mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021
Tim Ryan (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2022-3-3

. Madam , I thank Chairman Takano for including in this bill the Heath Robinson Burn Pit Transparency Act as a part of this comprehensive bill to address toxic exposure in our veteran community. I rise today to discuss my amendment, the Heath Robinson Burn Pit Transparency Act, named for Heath Robinson whom I spoke about in this very Chamber just 4 months ago. prgtoken I stand here humbled to see it come to the floor in a bipartisan effort to finally address this dire problem. prgtoken Heath deployed to Kosovo in 2004 and Iraq in 2006 and was the Ohio National Guard NCO Soldier of the Year in 2012 and 2013. prgtoken Being a soldier was Heath's identity. He was proud of his service and humbled to serve overseas defending those he loved. While deployed, Heath was exposed to burn pits in Iraq, and those toxic wounds of war followed Heath home. He was a loving father, husband, and son who, unfortunately and tragically, lost his life on May 6, 2020, at the young age of 39. His story is a sobering one but reminds us why this amendment is needed. prgtoken In late 2016, Heath began noticing early symptoms starting with fatigue which worsened to chronic, gushing nosebleeds and bleeding from his ears. After a dozen doctors were unable to provide answers, it was finally determined that at the age of 35 he suffered from a rare autoimmune disease. After new symptoms presented and Heath's condition deteriorated, his family learned Heath was stricken with an extremely rare form of lung cancer that, according to 20 oncologists, could have only been caused by prolonged inhalation of concentrated toxic substances. prgtoken Heath was eventually forced into a medical separation with his lung cancer being deemed 100 percent service connected by the Veterans Administration. His retirement documents specify that Heath was a recently retired combat veteran. However, once he applied for comprehensive caregiver benefits, the VA denied him. They stated that although Heath Robinson's lung cancer was 100 percent service connected, there was no evidence that his cancer was caused by burn pits or combat related. His wife, a doctor of physical therapy, had to take an unpaid leave of absence from a full-time job to handle her husband's round-the-clock care. This service was paramount to this family, and the VA failed them. prgtoken The final year of Heath's life consisted of his wife and her mom watching helplessly as Heath suffered in pain, struggling to breathe daily, and coughing incessantly. Many days were spent holding a basin under his face to catch vomit and blood streaming from prgtoken his nose while they shoved the oxygen tube into his mouth intermittently so he wouldn't die. They lost count of the number of times he had to be rushed to the nearest emergency room only to be transferred to a trauma hospital because the doctors had no idea what to do with him. Doctors exclaimed that they had never seen a cancer like Heath had. prgtoken
ISSUES OF THE DAY
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2022-3-3

certainly this is a moment in history for many, many ways. I have heard of the--really the constant--how do we say in the country--ranging and tanging, the constant refrain of our friends on the other side of the aisle, and I am going to take somewhat of the approach of the President of the United States who gave really one of the most historic, dynamic, and pointed speeches to the American people that I have ever heard. prgtoken , let me thank President on the floor of the House for speaking straight to the American public. All those who were willing to hear their President who recognized that we are a nation of the United States of America, that we are truly, truly a nation that rises to the occasion of defending democracy together as the United States of America. prgtoken That speech covered the pain and the joy that we face today. And I want to start with his concluding remarks, and I can almost hear his resonating voice, his passion, and his true reach to the American people. This was the State of the Union, the first, and so when the question was asked, President said my report is this: ``The state of the Union is strong because you, the American people, are strong.'' prgtoken Who could not fall under the strength of that statement? prgtoken The mothers of soldiers who are in faraway places; fathers who go out and work every day who look to hope from their country to make sure they can provide for their family; the senior citizens; the students who fight against tuition increases; and the vulnerable people seeking homes and houses; they heard him. ``We are stronger today than we were a year ago, and we will be stronger a year from now than we are today. Now is our moment to meet and overcome the challenges of our time, and we will as one people, one America--the United States of America. May God bless you all. May God protect our troops.'' prgtoken From the beginning he spoke to the American people without divisiveness and certainly with an understanding that we have gone through as a people a most historic and devastating moment in our lives. I know that because more than once I have visited the area on the Mall that showed the little white flags. If you have visited Arlington National Cemetery, then you know the sacrifice of our soldiers, you know the rows and rows and rows and rows and rows of tombstones from wars beyond our historical time. prgtoken But when you went to that exhibit, if it was that commemoration, that tribute, that acknowledgment, that place of mourning to know of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who died because of COVID 19, and some dying in the early stages, some families having six, seven, and nine people their family. So you know this was an enormous time. prgtoken Let me thank the Congressional Progressive Caucus who just yesterday Congresswoman Leger Fernandez spoke of our next steps in the work ahead. prgtoken I didn't want this time to end without respo
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-3-3

on Tuesday evening, President delivered his first State of the Union Message to Congress and to the American people. His remarks were timely, strong, and statesmanlike. prgtoken He touched on many topics. I think his message really boiled down to two profound questions: How do we protect democracy in other nations, particularly in Ukraine, which is now entering the second week of a horrific and unprovoked invasion by Russian forces; and then he asked, how can we protect and preserve democracy here in America? prgtoken Dictators like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping want the world to believe that democracy is nothing more than chaos and gridlock. The people of Ukraine are showing the world just how wrong these despots are. prgtoken I speak to you today from the comfort and safety of the Senate Chamber in the United States of America, in Washington, DC, on a beautiful springlike day. But I have to reflect for a moment on what life must be like at this very moment in Kyiv, in Ukraine, and what it must be like in Lviv; two cities in Ukraine that I visited where bombs are raining down on innocent people--children, women, and men who are losing their lives because Vladimir Putin believes that he can restore the Soviet Union to its borders. prgtoken We have all seen the video of the Ukrainian grandmother, armed with nothing more than sunflower seeds and courage, confronting Russian soldiers. prgtoken We have seen ordinary Ukrainian men and women and teenagers taking up arms, making Molotov cocktails, building barricades, taking down highway and road signs to confuse the invading Russians--even laying down their lives to stop Russian tanks and convoys. prgtoken In the back of my mind, I am sure I am thinking what many Americans are thinking: Could I do the same thing? Could I bring together the courage at this moment to stand up and fight if my home is at stake, if my family is at stake, if my country is at stake? prgtoken The Ukrainians are answering that message every minute of every day. Their courage and unity in the face of this Russian barbarity is inspiring the world. prgtoken For months, President , Secretary of State Tony Blinken, and others in the administration have worked behind the scenes to revitalize the NATO alliance. That critical alliance emerged after the last great land war in Europe in 1945 from the allies who came out of it and said: Never again. We will stand together to stop any invader against the NATO coalition, the NATO alliance. prgtoken The administration has worked behind the scenes to remind this alliance that there comes a moment when you have to bring to this alliance the courage and direction to stand for the kind of democracy which we are all committed to. prgtoken Two years ago, we had a President who took Putin's word over the assessment of America's own intelligence Agencies and said he threatened to pull the United States participation out of NATO. To
ORDERS FOR MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2022-3-3

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m Monday, March 7; 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 conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 273, H.R. 3076, Postal Service Reform; and that the cloture motion filed during yesterday's session ripen at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2022-3-3

since President took office, we have seen historic job growth and a dynamic economy. Wages are rising, and they are rising fastest for working-class Americans. prgtoken But despite this significant economic progress, today, too many American families are still facing pressing economic challenges: a global pandemic now entering its third year, ongoing disruptions to international supply chains that result in rising prices, and now the economic shocks caused by Putin's aggression, his invasion of Ukraine and the response by the West--a united effort to impose sanctions on Russia, which will also have consequences for the global economy. prgtoken The Federal Reserve exists, in part, to address issues just like these. The Fed doesn't just set interest rates and control our money supply; it oversees banks, ensures efficient and reliable payments, promotes consumer protection and community development. prgtoken When our economy is facing such foundational challenges like the ones we are up against right now, it is crucial our institutions are at full strength. prgtoken The Fed is at its strongest with a full Board of Governors, and President has nominated five of the finest economic and legal minds our country has to fill its vacancies: Jerome Powell, to serve as chair; and Lael Brainard, to serve as Vice Chair--both folks who have ably guided our economy in the years they have served at the Fed; Sarah Bloom Raskin, whom I know from college, has been nominated to serve as Vice Chair for Supervision and has demonstrated through a long career in public service at both the State and Federal level to be a highly competent regulator who has advanced the financial system that would work for all Americans; Philip Jefferson, nominated to serve as a Board Governor, has deep expertise in how monetary policy impacts employment and economic growth and an important understanding of inequality and poverty in America today; last, my good friend, Lisa Cook, whom I have known for decades. We knew each other as young Truman Scholars, folks who were volunteering a week of our time to help mentor and encourage younger Truman Scholars--a federally funded memorial to President Harry Truman. prgtoken I have known her since a stage in her life where neither one of us might have guessed that someday I would be on this floor speaking as a Senator, and I would be speaking in support of her nomination to the Federal Reserve. prgtoken She would bring a valuable new perspective to the Fed Board. Lisa, from her time growing up in a small rural town in Georgia, going on to earn advanced degrees from our Nation's finest institutions, and now as a teacher at one of our great public universities, she has built world- class expertise in economics, innovation, and banking. She understands not just abstract economic theory but how those theories impact Americans and their families in all walks of life. prgtoken Lisa served und
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF RAYMOND JORDAN, JR.
Ayanna Pressley (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2022-3-3

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life and legacy of the late State Representative Raymond Jordan, Jr. prgtoken Representative Jordan was a good man, a trailblazing man, and a friend and mentor to many. A resident of Springfield and a product of Springfield Public Schools, he went on to become the first African American elected to the Massachusetts State House. prgtoken Over the course of his career, he chaired the powerful Ways and Means Committee and the Committee on Housing and Urban Development. His indefatigable commitment to equity and justice earned him the enduring yet fitting nickname of ``Barracuda.'' prgtoken His impact in his local community and in Massachusetts' history and politics is indelible and enduring--in bills, in laws, in buildings, but, most of all, in people. prgtoken But many of his greatest achievements will live on through the loving family that he built alongside the love of his life, Donna Jordan. Of all his most memorable titles and tasks, he would most want to be remembered as a loving husband and father who fought tirelessly for his community and his people. prgtoken When I think of the late Raymond Jordan, Jr I am reminded of the words of the African-American hymn that says: ``May the work I have done speak for me.'' prgtoken Indeed, the many works of Raymond Jordan speak for him both now and for eternity. May he rest in power and in peace.
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-3-3

I join the senior Senator from Illinois' affection for Tom Balanoff. He truly is an icon for labor, not just in Illinois but across the country. Ukraine prgtoken , I rise today to speak on Ukraine. prgtoken With Russian troops firing outside, one Ukrainian woman was rushed outside and down out of the hospital by hospital staff. She was reportedly forced to give birth in a makeshift ICU in the hospital's basement with the sound of shelling surrounding her and with more than 100,000 Russian troops closing in on the area. prgtoken Elsewhere in Eastern Ukraine, mothers and their newborns are being hurried from neonatal intensive care units to makeshift bomb shelters, with the blankets swaddling their babies the only armor they have protecting them from the explosions and missiles crisscrossing the skies above them. prgtoken And all across Ukraine, little boys and girls are being born in subway car shelters, where some of the first words they hear are the cries of older children asking their own parents: ``Mommy, will we die here?'' prgtoken This is the everyday, every-moment waking nightmare for those who call Ukraine home right now. This is the new normal for new moms struggling to learn how to breastfeed their newborns; the new reality for new parents who, just last week, were trying to figure out how to afford both diapers and next month's rent, yet who are now just desperate to get their 1-week-old to the 2-week-old mark. prgtoken Why is this their new reality? For what? For a brutal and senseless war, a war as unjust as it is unjustifiable, as needless as it was unprovoked; a war whose violence has already torn families apart, yet whose cruelty has failed to fracture the unity of Ukraine itself. prgtoken Three decades ago, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States and Russia asked Ukraine to give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees under the Budapest Memorandum. Ukraine did so voluntarily, handing them over instead of keeping them for their own defense because the Ukrainians so desperately sought peace and a democratic rule-based order. prgtoken Now, Russia has unilaterally broken that agreement, shattering that peace, and Ukrainians are once more laying down their lives for those same democratic principles. prgtoken The contrast is stark. Vladimir Putin is fighting for autocracy, using aggression and irresponsible, unprovoked escalation. Ukraine meanwhile is fighting for freedom. prgtoken Vladimir Putin believes himself to be some sort of neoimperialist, actively attacking neighboring democracies in an attempt to restore the Russian Empire. prgtoken Well, today, I want to speak to all the Ukrainians who found a home in Illinois and all of them who are strewn across Europe who have been forced to flee their nation in the wake of this violence and to all who are still in Ukraine praying that they will be able to wake
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2022-3-3

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken On Monday, , the House will meet at 12 p.m. for morning- hour debate, and 2 p.m. for legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m. prgtoken On Tuesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning-hour and 12 p.m. for legislative business. prgtoken On Wednesday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. prgtoken The House will consider an omnibus appropriations package so the House and Senate can both pass it before March 11. As the minority whip knows, on March 11 at 12 o'clock, if we have not passed additional authorization for the funding of the government, the government will shut down. It is imperative that we act. prgtoken In light of the fact that many of us on the ic side of the aisle will be going to Philadelphia for a legislative retreat on the Wednesday preceding March 11, March 9, we need to act by that time and send something to the Senate. I hope we can do that. prgtoken The House will also consider H. Con. Res. 70, condemning threats of violence against historically Black colleges and universities--too many of which we have seen in recent weeks--and reaffirming support of HBCUs and their students, introduced by Representative Alma Adams. That will be considered under suspension of the rules. prgtoken The House will also consider other bills under suspension of the rules. A complete list of suspension bills will be announced by the close of business tomorrow. Additional legislative items, of course, are possible. prgtoken I want to say that, clearly, one of the principal focuses that we have is the onslaught and criminal behavior led by Vladimir Putin, which is occurring in Ukraine. The President spoke to the country and to us on Tuesday in the State of the Union message, in which he made it clear that we need to be unified. In fact, we passed a resolution in which--for the most part, save three of our Members--we were unified. prgtoken , I would hope that we would remain unified in the face of what is the breaking of international law and could be called a genocide of the Ukrainian people by Vladimir Putin. I am hopeful that we will remain unified and focused on that issue as we proceed.
HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021
Anna G. Eshoo (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-3-3

as the proud Representative of more than 20,000 veterans in California's 18th Congressional District, I rise in support of H.R. 3967, the Honoring Our PACT Act. This long-overdue legislation makes good on our promise to care for those who have risked their lives to defend our country. prgtoken Today, most veterans who seek care and compensation from the VA for medical conditions resulting from service-connected exposure to toxic substances are denied because the VA maintains highly restrictive standards for what constitutes toxic exposure. For years, I've heard from veterans in my District who have described the great frustration of being denied the care and compensation they need. prgtoken The Honoring Our PACT Act addresses this issue by acknowledging that toxic exposure is a cost of war. The bill recognizes many new categories of veterans as eligible for care and compensation for toxic exposure, including veterans exposed to burn pits, atomic radiation, PFAS, and other dangerous substances. If enacted, the CBO estimates this legislation will increase the number of veterans receiving VA healthcare by 15 percent over the next decade. prgtoken Importantly, H.R. 3967 finally puts into place a legal recourse for veterans and their families who were exposed to toxic chemicals in drinking water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Many of these veterans suffer from cancer, Parkinson's disease, and ALS as a result of their exposure, but they've been denied compensation because of an anomaly in North Carolina state law. I've consistently advocated for remedying this injustice, and I'm pleased that the Honoring Our PACT Act does so by establishing a federal cause of action related to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. prgtoken When our country sends our brave women and men of the U.S. Armed Forces into harm's way, it is our collective responsibility to provide them with the health services, opportunities, and care they've earned. Passing the Honoring Our PACT Act strengthens this sacred promise, and I urge all my colleagues to support this bill and vote yes.
HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021
Deborah K. Ross (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2022-3-3

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , I rise today to urge support for my amendment, along with my colleague from North Carolina, Representative Rouzer. prgtoken This amendment will require the Department of Defense to study additional non-fire extinguishing agent sources of toxic PFAS, known as forever chemicals on military installations. prgtoken Our amendment also requires the Department of Defense to make a recommendation to Congress on expanding the eligibility for the VA's registry of individuals exposed to PFAS during their service. prgtoken While fire extinguishing agents are a common source of servicemember exposure to forever chemicals, as the knows, PFAS toxins are ever present on military bases from other sources. prgtoken Studies have shown that these dangerous toxicants are ubiquitous in the kinds of ready-made meal packages, textiles, and cookware used on military installations. Use of these products has exposed servicemembers and veterans to PFAS, which have been proven to cause cancer, liver damage, birth defects, and other troubling medical conditions. prgtoken We must ensure that we fully understand the scope of PFAS exposure on military bases and expand our parameters for veteran eligibility for medical care accordingly. Doing so will give veterans exposed to these toxins the opportunity to receive care for the conditions they develop as a result of their service in uniform. prgtoken This amendment not only empowers and protects veterans, but it solicits a critically important study from the DOD to better understand the presence of PFAS on military installations and prevent exposure in the future. prgtoken In alignment with the mission of the Honoring our PACT Act, this amendment upholds our responsibility to prevent and mitigate the health consequences of exposure to toxic substances. prgtoken Madam , I thank Chairman Takano for his outstanding leadership in bringing this important legislation to the floor. I also thank Representative Rouzer from North Carolina for joining me in offering this amendment. prgtoken Madam , .