can't do it, the only thing that changes is that the final product can't be marketed as ``Florida orange juice.'' That is really the challenge we are facing. prgtoken We would love for this to go through the normal process. The problem is, by the time the FDA makes a decision on it, there may not be any growers left. Let me explain why that is a problem. prgtoken These citrus growers sit on valuable land. Every developer in the State i
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-8-4

I rise today to discuss the acute dangers to American national security that have formed and are deepening across the Western Hemisphere. prgtoken These dangers have coalesced because of the comprehensive and catastrophic policies pursued by President and his administration. Already, nine governments across South America, Central America, and the Caribbean are controlled by socialists. All of these governments, with only one exception, are also overtly and ideologically anti-American. They are committed to undermining American security and to endangering Americans. prgtoken This weekend, on Sunday, Colombia will become the 10th government in the region controlled by the hard left when the country's new President, Gustavo Petro, will take office. I am deeply worried that once he does, Colombia will also join the ranks of anti-American forces in Latin America. prgtoken Petro is the first openly Marxist to be elected President of Colombia. He was brought to power by Colombia's leftist fringe, including guerrillas and terrorist groups. prgtoken Colombians had rightly and for decades resisted Marxism and rejected the hard left. The first reason for this is that Marxists have long been violent guerrillas who have wreaked havoc in Colombia. The second reason is that Colombians are well aware of what has happened in other Latin American countries that have elected or have seen leftists seize power. Cuba and Venezuela, for example, have endured socialist and communist regimes that have tortured, killed, silenced dissidents, have denied freedom and driven countless people into exile, forcing many to flee or be murdered. prgtoken People are rightly asking: What happened? The answer, unfortunately, is as straightforward as it is worrying. and his policies happened. The administration seems ideologically committed to systematically alienating our allies and empowering our enemies. In this goal--and perhaps only this goal--they have been wildly successful. prgtoken Since has been in office, we have seen forces for evil in Iran, in Afghanistan, in Russia, in China, in Venezuela, and in Cuba gain strength while our friends and allies in Israel, Ukraine, Hong Kong, and Taiwan have felt abandoned and alone. And this pattern has been repeated in the Western Hemisphere. prgtoken In Mexico, we are seeing deepening civil unrest and the erosion of civil society. The breakdown of the rule of law across our southern border--a crisis directly caused by 's policies and political decisions--poses acute national security challenges and dangers to the United States. prgtoken Mexican President Lopez Obrador seems intent on making these trends worse, and when I questioned a State Department official on Obrador's targeting of American companies and the nationalization of energy in Mexico, he wouldn't even admit that those were bad things. And if he is not willing to admit to the S
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-8-4

from Ohio, Senator Brown, and I thank him for working with us on this bipartisan legislation that impacts thousands of retirees in our home State of Ohio. prgtoken In the summer of 2009, as the Federal Government took General Motors into bankruptcy, the administration terminated the pension plans covering thousands of Delphi workers. While union employees were protected, these 20,000 salaried retirees, ranging from shop floor supervisors and salespeople to engineers, office managers, were left out. They had spent many years working at Delphi, a major employer and economic engine in Dayton, OH, in Youngstown, OH, and in Sandusky, OH. prgtoken These people had followed the rules. They had earned their pensions the American way, through hard work and dedication and contribution. But instead of honoring the promises that had been made to these salaried, middle income employees after 30, 40 years of service, the administration terminated their pensions. People who had worked hard their entire lives and played by the rules saw benefits cut by as much as 70 percent. It is just not fair and no fault of their own, and it has devastated some of them, particularly those who have healthcare issues in their later years, who have not been able to lead the standard of living that they assumed they would, based on the pensions they had. prgtoken So it is about fairness, and it is very simple. It ensures that these Delphi retirees receive the retirement benefits they were promised. It would reinstate their pension plan and restore their benefits that were unnecessarily and unfairly reduced. prgtoken Some of my colleagues may characterize this as a bailout, but I respectfully must correct the record. The Delphi pension was over 80 percent funded when the Federal Government terminated the pensions in 2009 and took over these assets. By the way, it would have been fully funded by the next year based on all the data we now have showing what happened with market conditions. So it was 80 percent funded when the government stepped in and said that it was massively underfunded, and a year later it would have been fully funded. prgtoken Despite this, the government, again, treated the pensions as though they were underfunded and slashed the benefits. It is simply about keeping our promises to these workers. prgtoken There were 20,000 participants. Some say: Well, that is not a lot of people. Well, to them, it is really important, and it is really important to Ohio. About a quarter of those 20,000 live in our home State of Ohio. prgtoken That is why I am proud to stand with them, my colleagues from Ohio, and with others here in this body and over in the House to ensure that fairness is what they get at the end of the day. prgtoken This should not be controversial legislation, in my view. I am pleased to say that it has bipartisan support. We just saw 36 s support this on the House side.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2022-8-4

I want to compliment my friend from Delaware. He and I do work together on a number of issues. We are going to part ways on this really important issue for me today. I do want to just make a comment to his comments. prgtoken I would say--I wouldn't say--I know there is no group that has suffered more at the hands of the administration's Executive orders and far-left environmental groups than Alaska Natives. I know that for a fact. prgtoken I would invite my colleague to come up to Alaska with me, and I will take him to these communities. They can't do anything--no jobs, no nothing--because every far-left group in America wants to shut down their opportunities. It happens all the time. prgtoken So I would love to take him and others up to Alaska to let them see that when people talk about Alaska Native groups and try to speak for them. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle do that. No prgtoken way. You are not going to get away with that on this one. prgtoken , we have a resolution that we are going to be voting on here in about 10 minutes. This is my Congressional Review Act resolution, and I have spoken on the Senate floor a number of times about this. prgtoken The CRA today, what we call a CRA, is quite simple. It would rescind the new administration's NEPA rule--that is the National Environmental Policy Act rule--promulgated in April, which will clearly have the impact of slowing down the construction of literally every infrastructure project in America: the construction of roads, bridges, wind, solar, hydro--heck--even chip fabrication facilities, critical mineral projects. Pretty much everything is going to be slowed down by this. prgtoken It is pretty straightforward. Our resolution just says: We want to rescind the resolution, the regulation, from April. prgtoken But the vote on this is much more significant than just one Senate resolution. It is a test for all Senators on two key issues. prgtoken First, are you really serious about permitting reform so that America can build the infrastructure that everybody knows our country desperately needs? prgtoken Second, who do you stand with--the working men and women of our great Nation who build things or the far-left elite special interest groups who want to shut this country down? prgtoken Let's take these two issues in order. prgtoken First, permitting reform. My colleagues know this is a passion of mine. Actually, it is a passion of a number of Senators. It sounds wonky; it sounds boring; it sounds technical--``permitting reform.'' But in reality, it is so important for our Nation--for every community in America, for the dignity of work, for good jobs in this country. prgtoken Here is why: We used to build big things in America--engineering marvels on time, on budget--the source of pride for literally all Americans and the envy of the world. We did that all the time. Think about it: the Empire St
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2022-8-4

I rise today to support Senator Sullivan's resolution of disapproval to nullify the administration's rollback of reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, process. prgtoken We have heard a lot about permitting and how everything is going to be improved. If you want to make a statement on how you want to improve permitting, this should be a ``yes'' vote for everybody. prgtoken I want to thank my colleague from Alaska for his leadership on bringing together half of this Chamber in support of S.J. Res. 55, which is cosponsored by 50 Senators. prgtoken This resolution is vital to take us towards a path of quicker, more predictable environmental reviews as we seek to improve our transportation--remember, we just passed a big infrastructure bill with a lot of transportation--our water infrastructure, energy infrastructure, reclaim our energy independence, and build our domestic supply chain. prgtoken Instead of making the environmental review process more efficient, the administration is doing everything in its power to make it much, much more difficult. prgtoken Environmental reviews are notorious for holding up energy and infrastructure projects. What happens? Well, some of them don't get done, and a lot of them get a heck of a lot more expensive and take longer to do. prgtoken We all know it is important to make sure that we assess the environmental impacts that a project will have before moving forward on construction, but the administration is focused on making them more complicated and longer when the status quo is already unacceptable. prgtoken In 2020, the White House's Council on Environmental Quality found that it took an average of 4\1/2\ years to complete an environmental impact statement under NEPA. One-quarter of the 1,276 projects analyzed took more than 6 years to complete their environmental impact statement. The average time for a Federal highway project was more than 7 years on their EIS. The average time for the U.S. Corps of Engineers was 6 years. prgtoken The average length of a final EIS was 661 pages, and many of these swelled to thousands of pages, running contrary to the original intent of NEPA, which was to provide transparency of Federal Agencies' decision making to the American people. prgtoken The previous administration tried to streamline the Federal environmental review process by reforming the implementing regulations for NEPA. Now, rather than continuing to improve environmental reviews under NEPA, the administration has decided to make them more burdensome. prgtoken Earlier this year, the administration rolled back key modernizations the previous administration made to the more than 40- year-old NEPA regulations through its so-called phase 1--which tells me phase 2 is coming--NEPA rule. prgtoken The administration has created sweeping new obstacles to the environmental review process, including new avenues for delays an
RECOGNIZING LARRY'S MINI MART
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-8-4

as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize Larry's Mini Mart of Whitley City, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. prgtoken When Larry Sumner founded Larry's Somerset Oil in 1973, he had no idea it would grow into the family business that it is today. Larry got his start in business when he opened his service station in Whitley City. It was there in McCreary County that Larry's children watched their father run a business that bolstered their home-town community. As the Sumner children grew older, they learned firstshand what it meant to devote one's energy to their customers, so it was only natural that they inherited their father's entrepreneurial nature. Thus, Larry Sumner's business continues operating today in the exact location he moved to in 1976, with the Sumner children at the helm of operations. prgtoken Today Larry's Mini Mart, as it is now called, is Whitley City's one stop shop for full-service gas, kerosene, and diesel. Unlike the days of old, most people nowadays pump their own gas and rarely interact with the folks working at their local gas stations. That is not the case for Larry's Mini Mart, as they carry on the tradition of pumping gas for their customers, always doing it with a smile. Larry's is also the local stop where folks can drop in to pick up cold drinks, snacks, ice, and anything else they might need whether in a hurry or just for an afternoon excursion. Larry's Mini Mart even goes beyond what a typical service station offers by renting out their extra storage space to their loyal customers . prgtoken When the late Larry Sumner first opened his business back in the 1970's, he wanted to create a place that was more than the average filling station. He understood that offering quality service and a wide variety of conveniences would make his store a success, but his dream went beyond those of profits. Larry Sumner's goal was to create a place that would foster community within the town of Whitley City. prgtoken When Larry Sumner's son Mark and daughter Marlo took over the business in 1998 following their father's death, they stayed true to his mission. Today, as it has always been, Larry's Mini Mart is a place where locals can come to catch up on the latest news in the county, whether that news travels through the local paper cir word-of-mouth. As is often the case with small towns, sometimes it takes a trip down to Larry's just to hear about the goings-on about town, and the late Larry Sumner would not have it any other way. prgtoken Larry's has often been recognized for the quality service they provide to their community. Most recently in 2020, Larry's Mini Mart received McCreary County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Month. They have also won McCreary County
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-8-4

Kentucky officials are working literally overtime to deliver supplies to those affected by ongoing flooding. Heat and humidity are rising to dangerous levels in the areas that still lack power. prgtoken My team is helping coordinate relief efforts in any way we can. With the Senate still in session, my State director joined the Kentucky National prgtoken Guard yesterday as they distributed food and water to displaced residents. prgtoken Many of the roads in Eastern Kentucky are still impassable, so the Kentucky National Guard is flying dozens of helicopter missions daily to drop water, MREs, and vital supplies to Kentuckians in remote areas of our State. My State director was on board as they flew over flooded roadways and homes to visit the community centers operating as supply hubs in areas isolated by rising water. The landings are difficult, sometimes nearly impossible, but the heroes of the Kentucky National Guard will do whatever it takes to reach those stranded by the floods. prgtoken And that is just one part of the flurry of activity. Emergency responders have deployed boats and trucks across the affected region. In Buckhorn, residents are even loading up horses to take supplies to areas where the roads are literally washed out. It is truly, truly heroic work. prgtoken This emergency is far from over, but when their neighbors are in need, Kentuckians will always help other Kentuckians. I will visit the region myself soon to survey the damage and help with relief efforts. While here in Washington, I remain in close contact with those who are out on the ground. prgtoken I am grateful to everyone for taking on the colossal task of providing for Kentucky amid this disaster. Remembering Jackie Walorski, Emma Thomson, and Zachery Potts prgtoken , now on another sad note, yesterday, Congress was shaken by the news that a tragic automobile accident had killed Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and three others, including Emma Thomson and Zachery Potts, members of her staff. prgtoken Our former colleague here in the Capitol was back home among her fellow Hoosiers in Indiana's Second District, in circumstances that are familiar to each of us: long days on the road with trusted aides, meeting with the people we represent. prgtoken By all accounts, Congresswoman Walorski had two stellar young people by her side. prgtoken At 27, Zach was already a 7-year veteran of her team, having served as both campaign manager and district director. prgtoken Emma, her 28-year-old communications director, was already a Capitol Hill veteran, whose ``intelligence'' and ``drive,'' one former boss described as ``second-to-none.'' prgtoken The last day's outpourings of grief and admiration demonstrate just how great a hole Jackie Walorski is leaving behind among her friends here in the Capitol. They marveled at both her tremendous personal kindness and her fierce advocacy for the families she represented. prgtoken
TRIBUTE TO ELIZABETH HJELM
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-8-4

today I recognize Elizabeth Hjelm, an intern in my Rapid City, SD, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks. prgtoken Elizabeth is a graduate of Viborg-Hurley High School in Viborg, SD. Currently, she is attending Wayne State College in Wayne, NE, where she is pursuing a degree in communications studies. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. prgtoken I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Elizabeth for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-8-4

. To answer my colleague, the fraud and deception is occurring in the abortion clinics. I could tell you story after story of patients crying in my office who went to Planned Parenthood for a pregnancy test and were scheduled for an abortion, coming to my office wondering, Do I have to do this abortion? That is where the fraud and deception is occurring, that these women aren't being told about the potential complications of these abortion procedures. prgtoken They are not being told that these abortion pills are going to cause pain and cramping and bleeding, that they could end up in the emergency room as well. They are not told about the complications from the abortion procedures. That is where the fraud and deception is present. prgtoken You talk about this as reproductive services. You are afraid to say the word ``abortion'' in these clinics. That is the fraud and deception. This isn't reproductive services. These are abortions. This is taking the life of the unborn.