mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING CRAIG McLEAN ON FORTY YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Mikie Sherrill (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2022-3-29

. Madam , I rise today to commend Assistant Administrator Craig McLean on his retirement after forty years of distinguished service in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This son of New Jersey grew up on the Passaic River and turned a childhood passion for ocean diving and exploration into a forty-year career that started as a commissioned NOAA Corps deck officer charting the ocean floor and culminated as a preeminent champion of NOAA's mission to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean, and coasts. prgtoken Craig started working on diving boats as a teenager. As a college student at Rutgers University, where he earned his B.A. in Zoology in 1979, he investigated barges dumping toxic sludge into waterways. While serving as a NOAA Corps officer and, later as a senior executive of NOAA, Craig was instrumental to founding NOAA's Ocean Exploration and Research Program and its mapping of U.S. waters to advance oceanographic scientific knowledge and discover deep ocean secrets including new species, historical shipwrecks, and undersea mountains. With Craig's leadership, NOAA mapped two million square kilometers of the ocean floor, collected ocean data in the waters of sixteen countries and the high seas, and contributed to key conservation decisions for vital marine habitats such as establishment of new marine national monuments and deep sea protection areas. prgtoken Craig served as Assistant Administrator for NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research for over six years. He expertly led an enterprise of ten federal laboratories across the country and six major programs. Under his tenure, NOAA Research achieved vital advancements for the benefit of the Nation, including improved forecasting of weather extremes such as hurricanes, winter storms, and excesses and deficits of precipitation, enabling society to be better prepared to reduce the severe impacts of these events on life and destruction prgtoken of property. These advancements greatly increased our understanding of the earth's climate system, improved modeling of the weather and climate seamlessly across timescales, and strengthened the scientific basis for investigating climate change. prgtoken On the international stage, Craig helped broker a consensus on the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO for global biogeochemical Argo sensors that enabled a $53 million commitment to expand deployments to improve ocean health and climate forecasting. He championed a global framework under the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development initiative to ensure ocean science can support countries and achieve the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. prgtoken Craig boldly stepped forward as a complainant when NOAA experienced high-level, public political interference, putting himself at risk to uphold NOAA's scientific integrity and reputation. Afterward, he worked with other federal agenci
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-3-29

on another matter, Senator Rob Portman of Ohio and I are cochairs of the bipartisan Senate Ukraine Caucus. Tomorrow, we are hosting a meeting for Senators with members of the Ukrainian Parliament. The Parliament there is known as the Rada. They are coming to Washington to discuss how we can help even more in assisting the valiant people of Ukraine defending against this barbaric invasion by Vladimir Putin. I hope our colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join us to send a clear message to Ukraine that we stand united in their efforts. prgtoken Putin's unprovoked and unconscionable war on Ukraine has revealed what he is really all about. He is a tyrant seething with resentment, driven by delusions of great mother Russia, willing to slaughter innocent men, women, and children to restore a lost Russian Empire. prgtoken We know from his current ravings and his past actions, Putin's ruthless pursuit of Russia's lost empire didn't begin with this war, and if we don't do something about it, it won't end there either. prgtoken In 2003, the people of Georgia--another Soviet Republic--waged a Rose Revolution to claim a place among the family of democratic nations. Putin's aggrieved response was to send troops into that country to occupy portions of it--South Ossetia and Abkhazia--to redraw Georgia's national boundaries by force. I traveled to that area in 2012 and saw firsthand what Putin's occupation of that tiny nation meant. prgtoken In 2014, the people of Ukraine rose up to demand change as well--the Revolution of Dignity, they called it. They succeeded and threw out the deeply corrupt Russian-backed President. They ousted him from Parliament. When they did, he fled to Moscow, his real home. Putin's revenge months later was to send Russian troops to invade and annex the Crimean peninsula and the Donbas regions of eastern Ukraine by force. They have continued to wage that war. prgtoken I have mentioned many times my concern for this region, and I guess it is attached to the fact that my mother was born in Lithuania and came here as a little girl. Her family fled from the oppression of czarist Russia, which then controlled the Baltic States and far beyond. prgtoken During World War II, the Baltic States endured brutal Nazi occupation, and after the war, they were held captive behind the Iron Curtain by the USSR. prgtoken In August 1989, 2 months before the fall of the Berlin Wall, 2 million people in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia physically, literally, joined hands in a peaceful protest. They formed a human chain, declared that they wanted to join Europe and be part of the family of democracies. prgtoken Two years later, the Baltics threw off Russian occupiers and reclaimed their independence. It was a festive day. I was honored to be a witness to part of it. They worked to achieve the reform fundamental to democracies, to weed out corruption, establish market economies, and encourage the growth of
NOMINATION OF ALVARO M. BEDOYA
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2022-3-29

I thank the majority leader for that concise documentation of what really the FTC is about. It is about getting somebody on there who is going to fight to protect consumers on issues. prgtoken We know that we need the FTC now more than ever. We needed their muscle during the COVID pandemic, as opportunistic scammers stole $5.9 billion out of the pockets of Americans, and that is just the reported amount. That doesn't include people who never knew that they were scammed or were too embarrassed to report what happened. prgtoken So Congress, on a bipartisan basis, pumped up the FTC's power, and at the end of 2020, we passed the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act to help root out promoters of dangerous, fake treatments and cures. prgtoken Second, we gave the FTC $30 million in the American Rescue Plan to promote and protect Americans against scams that targeted their COVID stimulus payments. prgtoken Last year, we confirmed the FTC Chair, Lina Khan, with support from 21 s in this body, and today we are talking about the next important step in protecting consumers, and that is moving to confirm Mr. Bedoya to fill the last seat on the Federal Trade Commission. prgtoken Mr. Bedoya has the right experience we need to tackle the problems that we are facing right now--some of the most complicated and pressing issues regarding how to protect our privacy and protect children's online privacy. I say that because I heard comments from my colleague about Mr. Bedoya and the fact that he issued various tweets about this or that in his time in the private sector. prgtoken I guarantee you that if we voted for people based on what their tweets are, there would be a lot of people who wouldn't be approved at all, including some of the people who have been through this process. prgtoken Mr. Bedoya served as the chief counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and Law. So I would say that as it relates to the FTC's ability to do something about reining in some of the bad practices that we see online, I think he is a very qualified person and individual. prgtoken Mr. Bedoya graduated summa cum laude from Harvard and holds a law degree from Yale, where he served on the Yale Law Journal and received the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. prgtoken So I think that Mr. Bedoya is a person who has dug in on a variety of issues and has the experience and leadership in one of the most critical areas--technology--that the FTC is dealing with today. prgtoken So I encourage my colleagues to support him. That is why he is supported by the current FTC Commissioners. They also support his nomination. They say they recognize his willingness and expertise and ability to reach across the aisle and find common ground on solutions that work for people. prgtoken It is that skill set that we are looking for at the FTC to help hard- working Americans get a fair shake in the marketplace
TRIBUTE TO DR. RIMA KHABBAZ
Raphael G. Warnock (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2022-3-29

I rise today to extend my most sincere gratitude to Rima Khabbaz, MD, the director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Dr. Khabbaz is retiring after spending 38 years at NCEZID, where her work focused on fighting the spread of infectious diseases. prgtoken For the past 5 years at NCEZID, Dr. Khabbaz has led staff who monitor and work to control dangerous pathogens in the United States and across the world. Her time as NCEZID director concludes three decades of leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is headquartered in the great State of Georgia, beginning with her role as chief of the Human Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit in CDC's Hantavirus Task Force in 1993 and 1994. prgtoken Dr. Khabbaz began her career at CDC as an epidemic intelligence service officer in CDC's Hospital Infections Program from 1980 through 1982. She returned to CDC in 1986 and a year later became a medical epidemiologist in the Retrovirus Diseases Branch. She quickly took up leadership roles in historic outbreak responses, including those for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, anthrax, SARS, monkeypox, Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19. prgtoken Over the past two decades, Dr. Khabbaz has led CDC's infectious disease activities through some turbulent times and at the highest levels. She was CDC's deputy director for infectious diseases and director of the Office of Infectious Diseases from 2010 to 2017, where she also temporarily served in dual roles as interim acting director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and interim acting director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. prgtoken Previously, she has served as director of the National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases; director, acting director, and associate director for epidemiologic science in the National Center for Infectious Diseases; and deputy director and associate director for medical science in NCID's Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases. prgtoken Dr. Khabbaz's departure from NCEZID marks the end of a truly distinguished career. She will be especially missed by her colleagues, who unfailingly describe her as an exceedingly insightful and caring leader. Dr. Khabbaz's contributions to the health of the State of Georgia, the United States, and the world are greatly appreciated. I wish her a restorative and gratifying retirement following her nearly 40 years of government service.
DON YOUNG COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2022
Peter A. DeFazio (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2022-3-29

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , it was very fitting the tributes that we heard. We all have stories about Don, and I wish we had more time to share, but his many decades of work will stand as a monument to his life, and this bill, in particular, will honor his extraordinary service on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I think it was called Public Works when Don first came to serve here. prgtoken Madam , I urge support for this bill. As I mentioned earlier, we are finally recognizing that the Coast Guard has been under resourced for decades. We are beginning to deal with that problem, their shoreside infrastructure, their assets at sea, and in particular, the extraordinary people who serve in the United States Coast Guard. prgtoken Madam , I am proud to have named the bill for Don. I would urge that this bill be unanimously approved by our colleagues, and .
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Jackie Speier (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-3-29

. Madam , I strongly support passage of S. 3294, legislation to obtain and place statues in the Capitol or Capitol grounds of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first two women to serve as associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. I would have voted in favor of this legislation; however, I was regretfully unable to be present on the floor because I was attending and asking questions at a hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. I offer my congratulations to the family and friends of Justice O'Connor and Justice Ginsburg and my gratitude that these statues will provide inspiration to millions of Americans upon visiting their Capitol for decades to come.
WOMEN OF THE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Lois Frankel (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2022-3-29

. My, my, my, Madam . Here we go again. prgtoken I thank my friend from Texas for yielding. I keep saying that I think Texas and Florida, we are in the race, the race for the worst. I don't know who is winning that one. prgtoken But like the gentlewoman, those of us in Florida, we have been stuck in an unfortunate situation, battling with a State government that is actively harming the people they are supposed to protect and it is especially true when it comes to abortion care. prgtoken They call us the so-called Freedom State. We are the Freedom State, which means that the legislature and the Governor believe they have the freedom to deny people the freedom to make one of life's most personal decisions, and that is whether to bring a child into the world. prgtoken Madam , I remember the days before Roe v. Wade, and I was 15 years old, and I--literally, one of my friends was missing for a day, so I went looking for her and I found her in a bed covered with blood. And what had happened is she had had a back-alley abortion, nearly died. We got her to the hospital in time, but how I wish she could have gone and gotten proper care. That is just an example. prgtoken Here's the thing. You can have all the laws you want to outlaw abortion. You are not going to stop abortion. All these laws do are try to stop illegal abortion, and they unfairly burden the people with the least amount of money, because if you are wealthy you find a place where you can get a safe abortion. prgtoken But I want to say, I really come to this as a mother, and as a grandmother. Those who know me know that I--and my grandchildren call me Lolo. I come to this as a Lolo. Really, it is the best part of my life. What a blessing my son is to me and my two grandchildren. prgtoken But I also know the responsibility. I know the responsibility, which really brings us to why we are here today because, whether or not to bring a child into the world, as I mentioned, I think is one of the most important personal decisions that a person makes. prgtoken They shouldn't have to call their Congressperson, their Governor, their State legislature. prgtoken So tonight, I want to thank the gentlewoman because we are recognizing those people that we know in our community who have really been advocates or providers for the healthcare that people deserve and need. prgtoken So I am going to recognize two courageous leaders from my home State of Florida, champions for women's access to full healthcare, not just abortions, which should be part, but all kinds of care. And they are Lillian Tomayo and Mona Reis. prgtoken And like the gentlewoman's advocates that she talked about tonight, they are fighting against, they have been fighting against an unending tide of terrible State laws that try to undermine reproductive freedom. prgtoken And once again, once again, this time we are following Texas, we are on the cusp of enacting a dangerous restrictive abortion ban, which
RECOGNIZING NATIONAL AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTERS WEEK
Susie Lee (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2022-3-29

I rise today to recognize this last week of March as National Area Health Education Centers, or AHEC, week. prgtoken The AHEC program is vital to this country and for Nevadans because we are facing an unprecedented shortage of healthcare providers. The doctor shortage in southern Nevada is nearing crisis levels, which means longer wait times, fewer choices, and less access to quality healthcare. prgtoken The size of Nevada's physician workforce ranks near last in this country. As our community continues to expand, the challenges continue to grow. prgtoken To solve this crisis, underserved communities like Las Vegas need to expand the resources we offer so that medical providers can learn and grow their careers right here. prgtoken That is exactly what AHECs do. They are part of the solution. The Nation's 300 federally funded AHECs are in nearly every State and in multiple U.S. territories. In the past 5 years, they have trained 2 million healthcare professionals. prgtoken Please join me in saluting AHECs as they continue to be committed to prepare, plan, and train for a better healthcare future.
TRIBUTE TO BISHOP FREDERICK C. JAMES
James E. Clyburn (Democrat, SC) \u2014 2022-3-29

. Madam , I rise today to pay tribute to a dear friend, legendary faith leader, consummate community activist and astute political observer. prgtoken Bishop Frederick C. James, a stalwart of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) and civil rights activities, will celebrate his 100th birthday on April 7, 2022. He was born in Prosperity, South Carolina, to Rosa Lee Gray and Edward James in 1922. His father, a mechanic with a 7th grade education, died when he was just 10 years old, and his mother, instilled in him the desire to see the good in everyone. prgtoken Bishop James graduated from Drayton Street High School in Newberry, South Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree in history and English from Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina in 1943 and answered a call to the ministry at an early age. In 1947 he graduated from the Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, D.C. and furthered his studies at Dickerson Theological Seminary in Columbia and Union Theological Seminary in New York, New York. prgtoken Bishop James began his ministerial career as pastor of Friendship AME Church in 1945 and Bishop Memorial AME Church in 1946, both in Columbia, and added Wayman AME Church in Winnsboro South Carolina to his charge in 1947. In 1949, James became Dean of Dickerson Theological Seminary and pastor of Chappelle Memorial AME Church in Columbia in 1950. prgtoken In 1953, Bishop James moved to my hometown of Sumter, South Carolina, to become pastor of Mt. Pisgah AME Church, which is when I came to know him. He was very active in the activities that led to Briggs v. Elliott the initial federal court case that resulted in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. I was serving as President of the NAACP Youth Council at the time, and we went on to have a lifelong friendship and close bond. prgtoken In 1960, James was elected director of social action for the AME Church, and became close with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His career was dedicated to faith and social activism, and he rose to great heights in both arenas. prgtoken Beloved among those in the AME movement, he was elected the 93rd Bishop of the AME Church in 1972. He served the 18th and 15th Episcopal Districts from 1972 to 1976, the 12th from 1976 to 1984, the 7th from 1984 to 1992, and the 2nd from 1993 to 1996. Among his many accomplishments, Bishop James led AME-sponsored colleges Shorter College, in Little Rock, Arkansas to full accreditation in 1981 and Allen University to full accreditation in 1992. He also served as Ecumenical Bishop and Chaplaincy Endorsement Officer of the AME Church in 1992. In 1996, Bishop James retired from leadership in the AME Church. prgtoken Bishop James' interest in civic engagement began while he was very young. He joined the NAACP as a teenager and actively became involved in voter registration efforts. He was very active in the student movement while on the campus of Allen University.
Coronavirus (Executive Calendar)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2022-3-30

we are at a critical point in our battle against COVID-19. While we are still losing Americans to the virus, we have reached a stage where most of us are able to resume many of the daily activities we used to regard as normal. But our sustained effort to improve health outcomes and keep our economy on track is running out of funding. Now is the time to act. prgtoken Over the last 2 years, our communities have taken necessary mitigation measures. Healthcare and frontline workers have given everything they have to care for our loved ones. The administration, with funding provided through the American Rescue Plan, has worked hard to ensure we had the resources necessary to continue to adapt our response to COVID-19. prgtoken After the peak of the Omicron variant, the reduced COVID-19 transmissions has made it safer to reconnect with friends and family and resume some of the activities we have all missed during the past 2 years. Due to the tireless work of the administration, testing capacity and therapeutics are more available than they have been at any time during the pandemic. Over 81 percent of Americans who are 5 years or older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccination, and nearly 50 percent of Americans who are eligible are fully vaccinated and have had a booster. In Maryland, 91 percent of Marylanders 5 and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot. prgtoken Overall, we have made significant strides in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, but the threat is not over. Many Americans have children who are too young to be vaccinated and are immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk, so they may not be able to resume normal activities. While positivity rates and hospitalizations are decreasing, almost 700 Americans still are dying, on average, each day. prgtoken Additionally, new variants continue to emerge. Countries across Europe and Asia have seen new spikes in cases due to a more contagious version of Omicron known as BA.2. We could soon see a renewed surge as we are oftentimes only weeks behind rising cases in Europe. This latest subvariant already makes up 35 percent of the cases here in the United States. prgtoken Fortunately, at this stage, BA.2 appears no more severe than the original Omicron variant. In the United Kingdom, however, as BA.2 increased, children 2 to 11 years old had the highest rate of infections of any group in the country, the younger children. prgtoken To respond rapidly to emerging variants, we must keep financing pandemic prevention and response needs. The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services have made it clear that at least $22.5 billion of additional funding is necessary to replenish pandemic prevention programs that are nearing completion or have already been depleted. Without these funds, we will have to cut back on critical aspects of the pandemic response. prgtoken Here are some examples. Our national testing capacity