mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2023-9-13

it was about 12 years ago when I went into a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I think it was about the time that Arlen Specter was the chairman of the committee, and he had a hearing on something that I knew nothing about. It was called interchange fees. prgtoken I walked in there, and the room was packed. It turned out there were two sides to a debate over this so-called interchange fee. On one side were the monsters and giants of the credit card industry, Visa and Mastercard--the duopoly that controls 73, 75 percent of the credit transactions in the United States--and on the other side were a handful of people from gas stations and restaurants. prgtoken What were they talking about with the interchange fee? They were talking about the fact that credit cards issued by the banks that honor the Visa and Mastercard exchanges are required to pay fees on every transaction. prgtoken What was interesting about the conversation was that when it got down to it, the retailer--the restaurant owner, the gas station--had no control over what the fee was going to be charged by the bank and Visa and Mastercard. Take it or leave it. If you want to honor our credit cards and use them in your business, you will pay the interchange fee. I kind of thought that was unusual or maybe unfair. There was no competition. There no was voice. The retailer just had to pass along the charge, and Visa and Mastercard raised the charges on a regular basis. They just did recently. prgtoken We are fighting inflation in America, and Visa and Mastercard are on the other side of the battle. Consumers and retailers are trying to keep prices down; Visa and Mastercard are trying to run them up with the fee they charge for each transaction. prgtoken So I decided to ask for a study--that is pretty easy and innocent--a study to find out how much the fees were, why these credit card giants were charging fees in the United States which they weren't charging in other countries. prgtoken They fought me tooth and nail to stop me from this study. So I got my back up and decided to offer an amendment to the Dodd-Frank bill, which dealt with Wall Street and the excesses of the 2008 recession. I came to the floor, offered it, and to everyone's surprise, it passed. It regulated the amount of interchange fees on debit cards. Debit cards are just like a checking account. It didn't touch credit cards. prgtoken It turned out that that was a big deal because the big banks on Wall Street that were affected by my amendment were losing up to $8 billion a year in interchange fees that people were paying. Debit cards were at least containing the growth of these fees, while credit cards were still untouched. And so here we are today. prgtoken American consumers are concerned about inflation and the high price of groceries and gas. What they may not know is that the fees charged by the credit cards that they use, known as swipe fees or interchange fe
Introductory Statement on S. 2779
Alex Padilla (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-9-13

I rise to introduce the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience Act. This legislation would better equip and formalize the Economic Development Administration's role in post-disaster economic recovery. prgtoken EDA has a long history of supporting disaster recovery and resilience efforts and is uniquely positioned to coordinate Federal support due to its network of partners in impacted communities. EDA's role in disaster recovery is to facilitate the timely and effective delivery of Federal economic development assistance to support near- and long-term community economic recovery planning and project implementation, redevelopment, and resilience. prgtoken This bill would establish a dedicated Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at EDA to coordinate the Agency's post-disaster economic recovery activities, create a disaster team for the deployment of individuals to carry out such activities after a disaster or emergency declaration, and require 100 Percent Federal cost share for major disaster recovery projects. prgtoken EDA currently serves as the coordinating Agency for the Economic Recovery Support Function, ERSF, under the Federal Government's National Disaster Recovery Framework, NDRF. In this capacity, EDA provides leadership, coordination, and oversight for primary and support Agencies for the provision of grants, loans, training, and other forms of assistance to support economic recovery efforts in disaster-impacted communities and regions. prgtoken Congress has relied on the Agency to implement economic recovery activities since the 1990s, providing a total of $3.2 billion in supplemental funding for EDA's disaster relief and economic resiliency efforts for natural disasters--most recently in calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. The Agency also received billion in additional funding tor COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts. prgtoken Yet, EDA's role in disaster assistance has never been formalized. Having a dedicated bureau or office to direct and implement the economic recovery support function activities of the Agency could expedite deployment of resources and improve service delivery to communities by retaining institutional knowledge that can translate between communities, preserving leadership at the Agency, and deploying staff and funds more rapidly. prgtoken I thank Senator Boozman for introducing this important legislation with me in the Senate. I hope all of our colleagues will join us in supporting this bill for the long-term economic strength and resilience of our communities.
HONORING JIMMY SWEET
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2023-9-13

I rise today to honor a tenacious and self-motivated leader, Jimmy Sweet. Jimmy Sweet has shown what can be done through hard work, dedication, and a desire to achieve. prgtoken Jimmy Sweet was a standout football player and track athlete at Temple and North Vicksburg from 1970 to 1973. Sweet was part of the Temple team that won the 1970 Red Carpet Bowl and Black Big 8 championship, and then scored 18 touchdowns in three seasons at North Vicksburg. prgtoken After his playing career, Sweet spent 28 years working for the Vicksburg Police Department and was involved in several community organizations and programs. prgtoken Sweet was inducted into the 2022 Vicksburg Warren School District Athletic Hall of Fame. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Jimmy Sweet for his passion and dedication to the Vicksburg Warren School District and City of Vicksburg.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-9-13

we have been working all day to get consent to let us move forward on the minibus. We are not there yet, but we hope we can get there tomorrow. prgtoken In the meantime, for the information of Senators, we are going to have a vote on the motion to proceed to the minibus at 10:30 tomorrow morning. Again, thank you to the appropriators, particularly Senators Murray and Collins, and all the committee on both sides of the aisle. prgtoken . prgtoken .
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE 117TH CONGRESS
Jared Huffman (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-9-13

I thank the gentleman from Maryland for doing such a great job steering this Regional Leadership Council through our work so that we can highlight how are investing in America and putting people over politics. prgtoken Others have mentioned the legislative packages that we were able to put on President 's desk in the last Congress, all the transformative, historic bills--the American Rescue Plan, the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and much more. prgtoken We are bringing down inflation. We are growing the economy. We are rebuilding this country for the 21st century, lowering prescription drug costs, and a lot more. prgtoken During that incredibly productive 2-year period when President had a ic House and a ic Senate, we also showed you can govern in Congress and do big things that matter to people, contrary to what we are seeing with this ``Keystone Cops'' episode and the majority in this Congress. prgtoken Now, as the representative for Region 2, which is northern California, Alaska, and Hawaii, I have had a laser focus on bringing these investments home for some of the most consequential issues that we are up against. Today, I want to highlight two of those big priorities: Investments for Tribes and solutions to manage our increasingly difficult water challenges in the West. prgtoken I proudly represent a region rich with indigenous diversity. Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked with Tribes to address the various issues affecting these communities, from critical infrastructure to revising ecosystems on the brink of collapse. prgtoken One element of critical infrastructure that has been neglected for way too long is broadband expansion. In today's digital age, access to affordable high-speed internet is not a luxury but a necessity. Yet, there is still a staggering digital divide, especially in Indian Country. prgtoken Under the - administration, we are beginning to change that. We have been building out broadband infrastructure to connect Tribes with internet access that is essential to economic development, education, public safety, and quality of life. prgtoken A lot of the grants are flowing to our communities, thanks to the $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program that we created last Congress. prgtoken Just last month, I got to tour a local project in Covelo with the Round Valley Tribe, a very remote part of my district. They are working with this grant funding to expand broadband and connect 726 Tribal households, 3 Tribal businesses, and 7 Tribal community anchor institutions, including a health clinic. This is game-changing stuff. prgtoken The infrastructure law is also helping with a project that is incredibly important to Tribes in my region, restoring the Klamath River Basin. The Karuk, Hoopa, and Yurok Tribes' way of life has revolved around the Klamath River since time immemorial. Four dilapid
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Brian Schatz (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2023-9-13

I rise in support of the package of bills on the Senate floor. prgtoken But first, I want to share a brief update on the situation on Maui. We are now a month on from the devastating wildfires that killed 115 people and leveled the town of Lahaina. prgtoken After a weekslong search and recovery effort for remains, we have entered a new phase of the response. The Environmental Protection Agency has begun removing toxic household materials and waste so that residents can return to their homes safely. It is a painstaking process that is likely to take several months to complete. prgtoken Life in Lahaina is still not normal. Forty-two people are still missing. That is down from an initial count of nearly 3,000. More than 7,000 people are living in temporary housing like hotels and Airbnbs. Three thousand students are displaced from their schools. prgtoken And the local economy is reeling without tourism. Small businesses are struggling to stay afloat. Hundreds of people--restaurant workers, hotel workers, helicopter tour operators--are being laid off. prgtoken More than 10,000 people filed for unemployment in the 3 weeks following the fires. In total, the economic impact of the fires is estimated at nearly $2 billion through next year. That is not counting the damage. That is the economic impact. prgtoken It is hard to overstate how much help the people of Maui need. To date, more than 15,000 survivors have applied for FEMA assistance. That is just a narrow snapshot into what is needed now and in the months and years to come. prgtoken People urgently need basic items like phones and new IDs. Long term, they are going to need permanent solutions for housing and schools. In the meantime, damaged infrastructure like roads, highways, schools, and healthcare centers will need to be rebuilt. prgtoken The road to recovery will be long, and it will require billions of dollars in Federal aid to get the job done. Congress has a responsibility to provide relief and to deliver it quickly. Appropriations prgtoken , now, I want to turn to the appropriations bills under consideration. These bills make critical investments to advance our Nation's health and safety by ensuring affordable housing for 10 million people, protecting the integrity of our food supply, supporting the readiness of our Armed Forces, and more. And so it is vital that we pass them. prgtoken Each of these bills was developed through a collaborative, bipartisan process, and each bill was unanimously passed out of committee by a vote of 29 to 0--unanimously passed out of committee by a vote of 29 to 0. prgtoken I want to thank Chair Murray, in particular, and Vice Chair Collins, as well as Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell, for their leadership in helping to restore the appropriations process to regular order. prgtoken I am looking at the Presiding Officer, my good friend from Connecticut. W
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2023-9-13

I want to start today by thanking Senator Collins once again for her partnership in putting together the package that we are now considering. I am very pleased she was able to join me on the floor yesterday as we both spoke about the effort that has gone into getting this bill off the ground. prgtoken At risk of repeating myself, I would like to speak again about how we crafted the bills before us and urge all of my colleagues to join us to debate and advance this package. prgtoken Today, we are doing something that many Senators have been calling for, for quite some time, something Senator Collins and I have been hearing about from our colleagues since the moment we took over the leadership of the Appropriations Committee. We are keeping our foot on the gas as we continue returning the appropriations process to regular order for the first time in years. prgtoken Last night, we began the process to allow the Senate to consider a legislative package of three strongly bipartisan funding bills. prgtoken Let me just say this again: Getting to this point was no easy feat. prgtoken I am grateful to my partner on the Appropriations Committee, Vice Chair Collins, for working with me to make this happen and to all of our Members, especially the subcommittee chairs, who worked on the bills in the package before us today. Senator Collins and I knew from the start, if we wanted this to work, we had to write serious bipartisan funding bills that can actually be signed into law. prgtoken As I said yesterday, that meant a few things. First of all, we are going to have to abide by the topline numbers that were set in the debt limit deal, and I shared my personal concerns about that limit before. They have meant some tough choices because that was agreed on by the House and the Senate for all of us in these bills. But President and McCarthy shook hands. They shook hands, and we passed this deal in Congress in a bipartisan way. prgtoken The reality is, we can't produce serious bills if we start by throwing that bipartisan framework out the window. So we didn't do that. We worked within the framework, and I pushed at every stage of the process with my colleagues to make sure we produced the strongest possible bills under those circumstances because we simply have to move forward, not back. prgtoken Secondly, we understood that we were going to have to work together to find common ground, including on some very tough and thorny issues, and compromise where necessary to produce spending bills that can make it through both Chambers and to the President's desk. That meant avoiding poison pills that could sink these bills. prgtoken Third, we understood it was important that we give each and every one of our colleagues the chance to weigh in on these bills and the American public the chance to see us work on them. So we held over 40 hearings this spring to assess our Nation's needs for the year ahead. We sought input
Introductory Statement on S. 2794
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-9-13

I rise today to address a continuing concern: the online sale of firearms using deceptive and misleading means. It simply continues to be too easy for individuals to evade existing restrictions and buy firearms through online platforms. This behavior endangers us all. prgtoken Companies like Facebook have taken important steps by banning the sale of firearms on their websites. However, despite these efforts, the online sale of firearms continues to persist as a significant problem. Disturbingly, between April and June 2020 alone, Facebook had to remove a staggering 1.3 million pieces of content related to firearms from its platform. prgtoken One of the primary challenges we face is that sellers are employing new tactics to circumvent online sales restrictions for firearms. They resort to posting listings for firearms under deceptive names such as ``stickers'' to evade detection. prgtoken I am proud to once again introduce legislation that addresses this issue head-on. My Stopping the Fraudulent Sales of Firearms Act aims to establish a Federal crime for the sale of firearms online through fraudulent representations. Specifically, it targets the deceptive marketing of firearms as seemingly innocuous items like ``stickers.'' These practices undermine the safety and security of our communities and must be met with swift and robust consequences. s Senators Booker, Blumenthal, and Menendez for joining me in this effort. prgtoken We must act decisively to address the persistent problem of uncontrolled online firearms sales and ensure that our laws keep pace with evolving practices. By passing this legislation, we can demonstrate our commitment to protecting the public and preventing firearms from falling into the wrong hands. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and join me in safeguarding our communities from the dangers posed by deceptive online firearm sales.
SUPPORTING THE UAW
Morgan McGarvey (Democrat, KY) \u2014 2023-9-13

I rise today in solidarity with the United Auto Workers. prgtoken Louisville, Kentucky, is a Ford town. Since 1969, we have been making Ford trucks. Every Ford Escape, Ford F-250, F-350, and F-450 is made in Louisville, Kentucky, with union labor from our brothers and sisters in Local 862, providing solid, middle-class jobs and a good life for so many Louisville families. prgtoken We make Ford trucks, and we are proud of Ford's success. Ford made billions in profits last year, and Local 862 was responsible for 54 percent of Ford's North American profits. prgtoken That is more than enough to go around and make sure every worker earns a good wage, has good benefits, and operates in a safe working environment. prgtoken We must have a fair contract for the men and women of Local 862 and the UAW. It is real simple: The people who build Fords should be able to buy Fords. prgtoken I am proud that Louisville is a union town with a thriving middle class built on union labor. Let's keep it that way because when our workers win, we all win.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE 117TH CONGRESS
Darren Soto (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2023-9-13

I thank the gentleman from Maryland for this great opportunity. prgtoken Last Congress was the most productive in over 50 years. With the leadership of President and in the House and Senate, and with the help of some moderate s, we were able to pass landmark legislation, the core of which in our economic agenda was the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which had a bipartisan vote; the CHIPS Act, also a bipartisan vote; and the Inflation Reduction Act. prgtoken I am honored to serve on the Regional Leadership Council as we talk about investing in America. This is about progress, and I am honored to represent on that council both my home State of Florida and Georgia. prgtoken In Florida, we are slated for up to $50 billion in infrastructure improvements. It means roads and bridges in places like I-4 in central Florida, which has been mired in traffic for years because of our great growth. It means a new airport tower in Tampa that Representative Castro worked on for their growing city. Across the State, we literally quadrupled the budget for ports in Florida because of these efforts. prgtoken I got to visit Cape Canaveral and see the work they are doing there in the top cruise line destination port in the world, the expansions there. prgtoken In south Florida, water projects to help with clean water as well as ports have also been huge, and we see these types of expansions at our airports, like Orlando International Airport with a new Terminal C and expansions there. prgtoken We have seen hundreds of thousands of jobs created in Florida because of these infrastructure projects. We are seeing local ironworkers, electrical workers, and local operating engineers working on these major projects as central Floridians are gathering together as well as Floridians from across the State. prgtoken A surprising fact: Florida had more lead pipes than any other State. That was a big surprise. Now, we have funding coming in to help out everything from schoolkids to seniors who live in mobile home developments. prgtoken We are also seeing a huge amount of work around the Inflation Reduction Act. Georgia is cleaning up right now in making electric vehicles, electric batteries, and even recycling EV batteries, with both Hyundai and Rivian joining in those areas. prgtoken In fact, when we were in our Energy and Commerce Committee, we had gentlemen from Georgia who had to change their tune on the very bill attacking EVs that was being discussed prgtoken because there are so many jobs coming into Georgia to help out. prgtoken Of course, the Chips and Science Act coupled with these other bills are doubling the amount of manufacturing, construction, and investment in our Nation. We are the envy of the world right now in the manufacturing that we have going on. prgtoken In our own State, we focus on aerospace chips, chips to help out with satellites and rockets and with the harsh conditions of space and aeros
RECOGNIZING JACK AND JILL OF AMERICA, OAKLAND COUNTY
Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2023-9-13

I am, as you know, a proud mother and a proud founder of the Congressional Mamas' Caucus. prgtoken When we passed the American Rescue Plan, I was proud to have included a Federal investment for childcare; keeping childcare providers open and ensuring working parents could access childcare when they needed to go back to work. prgtoken The American Rescue Plan included $24 billion in funding for childcare stabilization, $15 billion alone for childcare programs for low-income families, and so much more. prgtoken This Federal funding was critical in enabling providers to pay personnel costs and keep programs afloat. prgtoken These critical funds are already running out in many States and are set to expire at the end of this month. Without immediate action here in Congress to invest in childcare, there will be dire consequences for working families. prgtoken It is estimated, , that we will lose 3.2 million slots. That is 3.2 prgtoken million less children that will be able to have childcare nationwide, and it also includes 56 children in Michigan alone. prgtoken As the founder of the Congressional Mamas' Caucus, we are fighting, many of us Members, for fair and equitable access to childcare, paid leave, benefits for our care workers, and so much more. We must come together, , to find solutions to address this childcare crisis. prgtoken To all my colleagues, please realize that childcare isn't a luxury. It is a necessity for working families. Childcare is essential, and the Federal Government must renew this critical funding.