mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE AND SACRIFICES OF THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION'S EMPLOYEES AND OFFICERS ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TSA'S ESTABLISHMENT
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2021-11-18

. Madam , I join with the Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, John Katko, and Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee Chairwoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and Ranking Member Carlos Gimenez, to mark tomorrow's 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration. prgtoken Following the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001, Federal authorities undertook the massive effort to safeguard and defend our national transportation system. In the past two decades, TSA has implemented advanced security technologies, responded to new and ever- changing threats, and protected the lives of billions of passengers from around the country and across the globe. Today, even amid the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic, Transportation Security Officers, Federal Air Marshals, Transportation Security Inspectors, and other TSA employees continue to serve on the front lines and protect the lives of passengers and the security of cargo traveling by air, sea, road, and rail. prgtoken I include in the Record the text of a resolution recognizing the service and sacrifices of TSA's employees and officers on the 20th anniversary of TSA's establishment. Resolution Recognizing the service and sacrifices of the Transportation Security Administration's employees and officers on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of TSA and the role TSA's employees and officers play in keeping our Nation secure. Whereas November 19, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (Public Law 107-71), which amended title 49, United States Code, to establish the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Whereas the TSA was established following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with the mission to secure transportation systems and restore confidence in air travel; Whereas for 20 years TSA employees and officers have bravely served on the front lines keeping our skies and the traveling public safe, even in the face of targeted attacks such as that which took the life of Officer Gerardo Hernandez; Whereas the TSA has remained on the front lines at our Nation's airports throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; Whereas the TSA has had over 10,000 employees test positive for COVID-19, with 32 TSA employees having lost their lives from March 2020 through October 2021; Whereas since its establishment, TSA employees and officers have endeavored to improve security domestically and internationally, across all modes of transportation, against a wide range of evolving physical and cyber threats; and Whereas Americans will continue to look to TSA to be vigilant in the face of known and emerging threats: Now, therefore, be it Resolved,
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Al Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2021-11-18

. Madam , because I have a heart, I will vote for universal pre-K. I have been to the classrooms, and I have seen those babies' bright eyes, eager to learn. I have also understood while I was there that there were other children who wouldn't have that benefit. They were getting a late start while others were getting a head start. This universal pre-K will give the same start to all of these children. prgtoken I am voting for the future because I have a heart.
TRIBUTE TO DEBORAH SUE MAYER
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2021-11-18

I rise as chairman of the Select Committee on Ethics, and on behalf of the vice chairman, members of the committee, and its staff, to pay tribute to Deborah Sue Mayer as she retires after 23 years of Federal service including the last 6 as chief counsel and staff director of the Select Committee on Ethics. As a paramedic, a naval officer, and attorney, Deb's career tells the story of a life dedicated to public service. She joined the Senate in January 2015 after 4 years as director of investigations for the House Committee on Ethics. From 2002 to 2011, Deb was a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice; beginning as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York's Organized Crime and Racketeering Section. Deb went on to serve in the Department of Justice Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division, where she investigated and prosecuted corruption at all levels of government throughout the United States. Since 1998, Deb has served as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Navy, first on Active Duty and continuing her career in the Reserve Force. prgtoken In her time as chief counsel and staff director, Deb personally advised members of the Committee and Senate, prgtoken oversaw the nonpartisan staff in providing ethics advice and education, administered the Senate's financial disclosure program, modernized and redesigned the committee's website, and conducted investigations and enforcement of ethics rules, laws and standards of conduct. Beyond the Senate, Deb represented the committee at conferences and on councils around the country and abroad. In all these efforts, Deb brought her trademark dedication to rigorous accuracy and precision. On behalf of the members and staff of the Select Committee on Ethics, I thank Deb for her decades of service to our country and commitment to the U.S. Senate. I offer my sincere best wishes and gratitude to Deb and her family as she begins her retirement. prgtoken Thank you, Deb.
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS FOR TEXAS
Sylvia R. Garcia (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2021-11-18

. Madam , I rise today to celebrate the billions of dollars coming to Texas to provide clean water and to weatherize our power grid. prgtoken In just the past year and a half, my district has faced a devastating winter storm and a massive pipe burst that put lives at risk. These two events, pictured beside me, demonstrate a simple truth. We are long past due for investments that modernize our electric grid and restore our aging water systems. prgtoken That is why I am proud that the infrastructure bill will invest $3.5 billion to prepare power grids for weather emergencies and bring $2.9 billion directly to Texas for clean water. Thanks to this funding, communities like mine will benefit from clean water, reliable power, and peace of mind.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Judy Chu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-11-18

. Madam , I rise today in strong support of the transformational Build Back Better Act and the investments it will make in our economy to help working families in our country. prgtoken I am proud that, after months of compromise and negotiation, we have a bill today that is certain to make a difference in the lives of so many, while growing our economy and confronting the climate crisis. prgtoken By extending the child tax cut, making childcare affordable, and lowering drug prices, we are giving families more money in their pockets. We are also ensuring 4 weeks of paid leave for all workers so that nobody has to lose their job in order to take care of themselves or loved ones; something so many families have struggled with this pandemic. prgtoken And all these investments are completely paid for by ensuring that billionaires and corporations pay their fair share. Those who get rich off the backs of working families need to pay their fair share and support them.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Danny K. Davis (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-11-18

I rise to express my strong support for the Build Back Better Act and commend all of those who played a role in making it happen, especially Pelosi and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Richard Neal, and all of the members and staff on that committee. prgtoken Build Back Better seriously reduces longstanding poverty among children. Which children? All children; poor children, Black children, Brown children, White children, children of disadvantaged families. It reduces poverty for 4 million children. prgtoken Build Back Better will provide pre-school programs for children of working families across America. It even provides help for individuals who have prison records so that they can get jobs and go to work. prgtoken It is good for America. It is good for every community in America. prgtoken , I strongly support it, and I urge its passing.
PROVIDING FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5376, BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2021-11-18

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , you have to love these s. They get up and talk about everything but what is in this Build Back Better bill. When all else fails, they get out and they bash immigrants again, blame immigrants for everything. prgtoken Having a tough time at work? Well, blame an immigrant. prgtoken Having a problem with your marriage? Well, blame immigrants. prgtoken But the bottom line is, they come to the floor and they tell us what they are against but they don't tell us what they are for. This bill includes an extension of the child tax credit, which has already reduced child poverty in this country by 30 percent. They are against that? We are for that. prgtoken This bill actually caps the cost of insulin to $35 a month. Talk to your constituents who have to rely on insulin to save the lives of their children. I mean, really? You are against that? We are for that. prgtoken We actually care about our children's future. That is why there is money in here to deal with the climate crisis; while my friends deny that there is even a climate crisis to be concerned about. prgtoken So give me a break. Give me a break. This is a statement of our values. This is what we are for. We don't hear what they are for. All we hear is what they are against. prgtoken Madam , I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto).
PROVIDING FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5376, BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Mondaire Jones (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-11-18

. Madam , I am so proud to have played a leading role in securing high-quality, affordable childcare for every family in America in the Build Back Better Act. prgtoken This policy is personal for me. Growing up, I was raised by a single mom who had to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. She got help raising me from my grandparents. My grandmother cleaned homes, and when daycare was too expensive, she had to take me to work with her. prgtoken Madam , no family in America, no child in America, should have to accompany their guardian to work because childcare is too expensive, certainly not in the richest nation in the history of the world. That is why we are investing nearly $400 billion in childcare and early learning programs to ensure that we solve this affordability crisis. prgtoken The childcare provisions will transform our childcare system and help bring unemployed parents back into the workforce without them being financially burdened. prgtoken For these reasons and so many more, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this historic legislation.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-11-18

it was 158 years ago tomorrow that Abraham Lincoln delivered what I believe was the greatest speech ever uttered by an American. He had been asked to say ``a few words'' at the dedication at the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA. prgtoken Four months had passed since the great armies of the North and South had clashed on that hallowed ground. They had fought for 3 days in the searing July heat. When the slaughter finally ended, the battlefield lay covered with the bodies of 50,000 dead and wounded soldiers and officers. It was the bloodiest battle in the hellish Civil War. prgtoken What good could come from butchery and sorrow? What great purpose had been worth such staggering loss? Those were the questions which Abraham Lincoln pondered on his train ride to answer in Gettysburg. prgtoken He spoke for less than 3 minutes--just 272 words. In those 3 minutes, he redefined the war as not a battle for territory or property, but for human dignity and human equality. prgtoken He gave us a profound, simple, new definition of democracy: ``Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.'' He said the fallen soldiers had done all they could do. They had given their ``last full measure of devotion'' to ensure democracy did not perish from this Earth. prgtoken Now, Lincoln said, it was left to us, the living, to ``advance their unfinished work''--in his words, to salvage from all of that death a new birth of freedom. prgtoken He said that our Civil War was testing ``whether a nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal . . . can long endure.'' prgtoken Can our democracy endure? It is a question that Lincoln pondered not just at Gettysburg but throughout his life. prgtoken Twenty-five years before Gettysburg, he had considered that question in a speech at the Young Men's Lyceum in Springfield, IL. He was a young lawyer and a newly elected State legislator, just 29 years old. prgtoken It was a challenging time in America, as it is today. Anxiety was high following a stock market panic the previous year. There was growing violence in America. Abolitionists were being killed by pro- slavery defenders. Blacks and others were being lynched with alarming frequency in the South. Lincoln feared that what he called ``the justice of the mob'' might replace the rule of law. Sound familiar? prgtoken In a time of such anxiety, he questioned whether people might elect a despot who would use his power to tear down the institutions of our democracy, rather than preserve them. prgtoken In his most famous passage, he warned that if American democracy were ever to perish, ``it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.'' prgtoken I heard those words quoted by a thoughtful Member of the House of Representatives on the night of January 6, 2021, after the mob that attacked this Capit
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2021-11-18

I rise to speak in opposition to the National Defense Authorization Act. prgtoken As written, this legislation authorizes $778 billion in defense spending just for next year alone. That is more money than we spent on defense during the Korean or Vietnam wars. It is even more money than we spent at the height of the extraordinary Reagan defense buildup in the 1980s. prgtoken Now Congress is set to pass this bill with virtually no debate and with virtually no discussion about how much money we are spending. Congress keeps the spigot of cash wide open so long as it is for defense. And please note that not one single dollar of this huge defense budget will be offset either with new taxes or with new spending cuts someplace else. prgtoken Meanwhile, do you know how much money the President's Build Back Better plan will cost, on average, each year if Congress passes it? $175 billion. That is about one-fifth the size of this Defense bill. And unlike this Defense bill, every single dollar of the President's plan will be offset with new revenue or savings. prgtoken But here is the thing: When we want to invest $175 billion a year on childcare and paid family leave and expanding access to healthcare and fighting the climate crisis, and when we are going to offset every single dollar for those new expenses, everybody suddenly becomes so very concerned about spending. When we want to make investments that directly benefit people across this country, we are told ``that costs too much'' or ``that is socialism.'' But when we spend nearly five times that amount of money in the Defense bill, it is just a shrug of the shoulders. Look around this Chamber. It is empty. prgtoken And let's be clear where most of this defense money is going. It is largely going to the defense industry. The Pentagon will take this money and give approximately $400 billion to contractors. And nearly 40 percent of that will go to a handful of giant contractors. prgtoken This is a huge amount of money in an ordinary year, but 2 years into a global pandemic that has killed 765,000 Americans, it is irresponsible to spend this much money on stuff that isn't saving Americans from what is actually killing them. America's spending priorities are completely misaligned, and the threats Americans actually are facing, the things that are quite literally endangering their lives--like COVID-19 and the climate crisis--don't get this kind of attention. prgtoken Let me be clear. We can spend far less money on defense and still protect Americans and American interests. And you don't have to take my word for it. The Congressional Budget Office recently published a report outlining three different avenues for cutting $1 trillion in defense spending over the next decade. None of the three proposals were even close to radical. And, by the way, none of them achieved any savings from nuclear modernization, contract spending, and closing bases. prgtoken And befo
ORDERS FOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-11-18

I ask unanimous consent that when the prgtoken Senate complete its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m Friday, November 19; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 4350, the National Defense Authorization Act, postcloture; further, that all time during adjournment, morning business, recess, and leader time count postcloture.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Richard E. Neal (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2021-11-18

4 minutes. prgtoken , I stand today in strong support of the Build Back Better Act and its implications. prgtoken I am proud of the substantive contributions that the Ways and Means Committee, once again, has made to this monumental initiative. With these provisions we will make transformational investments in families, workers, and the fight against climate change. prgtoken Getting to this point certainly has not been fast, nor has it been easy. Some might say it has been quite challenging. But that is what democracy looks like, and it frequently is noisy. We have examined these issues; we have had thoughtful, spirited debate in the committee; and we have refined our proposals. prgtoken Since 2019, the Ways and Means Committee has held over 40 hearings related to topics addressed by these provisions, and we have heard out the stakeholders from virtually every perspective. Over the course of 40 hours of committee markup, we thoroughly debated this package and considered 60 amendments from the members. And in the 3 months since we passed our historic package out of the committee, we have refined our policies further and made hard compromises in the interest of accomplishing fine things for the American people. prgtoken That is how legislation is developed, and it is not based on whim. prgtoken There is not enough time to detail every policy in this legislation, but let me highlight just a few that are going to be particularly well received by the American people, and I am proud of these proposals. prgtoken First and foremost, we fought hard to include a universal paid family and medical leave provision to finally put an end to workers' impossible choice between providing for their family and caring for them. prgtoken We also invest in making healthcare more affordable by extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies that we approved in the American Rescue Plan earlier this year. prgtoken We close the Medicaid coverage gap, which will allow four million uninsured Americans to gain access to coverage. prgtoken Let me say something, as well, . Everybody in Massachusetts has health insurance. Every child is covered, and 98 percent of adults are covered in the State, and it polls really well. prgtoken I am proud of these investments we make here in supporting this development and deployment of green energy, and I want to acknowledge two Members in particular, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Blumenauer, for the role that they played. Our green tax policies put us on the path to a sustainable future, they help cut carbon emissions, and create good, well-paying jobs across the country. prgtoken This an ambitious package, but it makes major investments--emphasis on the word ``investments''--in our economy, workers, and families, but it also responsibly meets the time in which we live. The Ways and Means Committee, of which I am enormously proud, we fully commit the funds that are necessary to
ADAMS STATE UNIVERSITY CENTENNIAL
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2021-11-18

it is my honor to congratulate Adams State University on 100 years of educating students in Alamosa, CO. The school was established on May 4, 1921, as Adams State Normal School by the Colorado Legislature following the tireless advocacy of Colorado State Representative William ``Billy'' H. Adams. Founded as a teacher's college, Adams State now has more than 3,000 students enrolled in 27 bachelor's degree programs, nine master's degree programs, and one Ph.D. degree program. prgtoken Located in the San Luis Valley with deep Hispano roots, Adams State was the first federally designated Hispanic serving institution in Colorado. The school has also fostered an elite distance-running culture over decades after hosting the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in August 1968. prgtoken Over the past 100 years, Adams State has educated thousands of community leaders, businessowners, doctors, attorneys, farmers and ranchers, and, most prgtoken important, teachers and has been a key economic and cultural educational institution for Alamosa and the entire San Luis Valley.
PROVIDING FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5376, BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Dina Titus (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2021-11-18

. Madam , know that genuine recovery from this pandemic means more than returning to the status quo ante. prgtoken Earlier this week, we made long overdue investments in our infrastructure. Now with the Build Back Better Act, we can expand healthcare coverage and lower costs. We can provide families with access to affordable childcare and universal preschool. We can reduce housing costs. We can cut taxes for working people while making the wealthiest pay their fair share; and we can make the grandest effort in American history towards combating climate change. prgtoken How we choose to invest our resources is a reflection of our values. The previous administration prioritized handing $2 trillion to billionaires and big corporations. prgtoken Let us instead invest in American workers and families and pass this Build Back Better Act now.