mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
MOMENT OF SILENCE HONORING JENNA NEWCOMB, JAY LARSON, ROMONA SCHUPBACH, AND JACOB SCHUPBACH
Eric Sorensen (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-4-9

I rise today along with my colleagues from across the Illinois delegation to pay tribute to the victims that were killed and injured in the Rockford stabbing spree on March 27. prgtoken On that dark day for our city, we lost 15-year-old Jenna Newcomb, a student from East High School who shielded her sister and others from the attacker. prgtoken We lost 49-year-old Jay Larson, a 25-year veteran of the United States Postal Service and member of the Illinois Letter Carriers who was out delivering the mail to his neighbors. prgtoken We remember 63-year-old Romona Schupbach, a mother, a grandmother; and her 23-year-old son, Jacob Schupbach. prgtoken Together, we grieve for the loss of our loved ones. prgtoken As a native Rockfordian, I have faith that we will not let this tragedy define us. As we work to make sense of what happened, we must continue to tell the story of who we are and what we stand for. prgtoken Today, we lead with love, compassion, and kindness. As neighbors, we weather every awful storm, looking for the sunlight to tell us that it is over. prgtoken I appreciate my colleagues standing with me today on the floor of the House to remember those we lost in tragedy. I thank all of the Members of this entire body who share their thoughts, prayers, and are keeping Rockford in their hearts during this difficult time. prgtoken , I ask the House to join me in a moment of silence to remember the victims of the Rockford, Illinois, stabbing spree.
INTRODUCTION OF THE ENSURING FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE CENSUS ACT OF 2024
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2024-4-9

today, I introduce the Ensuring Full Participation in the Census Act of 2024, which would prohibit the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) from including questions on the decennial census about citizenship, nationality or immigration status. prgtoken Prior to the 2020 census, the Department of Justice wrote to the Bureau requesting that it ``reinstate on the 2020 [c]ensus questionnaire a question regarding citizenship.'' From 1970 to 2000, this question was sent to only approximately 16 percent of the population in the decennial census through the so-called ``long-form.'' However, the long-form system was dropped from the census and replaced with the current American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is sent to approximately three million people annually on a rotational basis, and allows the Bureau to get the necessary information on citizenship. Asking questions about citizenship status to every person in the decennial census has not been done in almost 70 years because it would discourage people, largely minorities, who are already undercounted in the census, from participating in the census. The ACS was created to make the decennial census simpler for people to complete, which facilitates higher participation rates and preserves privacy. prgtoken Fortunately, after a protracted legal and political process, the citizenship question was not included on the 2020 census. However, this legislation is necessary to ensure it cannot be asked on a future decennial census. The representative sampling provided by the ACS is more than sufficient to determine citizenship statistics in the U.S. We must ensure that all individuals are counted in the decennial census, thereby providing accurate allocation of federal funds and representation in Congress, and not reduce participation by asking a question that is already asked elsewhere. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
CRISIS IN HAITI
Stacey E. Plaskett (Democrat, VI) \u2014 2024-4-9

I thank Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus- McCormick, as well as her co-chair, Congressman Jonathan Jackson, who have led this Special Order hour for some time now, bringing to America, as well as to other Members of Congress, the issues that are important to the Congressional Black Caucus, the conscience of the Congress. prgtoken It is these Special Order hours which really allow our colleagues and others to understand those issues which may not get the kind of attention through the media or even in our hearings that they deserve. I thank them for spending this time to allow us to talk about a festering crisis that is directly at our border, that Congress has not engaged in sufficiently to ensure that democracy continues to reign in this near neighbor of ours. prgtoken The time for dawdling, procrastination, pointless disputes, reviews, and continual talking has long expired. Haiti cannot wait. prgtoken Haiti is a nation that has endured a tremendous amount of misfortune. Although it holds the distinction of being the first republic of people of African descent and one of the oldest nations in the Americas, second only to the United States of America, Haiti faces a significant and ongoing humanitarian and political crisis. prgtoken The world has witnessed the Republic of Haiti face a profound political, security, and humanitarian crisis as the nation continues to be overwhelmed now by gangs that systematically endanger its democratic process. During this period, the U.S. has condemned the violence, imposed sanctions on gang leaders, and called to hasten the transition to elections. prgtoken That is not enough. While observing Haiti's plight--the sustained, consistent misfortune, lack of access to resources, abject poverty, and rampant corruption--one might wonder: What is the root cause of these issues? I know I have. I know others have. They have said: Why are they in this situation? prgtoken In understanding Haiti's disadvantaged state, we must acknowledge the ways in which the nation and its resources have, in fact, been exploited for many years. prgtoken In the early 1800s, Haiti was forced to pay huge reparations to France in exchange for independence, which they had won fairly. They have paid to the tune of $21 billion to France, a debt that took over a century to pay off, payment for freedom. prgtoken Can we as Americans imagine paying England for the right to be independent, for winning a revolution? prgtoken But France required it, and we, the United States, forced that payment on Haiti, a debt that took over a century to pay, paid to a European superpower that had colonized and enslaved them in order to profit from their labor and the resources of the land. Like many European nations, the wealth and ease of living enjoyed by the French today were built at the expense of Haiti, the Haitian people, and many other colonized areas, affecting many generations. prgtoken The continuous and often gross exploita
CONNECTICUT IS WORLD'S BASKETBALL CAPITAL
John B. Larson (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2024-4-9

I am also here to discuss Social Security. prgtoken As you know, , more than 70 million Americans are on Social Security and receive it. Yet, Congress, , has not acted since 1971 to enhance and improve anything about Social Security. prgtoken For the people in our audience today, they have to be scratching their heads and saying: What is this? Why is it that for 40 percent of all people on Social Security, it is the only pension benefit that they have, and every day 10,000 fellow Americans become eligible for Social Security, but Congress has not voted to enhance Social Security in more than 50 years? prgtoken It is long overdue. We have a proposal not to cut Social Security and not to raise the age. For every year you raise the age for Social Security, , that is a 7 percent cut in benefits. prgtoken Does it make any sense to say people are living longer, so we ought to raise the age so they can receive less the older they get? That makes no sense. prgtoken It is long overdue for Congress to take the steps and do what it should do. All the American people are asking is that we vote on their interest to increase Social Security, which hasn't been done since 1971. prgtoken We need to make sure that teachers, firefighters, and police officers see that WEP and GPO is repealed and paid for, that they get the benefits that they have been denied, and to make sure that people who are working currently and receiving Social Security don't pay tax on that Social Security. prgtoken Those are the things that we need to do to improve this program, which is the number one insurance program in the country. It is the number one program that prevents both the elderly from being impoverished and children from being impoverished. prgtoken Only in Congress do people sit here day after day and not take up the most important thing they can do on behalf of the American people to improve their lot in life. prgtoken As important as basketball championships are, Americans are having kitchen table discussion about: ``What are we going to do, honey? Why hasn't Congress voted to make sure that we get a cost-of-living increase that actually reflects the cost of things today that we have to account for?'' prgtoken , 1971, when Richard Nixon was President of the United States, was the last time that Congress voted to enhance the Nation's number one insurance program. It is long overdue that Congress step up and make sure that we take these votes that will help every single American.
BRING THEM HOME
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-4-9

what I would like to do, on behalf of our colleague from Maryland, Mr. Steny Hoyer, is submit for the Record his statement talking about American hostage Itay Chen, who was deemed to have been murdered on October 7. His family is waiting to bring his body home before they honor him with a funeral and sit the Jewish tradition of shiva, 7 days of mourning. They will not have that opportunity to sit shiva until Itay's body is returned. prgtoken We all join with the Chen family, with all of Israel, waiting for the return of every hostage, not just those living but those who are deemed deceased. prgtoken , .
TRIBUTE TO ROBERT WOLFE
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2024-4-9

I am honored to recognize Robert ``Bob'' Wolfe of Concord as March's Granite Stater of the Month. Since 2000, Bob has welcomed and supported new refugees to Concord, and he has particularly focused on connecting refugee children with local sports leagues to help them fully immerse themselves into their new community. prgtoken Bob was inspired to start working with refugees 24 years ago, after he met a man from Sierra Leone who told him about the violence that he had left behind in his home country. Bob knew that he wanted to help refugees navigate their new country in any way that he could. Recognizing the extreme culture shock and language barriers that can prevent newly settled refugees from fully adjusting, Bob has assisted refugee families in Concord in many different ways, for example, by helping them to get houses and apartments, send their children to college, and get rides to immigration court. prgtoken One of the biggest ways that Bob helps refugee children settle in is by connecting them with recreational sports. He assists families in getting the right equipment and finding a sport that they enjoy. Although the kids are dealing with a new country, new language, and new way of life, playing a sport is something that everyone can understand and connect over. prgtoken Bob has built ties throughout the community over the years to help new refugees feel comfortable in their new home; he is always there to lend his help in whatever way that he can. Bob truly showcases the Granite State spirit of helping your neighbors and building a stronger community. I am proud to recognize Bob's boundless generosity to new Granite Staters.
Francis Scott Key Bridge (Executive Session)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2024-4-9

before my friend from Minnesota leaves the floor, I want to thank her for her comments and say all of us stand with Baltimore. prgtoken I can't imagine people playing politics with something like this. It is such a tragedy that could happen and has happened to all of us in our States. This is what we are here to do is to work together to try to address and solve problems and help rebuild when that is necessary.
NOTICES OF INTENT TO SUSPEND THE RULES
Eric Schmitt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2024-4-10

I submit the following notice in writing: In accordance with Rule V of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby give notice in writing that it is my intention to move to suspend the following portion of paragraph 1 of Rule XXII: ``to lay on the table'' for the purposes of preventing the disposition of the Articles of Impeachment against Alejandro Mayorkas without a complete and full trial.
CONGRATULATING ANGIE GIANCARLO ON HER RETIREMENT
Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann (Republican, TN) \u2014 2024-4-10

I rise today to pay tribute to Angie Giancarlo, who is retiring from government service, having served our country for 25 years. prgtoken When Angie told me about her retirement, I told her I would support her, especially if she chose to reconsider. Alas, she is retiring, so I would like to take this opportunity to honor her 13 years spent on the House Appropriations Committee. prgtoken It is hard to put our appreciation into words, but as appropriators, we are at our best when we express it in numbers. As professional staff and clerk, Angie helped usher 12 energy and water bills through successful passage of the House and 14 bills through final enactment. Conservatively, that means she also had to directly consider over 600 amendments to get there. prgtoken I will spare everyone an accounting on all the talking points that it entails but rest assured Angie had correct comma placement in every single one of them. The countless hours Angie dedicated to the Committee made this place a better place, and we greatly appreciate it. prgtoken I feel very lucky that we have been able to work on this bill with Angie as clerk, and I am proud of her accomplishments. prgtoken , I speak for myself, the Committee, and the United States Congress when I express my utmost appreciation for her dedicated service over the years.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD RELATING TO "STANDARD FOR DETERMINING JOINT...
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2024-4-10

we have had several times recently--and I am talking about since the administration came into office--to where, when you can't legislate, all of a sudden you use Executive orders and rulings. prgtoken You have heard of the deep state. That is what happens when you can't get your way legislatively, which means you have got to get 60 Senators corralled here to do it, and you start doing things--in many cases, pushing legal limits administratively. That is when government has gone wild. prgtoken I want to take you back to about a little over a year and a half ago when COVID was in the rearview mirror. If you remember, there was the effort to try to force vaccinations on every individual in the country working for an employer with 100 employees or more. That would have been almost everyone. You had folks in Indiana that owned businesses wondering, now that this was all in the rearview mirror: Why would you do it? It is government gone wild. prgtoken It was our office that dusted off the Congressional Review Act that said enough is enough. Of course, of the House Pelosi wasn't going to take it up there. We did pass it in the Senate. And thank goodness the Supreme Court came in about 2 weeks later and said: Enough is enough; that is unconstitutional. prgtoken We had to do it another time on all your hard-earned money you put into your investment accounts. You heard of ESG--environment, social, and governance--that that should be of equal value as return on investment. You know it shouldn't be. That is when you are trying to weave in ideology along with investment returns. We had to dust it off again. And that passed in the Senate and the House and generated President 's first veto. prgtoken The number of times we have had to do it since then--too many to count. We are doing it again here this evening. prgtoken I have led bipartisan letters to the NLRB, National Labor Relations Board, raising concerns about its proposed rule regarding joint employer status over the past couple years to no avail. prgtoken And what they are wanting to do--again, this is getting into Main Street, into small business, and leveraging that Executive power to do something that would mess up what has worked well for a long time. prgtoken This rule replaced the 2020 joint employer rule that focused on ``direct and immediate control'' as the criterion and replaced it with an ``indirect, reserved'' control standard, which means it is subjective; you can do whatever you want because you don't want that particular rule that would have kept it where it has always been and where it has worked. prgtoken It has caused confusion for franchise owners for years; in fact, franchisees just as bad. Those are the Main Street business owners. It would have immediate and long-term negative effects on millions of workers in thousands of businesses when the economy is already reeling from the inflation and the sugar-high economy based
HONORING AN AMERICAN HERO AND ORANGE COUNTY CITIZEN, DICK HIGGINS
Michelle Steel (Republican, CA) \u2014 2024-4-10

April 15 is tax day, and this year American taxpayers are getting one of the worst deals they have ever gotten. prgtoken Despite its promises not to increase taxes on those making less than $400,000 a year, the administration has undertaken an outright assault on taxpayers. prgtoken The $400,000 pledge is detached from reality at best, with reports showing that 63 percent of new audits have been on those earning less than $200,000 a year. prgtoken This shouldn't surprise us. After all, the administration rammed through its $80 billion plan to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to target American taxpayers with the flood of new audits. prgtoken They also unveiled plans to jack up burdensome and confusing reporting requirements for people using digital payment platforms like Venmo. They have repeatedly delayed this plan, and I have legislation, the SNOOP Act to stop it permanently. prgtoken , as a lifelong tax fighter, I came to Congress to ensure low taxes and responsible government that works for Americans. prgtoken I urge the administration to join me in that work and end its war on American taxpayers.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7888, REFORMING INTELLIGENCE AND SECURING AMERICA ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 529, EXTENDING LIMITS OF U.S. CUSTOMS WATERS ACT; PROVIDING FOR...
Scott Perry (Republican, PA) \u2014 2024-4-10

I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me time. prgtoken I am here to remind myself and everybody that we each took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, and within the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is the Fourth Amendment. prgtoken I will read a portion of that for all of you: ``The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated. . . . `' prgtoken It doesn't say: Well, if we have got an important matter, we can violate it; if it is too difficult, if it takes too long, , we can violate it. It doesn't say that. It says it ``shall not be violated.'' prgtoken Now, we are here to debate the rule today on this, and I will tell you I have concerns about the rule because we worked to make sure that amendments would be in order so that we could vote for them on the floor. prgtoken I have concerns about the rule. Assuming this rule passes and this bill comes to the floor, , the FBI and the intelligence agencies--just the last time there was a report out--spied on Americans illegally 278,000 times. It sure is long past time that we do something about it. It is sure long past time. prgtoken I will tell you, the fact that they are quibbling and fighting about having a warrant requirement, that they are fighting over protecting the data that they are purchasing, not just on me, , not just on you, the people in the gallery, the people that are watching on TV. Every single American, these intelligence agencies, without a warrant, are collecting your information for which they each took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution which says they can't do it. prgtoken , this reauthorization is not reformed. It is not currently reformed. It might be reformed depending upon the amendments available, but we already know that the one that protects your data from being bought by the FBI is not going to be allowed. prgtoken Somebody has to stand up for the Constitution and the rights of the American people, and if I can't do anything else here in this House of Representatives, you can count on me for standing up for that.
IN RECOGNITION OF CAMRYN SATTLER
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Republican, IA) \u2014 2024-4-10

I rise today to celebrate Camryn Sattler, a standout athlete from Clinton High School. prgtoken This weekend, Camryn broke another school record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10 minutes 20 seconds 34 microseconds, showcasing her exceptional talent and dedication. prgtoken Her coach, Tony Steen, praises her relentless work ethic and mental toughness, which have propelled her to success. However, Camryn's achievements are not hers alone. They reflect the collective effort of the entire River Queens team, who secured second place overall at the Assumption Invitational. prgtoken From sprinting to field events to relays, the Queens demonstrated their strength and versatility, inspiring us all with their potential for even greater success. prgtoken , let us applaud Camryn, her teammates, and their coaches for their outstanding achievements and continue to support and celebrate the success of our young athletes. In Recognition of Jaxon Robertson