mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2023-9-28

I am glad to be here tonight with the Presiding Officer, a Member of this body who probably, more than most, understands the consequences of this government shutdown. Of the, maybe, 100 people in this body and of the 435 people in the House of Representatives, I would be surprised if there were somebody among us who would be less likely to close the government down over politics than the Presiding Officer from the Commonwealth of Virginia, because he knows how important it is, among other people, to the dedicated public servants who live in his State and work for the Federal Government. prgtoken Tonight, I wanted to come to the floor to talk about a group of men and women who most people serving in this Chamber know very little about--or they may know nothing about. They are men and women whose livelihoods are at stake and are being held hostage by a small band of extremists dead set on shutting down the government for their own political purposes. And these are America's Federal wildland firefighters. prgtoken This is a photo of Federal wildland firefighters who are responding to the Pine Gulch Fire in Colorado. The picture, in many ways, sort of says it all. One of the things it says is neither you nor I nor anybody on this floor really could fully imagine or describe what it must be like to do this work. prgtoken I can't imagine parachuting through yellow skies that can't allow you to see where the ground is and dropping down in the total wilderness. I would be very surprised if anybody in this Chamber could comprehend what it must be like to hear nothing but the roar of chain saws and crackling brush all around you while tankers and helicopters overhead on top of you dump blood-red retardant and water to suppress the flames or what it is like to carry enough food to sustain you for days at a time. prgtoken There is nobody who is going to come feed you, and you have axes and water and a sleeping bag all on your back, in a pack that is just made heavier by unrelenting smoke and unrelenting fire. You are doing the heartbreaking work of slashing away at brush and small trees. I am sorry--the backbreaking work. It is probably heartbreaking sometimes. You are doing the backbreaking work of slashing away at brush and small trees; using gasoline for a roaring wildfire; and making a fire line until you get to mineral soil. I don't know about any of that. prgtoken I can't imagine the flood of relief, after 16 hours of grueling work, getting back to the ``black.'' That is the area that has already been burned, and that is a sign that, finally, after those 16 hours--or however many hours those are--you are in a safe spot. And for all of that effort, you are making $15 an hour--less than somebody could make at Subway or at another fast-food restaurant. prgtoken I never have lived in my car as a price of doing the job that I was asked to do, sleeping cramped in the back seat after a 16-hour day because
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2023-9-28

today I rise to recognize an anniversary. Typically, people think of anniversaries as a happy time. Unfortunately, this is one of those anniversaries that we in Las Vegas and Nevada and many across this country and around the world look at as one of the worst tragedies that we have experienced in this country. prgtoken Six years ago, my hometown of Las Vegas experienced the worst mass shooting in modern American history. One gunman took the lives of 58 people that night; 2 more died later from their injuries; and thousands of families will never be the same. prgtoken On October 1, 2017, at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, tens of thousands of people were listening to music; they were dancing; and they were enjoying the festivities. prgtoken That was until the gunfire started. In a matter of minutes, the gunman fired over 1,000 bullets into the crowd, leaving 58 dead and hundreds wounded. Two more concertgoers died from their injuries in the aftermath. The shock, the horror, the pain all come flooding back even now. prgtoken I will never forget sitting with families at the reunification center in Las Vegas that day after, praying that, along with the families, they would hear good news for their lost loved ones. But not all of them did. Too many lives were taken that night and far too soon. prgtoken If not for the heroes of that day who put their lives on the line to save others, even more lives would have been lost. prgtoken One of those heroes was Erick Silva. prgtoken Erick was from Las Vegas. He attended Las Vegas High School--by the way, the same high school that my parents attended--and after he graduated, he planned to become a police officer. In August 2017, he celebrated his 21st birthday. He would never celebrate another. Less than 2 months later, on October 1, Erick was working as a security guard at the festival. When the gunfire started, Erick ran into the crowd. He did not run away. He ran into the crowd to help, boosting concert-goers over barricades so they could exit the rain of bullets that was coming down. And in that effort to save lives, Erick lost his. He gave his life while saving others. prgtoken I remember speaking with Erick's mother, Angelica, at his funeral. Of course, her whole world had been turned upside down, but she knew that her son had died a hero. Erick would have been 27 this year, and, every year, Angelica celebrates her son's birthday with friends and family to remember Erick's life and honor his memory. His mother is making sure that her son and his heroism are never forgotten, and I can promise you we will never forget. prgtoken We will never forget Erick and the 59 others who lost their lives to senseless gun violence that night and in this country. We will never forget all of those people who put other people's lives, really, over their own that day. We will never forget the hundreds of concert-goers who are still dealing with those injuries
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Al Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2023-9-28

. Mr. Chair, I strongly oppose amendment 51 to the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, which would prohibit funds in this legislation from being used to aid the country of Pakistan. This amendment is misguided and counterproductive. prgtoken I traveled to Pakistan in September 2022 to assess in person the devastating flooding caused by record monsoon rains and melted glaciers in the region. More than 1,000 individuals had lost their lives to the flooding at that point, and approximately one third of Pakistan remained underwater. Pakistan produces less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is at greater risk of ecological catastrophes from climate change. The World Bank estimated that the economic costs of the damage totaled over $30 billion. Therefore, the international community should assist Pakistan in recovering from this natural disaster that was massive in scale. I am grateful for the relief funds that the U.S. has provided Pakistan, and I firmly oppose what amounts to a blanket prohibition on further relief, as this would include much needed humanitarian relief. prgtoken Blocking these funds will not only hurt Pakistan and prolong its recovery from the 2022 floods, but also give China the opportunity to provide much needed aid where American global leadership is lacking. We cannot abandon Pakistan in this time of crisis, and I urge My colleagues to oppose this amendment.
RECOGNIZING SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH
Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2023-9-28

I rise today to recognize Suicide Prevention Month. We know our country is in the midst of a severe mental health crisis, and people are struggling. After declines in the suicide rate from 2019 to 2020, the rates increased almost percent in 2021. Provisional data from the CDC shows that the rate is continuing to rise, up 2.6 percent from 2021 to 2022. According to this data, which is not yet final, we lost about 49,450 people to suicide in 2022. prgtoken This is a dire situation, but we have tools to help save lives and the opportunity to transform how we as a nation respond to suicide, mental health, and substance use crises. I am grateful to my colleagues for supporting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Formerly the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the 988 Lifeline has helped connect millions of individuals across the country with support and resources in their darkest hours. Since its transition to the 988-dialing code from the longer, 10-digit hotline in July of 2022, the Lifeline has received almost 5 million contacts (through calls, chats, and texts). Vibrant Emotional Health, the administrator of the Lifeline, estimates that this number could reach 9 million in the next fiscal year (FY24). prgtoken We must ensure that anyone in crisis--regardless of the time of day, or where they are--has someone to talk to, someone to respond, and a safe place to go. Continued federal investment is critical for the 988 Lifeline to sustain the crisis care continuum and build out the call centers, as well as mobile crisis response teams and crisis stabilization facilities. prgtoken Suicide does not discriminate and impacts all communities, with some populations being at increased risk. For example, between 2018 and 2021, increases in age-adjusted suicide rates were highest amongst Native Americans (26 percent), with Blacks (19.2 percent) and Hispanics (6.8 percent) also experiences significant increases. Other disproportionately impacted populations include Veterans, people living in rural areas, LGBTQ people, middle-aged and older adults, tribal populations, and youth. prgtoken Vibrant estimates that about 80 percent of chat and text contacts are initiated by youth and young adults. We must meet children and adolescents where they are and ensure that chat and text capacity is strong enough to meet this great demand. To address mental health challenges among our youth, I will be reintroducing the Peer-to-Peer Suicide Prevention Act, which would help young people support their mental health byestablishing a competitive grant program for middle and high-schools to facilitate student-led suicide prevention programs. prgtoken A study from Pew Charitable Trusts earlier this year revealed that only about 13 percent of adults in the US are aware of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The 988 Lifeline represents a chance to change how our country supports those in crisis; it cannot reach its potential if most people ar
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2023-9-28

it is that time of year again--ending the month of September, starting a new fiscal year. We have a responsibility we accept as Members of Congress to do some things: Answer rollcalls, respond to our constituents, keep the lights on in the Federal Government. The third issue is one which we are contesting this week. prgtoken The Senate, I believe, has taken a responsible, thoughtful approach to this. It gets down to basics. There are 51 , 49 s, effectively, and most measures of consequence require more than a majority vote. So the decision was made by both Senator Schumer and Senator McConnell to put together a continuing resolution, which is a stopgap spending measure, on a bipartisan basis so that we would have bipartisanship as the starting point. They achieved that. They achieved that in a way that surprised a lot of people because we had a procedural vote in the Senate on the Senate bipartisan continuing resolution and 77 Senators voted in favor. Now, 77 Senators in the U.S. Senate is more than just a supermajority; it is a pretty impressive number, and it doesn't happen very often. prgtoken On Tuesday evening, the Senate Appropriations Committee chair, Senator Patty Murray of Washington, working with Senator Susan Collins of Maine, released a text of the bipartisan continuing resolution. It spelled out what we think needs to be done to keep the government open and functioning for about 6 or 7 weeks, until November 17, giving us time to negotiate a budget for remainder of the year. prgtoken I would quickly add that the efforts of Senator Murray and Senator Collins in the Appropriations Committee leading up to this moment were historic in nature. It has been more than 5 years, I believe, since we have come to the floor and actually debated spending bills and actually amended spending bills on the floor. We usually are faced with short- term spending bills or omnibus bills that combine the entire budget in one massive piece of legislation. But Senators Murray and Collins had us moving in the right direction, a bipartisan direction, and that is evidenced as well in their efforts in this continuing resolution. prgtoken This continuing resolution does more than keep the lights on. It includes crucial emergency assistance and program extensions. prgtoken It includes $6.5 billion to maintain our commitment to Ukraine and $6 billion to help FEMA respond to federally declared disasters, including one in my State of Illinois, where 20 counties are working to recover from the impact of summer storms. prgtoken It would prevent a lapse in funding for critical healthcare efforts, like community healthcare centers. I am sure the Presiding Officer has visited many of these centers in his State. I have in my State. prgtoken It really is one of the more amazing products coming out of the Affordable Care Act. I can remember when Senators met at the last minute and demanded that we f
SECURING GROWTH AND ROBUST LEADERSHIP IN AMERICAN AVIATION ACT
Peter Welch (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2023-9-28

I want to join my colleague from Hawaii, Senator Schatz, whose reasons for avoiding a shutdown are points that we all share, as his State also has suffered a devastating fire now in Maui, where we in Vermont have suffered a major flood this summer and need FEMA aid. prgtoken There are a couple of things I just want to say. No. 1, I want to express my gratitude to my colleagues in the Senate who have come together--Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell--in bipartisanship, where we have a way of passing a bill to keep the lights on, to keep government functioning. No good comes out of a shutdown, to quote Senator McConnell. prgtoken Like Senator Schatz, I have been through it before. And as Senator Schatz has said, when you ask the folks who literally explicitly favor a shutdown, ``What is next?'' they don't have any answer and don't seem to think they need to have an answer. prgtoken And we do. The consequences of a shutdown are really devastating in large ways and in small ways. A shutdown means our men and women in uniform don't get paid. Seriously? We are going to condone asking people who are protecting the safety of this Nation to do it without pay? That is what shutdown advocates are saying. It is no big deal to them. prgtoken And on some small things, I got a letter from a Vermonter whose heart has been set on taking his family to a hike in the Grand Canyon. I don't know if any of you have ever done that hike. You have to go on the website. It is almost like a lottery. You have to get a permit to hike. He got a permit to hike and camp for 2 nights for his family. That is, I think, October 5 and October 6. If we are shut down, that family hike is not going to happen. Well, do you know what? That is cruel. It is such a wonderful thing that our families can enjoy the Grand Canyon. They won't be able to do it. prgtoken But I want to talk specifically about what happens to Vermonters, and this is a situation that Senator Schatz and Senator Hirono share with Hawaii. We got hammered in this flood. FEMA has done a tremendous job. The FEMA fund needs to be replenished because, as a result of the low amount of money in the FEMA fund, they have had to cut back on their efforts of recovery that have already been promised. prgtoken Just yesterday, the Washington Post reported that FEMA is delaying $2.8 billion in disaster aid to keep from running out of funds. They have to have some money available if there is another event that requires immediate response to save lives. We understand that. That is the right decision for them. But it has real consequences for us in Vermont. prgtoken Repayment of these long-term recovery projects that are being halted are not from last month. They are from last year. Just think of what that means for my State of Vermont, which is in the throes of recovery now. FEMA's transition to ``immediate needs'' funding has paused 13 projects in Vermont, totaling about $7.5 million.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Andrea Salinas (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2023-9-28

I rise in opposition to this bill for reasons beyond what I can list in the allotted time, but primarily because it would force America to abdicate its leadership role on the global stage. prgtoken This bill contains too many harmful provisions to count, but for the benefit of the American people, I will do my best to summarize a few of them: prgtoken This bill would severely reduce our ability to combat the climate crisis. prgtoken It would make massive cuts to global health programming through USAID and the WHO. prgtoken It would shortchange economic and humanitarian assistance and global peacekeeping funding. prgtoken And as if those self-imposed restrictions on our international leadership weren't bad enough, my colleagues are using this bill as a Trojan horse for more poison pill riders, just as they have done with other appropriations bills. prgtoken The majority's obsession with anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, and anti- diversity politics precludes them from putting forth a bill that has any chance of becoming law. prgtoken Specifically, their bill would reinstate the global gag rule and prohibit contributions to the UNPFA, restricting women and girls around the world from receiving the reproductive and maternal healthcare they need. prgtoken They are just not content to undermine reproductive freedom at home. No, they need to take their draconian quest abroad to the tremendous shame of the majority of Americans who value reproductive freedom. prgtoken Mr. Chair, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. prgtoken My amendment would strike the global gag rule and allow contributions to UNPFA. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I strongly support reproductive rights and believe we should be a global leader guaranteeing it to all women and girls, regardless of where they may have been born. I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the text of my amendment. Ms. Salinas moves to recommit the bill H.R. 4665 to the Committee on Appropriations with the following amendment: Strike section 7057.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2023-9-28

I ask unanimous consent to modify the previous order in relation to the veto messages on S.J. Res. 9 and S.J. Res. 24 so that, beginning at 2:20 p.m. today, there be up to 20 minutes for debate, concurrently and equally divided between the two leaders or their designees, prior to rollcall votes on the passage of S.J. Res. 9 and S.J. Res. 24 in the order listed, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2023-9-28

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 300 and 324; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2023-9-28

. Thank you, , and thank you, Chairman Reed. prgtoken We are joined on the Senate floor today in sorrow for a person who meant a lot to both of us. prgtoken One of life's profound joys is when you encounter people who are unforgettable, and in the case of Brother Michael, he was unforgettably kind. prgtoken He started out as a schoolteacher, always was interested in kids. He went to work in an incarcerative in-house juvenile facility and I think there developed his love for kids who were on the margins, kids who were involved with the justice system, kids who were facing difficulties in their lives, to try to make sure that he could help turn them to a more constructive path. prgtoken It was with that spirit that he came to the ACI, the Adult Correctional Institute, in Rhode Island, a formidable building in which--this is when I first met him--in which he was a figure of unique kindliness. There was really almost nothing that you could do that could cause Brother Michael to turn his back on you, and that came through to people so well. prgtoken When he started Ocean Tides, he went to the kids whom he could find who often didn't even have a home to go to, but they knew they were welcome at Ocean Tides. They could come through the door at any hour of the night. It was open. He would find them. He would look out for them. If they had needs, he would take care of them. If they needed a meal, he would give them a meal. If they needed a bed, he would give them a bed. If they needed counseling, he would connect with them. prgtoken His motto was exactly the one that Senator Reed used: Never, never give up on a kid. That was the simple motto of his life. Child after child after child came through Ocean Tides, and, faced with that relentless love, that completely open and forgiving approach--he could be firm in discussing behavior with a kid, but it was always, always, always clear that he was never going to give up, he was never going to turn his back, and he was never going to stop loving that--in most cases, that boy. prgtoken As he developed his skills and his expertise and as people began to flock to him and as Ocean Tides grew, he came to recognize that caring for the child was vitally important, but making sure that the child could reunite with the family, that the family as a unit could succeed and could love and could receive love and give love, became his passion, and with that, Tides Family Services was born. prgtoken There are so many people around Rhode Island right now, including people who are very successful, who can look back in their lives to where Brother Michael's endless patience, endless kindness, and endless compassion gave them a pathway to work through whatever problems were clouding and bedeviling their lives and move on and then become successful. prgtoken I had the privilege, with then-Chairman Grassley on the Judiciary Committee, of rewriting the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Pre