mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
COMMENDING THE BRAVERY, COURAGE, AND RESOLVE OF THE WOMEN AND MEN OF IRAN DEMONSTRATING IN MORE THAN 133 CITIES AND RISKING THEIR SAFETY TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE IRANIAN REGIME'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
Claudia Tenney (Republican, NY) \u2014 2023-1-25

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , today, we consider an urgent bipartisan concurrent resolution condemning the Iranian regime for its gross human rights abuses against protesters in Iran, who are bravely speaking out and standing up to this terrorist regime after being brutally silenced for two generations. prgtoken I thank my ic co-lead, Mr. Gottheimer, and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair McCaul for their support of this resolution. prgtoken While I was disappointed we were not able to get this resolution to the floor last Congress when I partnered with former Congressman Malinowski, I am grateful that this resolution is now prgtoken being brought up for a vote so quickly in our new Congress and with such broad bipartisan support. prgtoken Whether it be China, Iran, or Russia, this new House majority is ready and willing to stand up to our adversaries and protect America's vitally important national security interests. prgtoken Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran's religious police in September of last year, the Iranian people have boldly taken to the streets to demand justice. Now, almost 4\1/2\ months later, Iranian men, women, and children continue to protest the regime and its cruelty, despite the immense risk to themselves and their families. They are literally risking their lives for a just cause greater than themselves. prgtoken These demonstrations are the most significant popular protests against the brutal regime's authoritarian rule since it came to power in 1979. The response from the regime has been vicious, violent, and vindictive, not surprisingly. prgtoken Hundreds of protesters have been murdered by regime security forces. Thousands more have been detained on trumped-up charges. Many of those in custody, especially women, have been subject to cruel and inhumane torture. prgtoken The regime has unjustly executed Iranian protesters in sham trials that lack any modicum of due process. Many dozens more face the imminent possibility of execution. prgtoken The brave Iranian people are not backing down. In fact, they are more resolved than ever. They are demanding a government that respects their rights at home, stops funding terrorism abroad, and makes peace with its neighbors. They are demanding a future built on freedom, justice, the rule of law, and a chance at prosperity. prgtoken It is vital that we, the U.S. Representatives, a body that is among the greatest symbols of freedom and democracy around the world, stand with one voice to affirm our support for the brave Iranian people. prgtoken The resolution we are considering today does just this. It reaffirms our resounding support for the brave Iranians who continue to put their lives on the line to secure their fundamental rights and freedoms. prgtoken The resolution is a call to action. It urges the administration to do more. Instead of negotiating with this brutal
BORDER SECURITY
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2023-1-25

I have been on this floor many times to speak to this body about the issue of immigration on our southwest border. It is an issue. It has been an issue for the past couple of years, and, unfortunately, it continues to get worse. prgtoken As I talk to people in Oklahoma, they are very open to immigration. They just want legal immigration, and they want our system set up in such a way to incentivize legal immigration. But that is not what is happening right now. prgtoken Seven of us, 2 weeks ago, in a bipartisan codel, went to the southwest border, and we spent a couple of days there in the El Paso area and then over into Yuma, AZ, just to be able to visit with the folks on the line, with the folks in the communities, to be able to talk to those individuals who are taking care of human needs, to say: What is going on on the ground? What do we need to know? prgtoken I have been to the border many times. So I have had the opportunity to be able to hear some of the other reports, but it is always interesting just to be able to get the perspective of what is happening right now, because, as they say along the border, if you have been to one spot on the border, you have been to one spot on the border because it is different in each area, what they are facing. prgtoken Let me give you just one story from this. When we visited with the sheriff and with the city manager and with the mayor of a small town in Arizona named Yuma, AZ--Yuma, AZ, is right on the border. It is an ag community. If you have eaten a salad in the past year, you have eaten something from Yuma, AZ, because they grow the vast majority of the lettuce for our country. Yuma, AZ, 3 years ago, in that area, had 8,100 people illegally cross in that year. For that one small town, they were trying to manage 8,100 people crossing 3 years ago. This past year, Yuma, AZ, had 310,000 people illegally cross the area. prgtoken So in 3 years, they went from 8,000 people illegally crossing to 310,000 people illegally crossing in a year. They are overwhelmed. prgtoken May I remind you, the mayor of New York is worried about an additional 40 to 50,000 people in New York City and having a difficult time absorbing that. Yuma, AZ, is trying to figure out how to absorb 310,000 people coming through their community. prgtoken The issues are complicated and they are difficult, but they are not unachievable. It is an issue of how are we going to enforce the law. prgtoken Now, I would tell you that I have met with the Border Patrol many times over the years, and one of the things they will often talk to me about is that they finally get a break each December because, typically, of Christmas, quite frankly, not as many people cross illegally during Christmastime. They stay home with families. And so December is usually a down month for illegal crossings, and it is year after year after year, until this year. prgtoken This year, there was a record number of people ille
RECOGNIZING CELIA GOULD
Michael K. Simpson (Republican, ID) \u2014 2023-1-25

I am honored to recognize the retiring director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and my close personal friend, Celia Gould. An Idaho native, third-generation cattle rancher, and dedicated public servant, Celia exemplifies Idaho's spirit and respect for agriculture. prgtoken Celia was born and raised in an Idaho ranching family, and used the generations of knowledge she gained growing up to run her own cattle operations as an adult. Always interested in public service, Celia served 16 years in the Idaho House of Representatives before becoming the first woman to lead the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, a position she held for another 16 years. She saw the Department through the 2008 recession, during which she kept Idaho agriculture as the state's strongest industry, and is leaving her office with Idaho's agricultural exports worth over a billion dollars more per year than when she entered. As if her ranching and public service didn't keep her busy enough, Celia raised a wonderful family with her husband and former Idaho House Bruce Newcomb. I know she will do a great job implanting her long-held love for agriculture in her grandchildren. prgtoken I first got to know Celia personally while we were both serving in the Idaho House of Representatives, and she quickly became one of my and my wife Kathy's best friends. In my last term as of the House, Celia served as the chair of the House Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee. She was an effective legislator who I was always glad to have in my conference. Of course, in politics it is hard to always keep everyone happy. Bruce and I learned one cardinal rule of working with Celia Gould: never mess with her when she is wearing a red dress. prgtoken I join Celia's family and many friends and colleagues in congratulating her on an extraordinary career in public service and wishing her luck in her next chapter.
SMALL BUSINESS ADVOCACY IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 2023
Blaine Luetkemeyer (Republican, MO) \u2014 2023-1-25

I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 399, the Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2023. prgtoken America's regulatory environment plays a huge role in the way small businesses operate. They don't have access to the teams of lawyers needed to navigate the maze of government red tape that currently exists, and they certainly don't have the resources to make their voices heard on the international stage. This bill, which is identical to the bill that passed the House in the 117th Congress, gives small businesses that voice. prgtoken Specifically, H.R. 399 gives the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy the authority to represent small business interests before foreign governments and international entities. That representation is critical as the government renews and negotiates trade agreements and international commerce. prgtoken , Congressman Troy Carter from Louisiana, for working with me in a bipartisan manner to improve the SBA's Office of Advocacy. prgtoken I thank Chairman Williams for helping bring this legislation forward and congratulate him on his new role as chairman of the Small Business Committee. As a proven champion for Main Street America, small businesses are in good hands with Chairman Williams at the helm. prgtoken , I recommend a ``yes'' vote on this bill that puts America's small businesses first.
BORDER SECURITY
Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican, MS) \u2014 2023-1-25

I started the new year by joining Senator Blackburn of Tennessee and our new colleague Senator Britt of Alabama on a recent tour of the Del Rio Border Sector in Texas. prgtoken We traveled to the border to gain more firsthand knowledge of the ongoing mass migration of illegal immigrants into our Nation, to hear from Border Patrol agents about how they are handling this crisis, and to, perhaps more powerfully, hear from young women and girls who are victims of President 's careless border and immigration policies. prgtoken We learned more how States are taking action to protect their citizens and their borders when the administration won't. Few States are affected more than Texas, which instituted Operation Lone Star in March of 2021 to counter illegal immigration and drug trafficking. prgtoken We looked on as a family led by a coyote crossed the Rio Grande in dangerously cold waters and witnessed the family's struggle to help their grandmother wade through rushing waters to enter our Nation illegally. She made it safely across, but, sadly, that is not always the case for many people, including children who have drowned making the same trek under the misguided belief that our borders are open. prgtoken We visited a massive migrant processing center where illegal immigrants were taken upon arrival. An astonishing fact about this processing center is that it costs U.S. taxpayers $16 million a month to operate, and that is just one of five on the southern border. Let me say that again. It is costing American taxpayers $16 million per month to process illegal immigrants at just one of these five centers. prgtoken What was especially gut-wrenching to me was hearing directly from human trafficking victims. We heard from one young lady who was trafficked from the age of 12 to the age of 16. She told a story I will never forget, and there are thousands of stories just like hers. prgtoken Yes, we learned about the true severity of the crisis. We learned how Border Patrol agents simply cannot carry out their jobs. We learned how States are forced to use up resources on border security and migrants-- resources meant for U.S. citizens. We learned how ranchers and U.S. property owners are being overwhelmed and in constant fear of being robbed and assaulted by smugglers. We learned how all of this affects our entire Nation--not just the unbelievable pricetag, but in the incidences of human trafficking across the country and tens of thousands of overdose deaths linked to fentanyl smuggled across our border. prgtoken And, heartbreakingly, we learned of the wickedness of the cartels. They are thriving, thanks to President 's apathetic attitude toward his own country's border. prgtoken This should not be a political debate. People and children are dying in an attempt to enter our country illegally. Drug cartels are taking control of not just the border towns on the Mexican side of the border but on the Amer
BORDER SECURITY
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2023-1-25

I would thank my colleague, the senior Senator from Texas, for his comments and his perspective and his insight, as a Senator serving from a border State, on what they are facing every single day. I would say to my colleague that Nebraska has become a border State. I know Colorado has become a border State. Every State in this country now is feeling the effects of the chaos that we see at our southern border, so my thanks to the senior Senator from Texas for offering his perspective on that. prgtoken I would say that on January 13 in Nebraska, we had two Nebraska State Patrol officers who pulled over two separate vehicles that were hours away from each other. One car contained 50,000 suspected fentanyl pills. The other contained a suspected fentanyl-cocaine mixture. Both cars were driven up from the border. These are only the latest instances of synthetic opioid trafficking in my State of Nebraska. In 2022, the Nebraska State Patrol confiscated 66 pounds of fentanyl, and that is up from 25 pounds the year before and 10 pounds in 2020. prgtoken In Nebraska and throughout this Nation, the numbers of drug seizures are staggering. At the southwest border, there was a 55-percent increase in fentanyl seizures from just November to December. Heroin seizures increased by 52 percent the month before. Methamphetamine seizures increased as well. prgtoken We know what is driving these drug trafficking numbers: We have a crisis at our southern border. The effects of that crisis are rippling across the country, felt by communities in Nebraska and beyond. prgtoken When we cannot control who is entering the United States, what they are bringing in, or where they are going, that is a serious national security risk. prgtoken Let's go over the numbers. Customs and Border Protection encountered 2.3 million migrants at the southern border this past fiscal year--more encounters than any other year in our history. Migrant encounters in December reached the highest monthly level ever recorded, with over 250,000 encounters in 1 month. That number had tripled in just 2 years. And it gets even worse. Border Patrol agents have stopped individuals on the government's terror watch list 38 times so far since October. Suspected terrorist encounters will hit record levels if this trend continues through 2023. Gang-affiliated encounters skyrocketed last year as well, from 348 to 751. prgtoken These historic statistics should concern anyone who cares about our country's security and the safety of our communities and the safety of American families. But this administration doesn't consider what is going on at the border to be a crisis. In fact, our President hardly seems to consider what is going on at the border at all. Despite his recent trip south for what I thought was a photo op, his administration has exacerbated the border crisis. prgtoken In case anybody has forgotten, let me refresh your memories. With simple strokes of hi
118TH CONGRESS
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2023-1-25

the new Congress is a chance for a fresh start, and we need a fresh start. We cannot afford a repeat of the past 2 years. prgtoken Despite the fact that controlled Congress by the slimmest of margins in the last Congress, acted as if they had a mandate for radical, far-left change. prgtoken shoved through multiple partisan spending sprees, including the so-called American Rescue Plan Act which kicked off our current inflation crisis. And what they got through was mild compared to what they wanted to push through--from a Federal takeover of elections to some of the most extreme abortion legislation in the world. Fortunately, some of the ' most radical proposals didn't ultimately make it through Congress, but not for a lack of trying on ' part. prgtoken Despite the fact that they had nothing more than a technical majority, did their best to eliminate a voice for the minority party in the Senate by attacking the Senate filibuster rule. Some contemplated packing the Supreme Court to secure judicial support for policy priorities. And ' rhetoric was often as extreme and divisive as their policies, with the standout example being an address the President gave a year ago this month in which he suggested that half the country was racist. prgtoken , we have had another election, and the American people rejected one-party rule by electing a House of Representatives. They have created a situation in which both parties will have to work together to get anything done. prgtoken I hope this will mark a new less partisan moment here in Congress. I hope we can move on from the past 2 years and start afresh to work together to address the challenges facing our country, because there is a lot that we can do together. prgtoken Despite the partisanship of the agenda over the last 2 years, there were still moments that reminded us that there are many areas where we can agree or are close enough to work together. prgtoken I introduced a number of bipartisan bills in the last Congress, and I am looking forward to working with colleagues of both parties on a number of issues in the new Congress. prgtoken One major piece of legislation we take up every few years is the farm bill, which has a strong bipartisan history. During my time in the Senate, I have introduced farm bill legislation with both ic and prgtoken colleagues, and I think that working together, we can produce a bill this year that will meet the needs of our Nation's farmers and ranchers and strengthen U.S. agriculture production. prgtoken Another obvious area for bipartisan cooperation is the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization that is coming due this year, and none too soon, as recent air travel fiascos have made clear. Our last FAA reauthorization bill was a strongly bipartisan piece of legislation, and this year's bill sho
BORDER SECURITY
Thom Tillis (Republican, NC) \u2014 2023-1-25

I want to thank my friend and colleague from Mississippi for her comments on this subject. prgtoken I am down here on the floor to also talk about the crisis at the border--the humanitarian crisis, the Homeland Security crisis, and a crisis that is resulting in cartels making $800 million a year in human trafficking. prgtoken I joined a bipartisan delegation 2 weeks ago. We visited the border. It was very productive. It was one of the first bipartisan delegations in quite some time. The reason that was important is, if you go down there with a prgtoken partisan delegation, you are only going to actually talk about one side of the issue. If you go down there with a bipartisan delegation, you can talk about what we need to do on a bipartisan basis to solve the crisis at the border. prgtoken I want to start where Senator Hyde-Smith finished--the humanitarian crisis. I am one of the Members who has been trying to negotiate a bipartisan immigration reform bill that has border security and asylum reform in it. I had a lot of my staff ask me: Why would you do that? You know it is going to be unpopular. You are going to get criticized from the left for going too far. You are going to get criticized from the right for having any discussion about immigration reform. prgtoken I have been down to the border several times. I told my staff that it is hard for me to forget border security telling me that they just transported an 11-year-old girl who had been repeatedly raped, so much so, she screamed so long she couldn't even speak anymore before she crossed the border. prgtoken I told them I can't forget going down the Rio Grande River and seeing a corpse taken out of the river, realtime, while I was down there. It wasn't staged because it is happening repeatedly every year. prgtoken When you hear stories of truckloads of people being bused across the border--53 of them dying through suffocation and heat exposure on American soil--I can't forget that. That is a humanitarian crisis that has to be solved. prgtoken Then I went to the border last week and I started at the Rio Grande Sector and then I went over to the Yuma sector. At night, at the Rio Grande Sector, we saw two Chinese nationals who had been apprehended. prgtoken Chinese nationals pay, on average, about $35,000 to cross the border. In many cases, they don't have the money to do it. They have somebody invest in them, and then they become indentured servants in the United States to pay off that debt. prgtoken You have people pay $5,000, $6,000, $10,000 who have an expectation from the cartel that they have a debt to be repaid. That may be an honest job that they could get or that could be an illegal activity that helps the cartels. prgtoken Now we go over to the Yuma Sector. The Yuma Sector is in Western Arizona. There is a section of border there that hasn't been completed. It is about 7 miles wide. But the most important part of that 7 miles is about a
SOUTHERN BORDER
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2023-1-25

I came to the floor to talk about the border one more time, but I was intrigued by the rhetorical questions my friend from Illinois has asked the . prgtoken I have got a question for President : When you say that you are not going to negotiate on the debt ceiling, does that mean that the Federal Government is going to continue to rack up more and more debt on top of the $30 trillion that we already owe, particularly during inflationary times when interest rates on that debt basically are eating up more and more of our discretionary budget? prgtoken To me, if the answer is yes, I am going to refuse to negotiate as we continue to rack up more and more debt, about two-thirds of which is on autopilot, as the Presiding Officer knows--it is mandatory spending. That is a supremely irresponsible position to take. prgtoken President , when he was in the Senate, was known as a dealmaker, and as I said yesterday, during 2011, he negotiated with Senator McConnell the Budget Control Act, which was probably the most recent response, sort of a mixed bag as it was, to try to control Federal spending. It was a noble effort, although it did not succeed. prgtoken So I know our friends on the ic side would like to sort of add to Mr. McCarthy's challenges. We have got 6 months, perhaps, between now and the time the extraordinary measures the Treasury Department is going to be using to make sure we don't actually breach that debt limit, but I would suggest that the time would be better used, rather than sort of to add gasoline to the fire, to actually try to solve the problem. And the problem--the debt limit--is real. It needs to be addressed by two people: McCarthy and the President of the United States. Because anything the Senate were to pass with 60 votes, which would be required, would certainly be dead on arrival in the House of Representatives. prgtoken And so as a practical matter, while we are going to be very interested and engaged in the debate and discussion, that is where the decision is going to have to be made sometime between now and the time extraordinary measures are exhausted, perhaps as early as June. prgtoken But in the meantime, for the President of the United States, who represents not just , who represents all Americans--all 330 million-plus of us--to say: I am not negotiating, even though he has got a track record as a Senator and as a Vice President of negotiating hard things like this, to me, is an irresponsible answer, and I hope he will reconsider.