mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING UNDERSHERIFF RICK CASTLE FOR HIS 35-YEAR CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
Elise M. Stefanik (Republican, NY) \u2014 2023-4-24

I rise today to recognize Undersheriff Rick Castle's distinguished career of service. Undersheriff Rick Castle is a lifelong law enforcement officer who has spent 35 years serving and protecting his local community. prgtoken Undersheriff Castle was born and raised in Waterford, New York and graduated high school from Troy's La Salle Institute in 1988. Finding himself drawn to a life of service, that same year he joined the Waterford Police Department and began working as a dispatcher. The following year, Undersheriff Castle was hired by the Sheriff's Department and spent the next three decades dedicating himself to Saratoga County. prgtoken Throughout his long career in law enforcement, Undersheriff Castle made a point to continue his formal education, earning a B.S. in Public Safety Management from the University of Albany in 2006 and a Master of Public Administration from Marist College in 2020. He also joined the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary in 2008 and has proudly served for over 14 years. prgtoken While Undersheriff Castle began his career with the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department as a desk officer, his commitment to the people of Saratoga County allowed him to continually rise through the ranks. Over the span of 33 years, he was regularly promoted and, in 2016, was selected to serve as county Undersheriff. Undersheriff Castle also served as an investigator and instructor for the collision reconstruction unit, a systems administrator for the IT department, and a licensed emergency medical technician. prgtoken Undersheriff Castle is a lifelong public servant, a loving husband and father, and a distinguished member of the Saratoga County community. On behalf of New York's 21st District, it is my honor to recognize the storied career of Undersheriff Rick Castle.
RECOGNIZING NATIONAL INFERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK
Dan Crenshaw (Republican, TX) \u2014 2023-4-24

I rise today in recognition of National Infertility Awareness Week. In the United States, infertility impacts at least 1 in 8 couples. prgtoken The impact of infertility is devastating for people who are trying to build a family and can take a serious toll on their mental and emotional health. Many people face difficulty in accessing or affording treatments. Infertility can impact anyone, and for many people the underlying cause is never known. prgtoken Infertility has a serious impact on everyone, but it can be particularly challenging for men and woman in the military and our veterans. Studies have shown that among veterans, infertility is nearly twice as prevalent as it is among the general population. This can be for a variety of factors including the significant stress that members of the military are under, exposure to environmental toxins, and other hazards of their service to our country. In 2021, Blue Star Families issued its annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey. The survey found that 67 percent of military families have experienced at least one family building challenge in their lifetime. prgtoken This week, I ask all of my colleagues in Congress to support our military and veterans who are struggling to have a child.
CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF FLORIDA BLUE KEY
Laurel M. Lee (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-4-24

today I rise to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Florida Blue Key. prgtoken As the state of Florida's oldest honors society, Florida Blue Key's history is a story of service and honor. prgtoken Originally organized to put together a parent's weekend for a university football game, Florida Blue Key now sponsors the entire university's homecoming including Gator Growl, the largest student run pep rally in the country. prgtoken I draw on the lessons I learned in Florida Blue Key every day, as have so many others before me in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate. prgtoken One hundred years later, Florida Blue Key remains the most prestigious leadership honorary in the Sunshine State. I am grateful for my time in Florida Blue Key and wish them continued success in the century ahead.
RECOGNIZING ROBERT BOSTON
Michael K. Simpson (Republican, ID) \u2014 2023-4-25

with my colleagues Senator Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, I rise today to honor the exceptional and distinguished career of Mr. Robert D. Boston. Mr. Boston has dedicated more than 38 years to federal service, that includes his 23 years of service at the U.S. Department of Energy. prgtoken Mr. Boston has led an impressive life and career, and we are most grateful for his leadership role as the Manager of the Department of Energy's Idaho Operations Office--a position he has honorably served in for many years. In this role, he has been responsible for oversight of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the nation's leading nuclear energy research, development, and demonstration laboratory; and for providing oversight of the environmental cleanup and waste management mission at the Idaho site. prgtoken As Deputy Manager and later Manager, he was instrumental in negotiating agreements between the Department of Energy and the State of Idaho. Many of these agreements have been critical to establishing the INL as the nation's lead nuclear research and development laboratory. Under his leadership, a path was created in the agreement for the INL to receive spent nuclear fuel for research purposes and an approach was developed for the handling of spent fuel from important on-site reactor demonstrations. These elements will ensure ongoing missions at the Lab. prgtoken The INL is home to the world's most powerful test reactor, the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). This test reactor serves as the flagship irradiation facility in the U.S. and can simultaneously support a variety of experiments for multiple customers like the Department of Energy, the U.S. Navy, or university and industry partners. During his tenure, Mr. Boston oversaw the important maintenance overhaul of ATR Core Internals Changeout VI. The 11-month outage, the longest and most complex outage in ATR history, was completed in March of 2022 and will enable the nation's principal test reactor to continue safe operations critical to the Department's research portfolio and security mission. prgtoken Mr. Boston played a key role in DOE history when he led the effort to restart the Transient Test Reactor in 2017. This transient reactor facility, also known as TREAT, is a unique national asset and is now providing the Nation with a testing capability that has been missing since 1994. While in operation at INL, TREAT will help shape the future of clean energy and foster new ways to bring innovative reactor technologies to the market. prgtoken Under his leadership, the INL completed many major infrastructure improvements, and significantly improved research and development capabilities with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. In addition to these improvements, Mr. Boston has also been involved in establishing new and innovative reactor projects, including the Versatile Test Reactor, the PELE Department of Defense reactor, and the Microreactor Applications Research
RECOGNIZING BUSINESS IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2023-4-25

as the United States has only 5 percent of the world population, the remaining 95 percent are job opportunities for South Carolina. prgtoken Last year, the Palmetto State achieved $32 billion in net export sales. The top industries included: vehicles, nuclear reactors, plastics, aircraft, and rubber tires. South Carolina exports reached 196 countries, topped by Canada, Germany, Mexico, and South Korea. prgtoken The State leads in export sales of motor vehicles with $10 billion from BMW, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz. Additionally, South Carolina is a leading manufacturer and exporter of tires by Michelin, Bridgestone, Giti, Continental, and Trelleborg. prgtoken In 2020, over 4,400 companies in South Carolina exported goods, creating 116,000 jobs, promoted by Governor Henry McMaster and Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey. prgtoken In conclusion, God bless our troops, who successfully protected America for 20 years as the global war on terrorism continues moving from the Afghanistan safe haven to America. prgtoken Welcome to President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea who will address Congress on Thursday as a champion for democracy.
AMERICANS ARE POORER THAN THEY WERE 2 YEARS AGO
David Schweikert (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2023-4-25

we are going to do a couple different things tonight. I am going to spend some time talking about growth. I am one of those who believes growth is moral. If you listen to my brothers and sisters on the left or many of us on the right, we are talking about how much poorer America is today. prgtoken The fact of the matter is, working men and women in this country today are poorer than they were 2 years ago. From the day was elected to today, if you are in my district--I have one of the highest, if not the highest, inflation in America. I have the Phoenix-Scottsdale area--you are about 6 percent poorer because inflation has been this high, your wage growth is here. prgtoken It is always amusing to me when our brothers and sisters on the left talk about income inequality, working men and women, and then the very policies that are advocated basically make us poorer. prgtoken Another thing I have to say is--and I have to say this over and over and over--in 2011, Standard and Poor's put out a paper and they downgraded the United States' debt, and their downgrade was a tick. We were AAA, and we went to AA+, but if anyone would bother to read it-- because if I hear one more person from the press go, well, in 2011 when they had the debt ceiling fight, they got downgraded. That isn't what S&P said. Read the damn thing. prgtoken It is very simple: We got downgraded as a country because we were not doing anything about debt. It makes it very clear. I went over this a couple of weeks ago here on the floor, I read part of it. It basically says the United States Congress is not taking the debt seriously. It was not about the debt fight. It was about the solution that came to negotiate to raise the debt ceiling, didn't actually have enough teeth and mechanisms. prgtoken , I must tell you, the demographics are dramatically worse today than they were in 2011. I have been here multiple times to the floor with different economic boards, but the ' Orwellian- named Inflation Reduction Act, if you actually look at the spending, there were $271 billion of functionally grant handouts to clean energy companies. prgtoken Even the latest CBO score that we just got because of the negotiations, the mechanisms, the piece of legislation put together to raise the debt ceiling and cut out many of these things, actually came back and said, well, we may have missed the number by about $300 billion. In other words, our own Congressional Budget Office basically missed it by 100 percent. prgtoken Now, Goldman Sachs said it was 1.2 trillion in spending, but CBO, at least, now has updated their numbers. This is the sort of thing that if you think about those levels of spending and then you call something the Inflation Reduction Act and then you wonder why inflation continues and one of the really disturbing things even on last month's numbers is the core number. The core inflation in the United States is staying pretty solid. <|p|
Law Enforcement (Executive Session)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2023-4-25

Leader Schumer said since last week that he intends to introduce a resolution purporting to support law enforcement. prgtoken In 2020, ``defund the police'' became the rallying cry of the radical left. Every day for the next 2 years, officers reported to duty despite a campaign saying that they didn't deserve money for even bulletproof vests; and 1,146 of those officers died protecting Americans. I don't remember taking to this floor to defend law enforcement back then. Instead, they blocked resolutions that condemned attacks against officers. prgtoken By April of 2021, antipolice protests and silence were all but routine. And we know what happened: Police morale plummeted. prgtoken Still, officers rushed toward danger that those of us in Congress should thank God that we never have to face. Iowa Sergeant Jim Smith was one of those officers. On a Friday night in April 2021, he got a call for backup. It took him to the house of Michael Lange. Lange had just assaulted another police officer and barricaded himself inside with a shotgun. prgtoken Sergeant Smith led the entry team. They had just cleared the basement and were about to reach the main floor when Lange ambushed them. Lange fired two shots into Sergeant Smith's chest. Then he gloated to the other officers, and this is what he said: I'll kill you like I killed your buddy. prgtoken All Sergeant Smith ever wanted was to be a police officer. When the antipolice rioters came, he and his tactical team guarded the Iowa State Capitol. They were spat on and insulted. They had frozen water bottles and rocks thrown at them. But they held the line. And when the time came, Sergeant Smith laid down his life holding a thin blue thin. prgtoken He never got to see this pro-FBI resolution. He didn't witness the uptick in police popularity as blue cities descended into violent crime. But I would imagine that the folks who loved Officer Smith must be wondering where this all was back then and why the FBI seems to matter more than State and local officers. prgtoken Of course, this isn't to say that there aren't good FBI employees. There are plenty of them. I and my colleagues have made our support for law enforcement clear time and again. I would, however, like to know where our ic colleagues have been with respect to the blatant political bias in the leadership of the FBI and the Department of Justice. prgtoken On March 1 of 2023, Senator Graham and I wrote to Attorney General Garland and Director Wray regarding the more than 130 attacks on Catholic churches since the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs and the fact that the FBI has largely failed to investigate those violent attacks by leftist extremist groups. Instead, as we wrote to Director Wray, elements of the FBI have labeled Catholics as extremists and lumped them together with violent White supremacists with no justification. prgtoken There is nothing extreme
CONGRATULATING NATIONAL COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER OF THE YEAR JEROME SWIATEK, JR.
Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-4-25

I rise today to recognize my constituent, Jerome ``Jerry'' Swiatek, Jr who teaches at Citrus High School. prgtoken Mr. Swiatek, Jr. was recently awarded the National Computer Science Teacher of the Year Award for his work implementing the Project Lead the Way curriculum. He has been a valued member of the team at Citrus County School District for more than 18 years and has taught at Citrus High School for the past 13 years. Mr. Swiatek, Jr. was the first ever computer science teacher at the school's Academy of Computer Science which helps prepare young students for continued learning and career opportunities in the field of STEM. Since 2017, he has grown the program from approximately 40 students to well over 200 students across all four grade levels. prgtoken I Thank Jerome Swiatek, Jr. for his service to our community. He is making a profound impact on the lives of those he serves and helping to strengthen our regional workforce by preparing his students with the tools needed for success in high skill/high demand careers. I wish him continued success for many years to come.
Unanimous Consent Requests--Executive Calendar (Executive Session)
Tommy Tuberville (Republican, AL) \u2014 2023-4-25

I want to make something very, very clear here. None of these positions the Senator from Massachusetts has mentioned will go unfilled. Each role has its commander in place until the relief is confirmed. That is how the military works. prgtoken , one thing very important to me and to our country is our military. There is only one thing more important, and that is our Constitution that they protect. For that reason, I object.
INSULIN Act (Executive Session)
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2023-4-25

I am pleased to rise this evening with my colleague and dear friend Senator Jeanne Shaheen to discuss the compelling need to lower the cost of insulin for Americans with diabetes by reforming the system for getting the drug from the manufacturer to the consumer and by capping the out-of-pocket price. prgtoken I want to commend Senator Shaheen for her longstanding devotion and hard work on this issue. For her, this is both a matter of policy and personal, as she has described. And I could have no better cochair of the Senate Diabetes Caucus than my colleague from New Hampshire. prgtoken We are focused on policies that will improve the lives of those who are living with diabetes. Building on our past efforts, we have introduced a new bill, the Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now--or the INSULIN--Act of 2023. prgtoken A little background may be useful. As my colleague from New Hampshire has mentioned, when a team of three scientists at the University of Toronto first isolated insulin in 1921, they sold the patent for $1 each to the university--an act intended to ensure that those in need of insulin would always have an affordable access. prgtoken They explicitly stated that profit was not their goal nor their motive. And yet in recent years, the cost of insulin has soared, and insulin costs have become unaffordable for far too many individuals with diabetes. prgtoken Between 2007 and 2018, the average list price of insulin increased by 262 percent. In 2019, nearly 9 percent of patients with private insurance paid, on average, $403 per month for their insulin. prgtoken This shows the huge increase in the list price between 2012 and 2021. This is the net price. I will explain that in a moment. prgtoken Tens of millions of Americans rely on insulin as part of their daily treatment. For children, teens, and adults with type 1 diabetes, insulin is not optional. It is literally a matter of life and death. About 20 percent of those with type 2 diabetes rely on insulin. prgtoken I have heard far too many stories from people in my State and from across the country who, because of the escalating cost, have had to ration their insulin--an extremely dangerous practice. These drastic measures can result in major risks that can compromise their health and even jeopardize their lives. prgtoken Let me share one such story. Recently, I met with Bek Hoskins of Chelsea, ME, through her advocacy with JDRF. Bek was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 10. When we discussed insulin affordability, Bek shared her insulin story. As a young adult, shortly after she was no longer covered by her parents' insurance, Bek was forced to ration her insulin to make it last longer because she simply could not afford the exorbitant price. prgtoken In one profoundly memorable instance, Bek pushed her body's limit too far. Her husband, Barrett, rushed her through a snowstorm to an emergency room as she was in excr
HONORING THE CAREER OF SFC (RET.) ALAN CONRAD
Jim Banks (Republican, IN) \u2014 2023-4-25

I rise today to honor the career of SFC Alan Conrad, JROTC Army Instructor at Concordia Lutheran High School, who is retiring at the end of the school year. prgtoken Sergeant Conrad has been the Army Instructor at Concordia Lutheran for a remarkable 29 years. In this role, he's helped fulfill the mission of the Army's JROTC program: ``To Motivate Young People to be Better Citizens.'' For nearly 30 years, his commitment to students has helped shape new generations of leaders. prgtoken Prior to his career al Concordia, Sergeant Conrad was active duty in the Army. As a Communication SGT, Conrad was assigned to Special Forces Detachment Alpha where he deployed several times to Central and Latin America between 1983 and 1986 as part of the military's efforts to monitor and arrest the flow of illegal drugs to the United States. prgtoken SFC Conrad's service also included multiple deployments to the U.S.- Mexico border to work with the U.S. Border Patrol's BORTAC unit, whose mission is to neutralize terror threats to the American homeland. prgtoken With 15 years of active service in the Army, Conrad earned numerous awards and decorations, including the Master Parachutists' Badge, Special Forces Tab, and the Special Forces `S' Identifier. Civilian awards he earned include the Department of the Army Commander's Award for Civilian Service, Independent Colleges of Indiana ``Realizing the Dream'' Award and the WKJG TV Teacher Award. prgtoken I wish him the very best as he begins a new chapter of his life. I'm proud to present this official congressional document to him as a token of gratitude on behalf of all of Congress for his service to our community and country. Men like Conrad make our country great, and for him we are most grateful.
RECOGNIZING NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK
Aaron Bean (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-4-25

I rise today to honor the 170th anniversary of the Duval County Medical Society, a remarkable organization that has greatly improved the medical community and health of northeast Florida. prgtoken In the 1800s, Jacksonville was suffering from a series of outbreaks of smallpox, dengue fever, and malaria. Struggling to come up with a solution and with no public health system in the State, a group of eight local physicians decided to come together and do something about it. prgtoken On May 25, 1853, they chartered the Duval County Medical Society, the first medical society in the State of Florida, to bring physicians together to solve the public health crisis. prgtoken Today, the Duval County Medical Society's more than 1,800 members guided by Dr. Steven Kailes, continues to lead and research data to promote quality health outcomes throughout Duval County, the State of Florida, and the Nation. prgtoken , it is an honor and privilege to celebrate the voice of organized medicine, the Duval County Medical Society, on their 170 years of exceptional service.