mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING 100 YEARS OF SAN JACINTO GIRL SCOUTS
Sylvia R. Garcia (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2022-8-12

. Madam , I rise today to recognize 100 years of the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, in the 29th Texas Congressional District. prgtoken The Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council was founded in 1922 by Corinne Fonde and Frances Mann Law. This year, 2022, marks a full century of the council empowering girls across my district. The San Jacinto Council is a community-based organization and is one of the country's largest girl scout councils, with more than 35,000 girl members and 14,000 adult members. It serves 26 counties across Southwest Texas, including Houston and counties and aims to build girls of ``courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.'' prgtoken The Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council provides girls of all backgrounds the opportunity to explore the outdoors, STEM-based learning, entrepreneurship, and valuable life skill lessons. Through these girl scout programs, Texan girls of all ages establish strong relationships and abilities that they will carry with them beyond their girl scout years. Girls are encouraged to find their passions, tackle a wide range of challenges, and express themselves through various activities and programs. The council is also committed to diversity and inclusion, and works to engage in critical conversations with members about how to ensure inclusivity through Girl Scout values. prgtoken Madam , I ask that my colleagues join me in commending the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council for 100 years of service to girls across local Texas communities, and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Kathy Castor (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2022-8-12

. Madam , as chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and as a mom, I am proud to say the Inflation Reduction Act is a big climate deal. prgtoken This is the largest investment in clean energy and climate solutions ever in U.S. history, and it comes at a crucial time. prgtoken We must urgently slash climate pollution to avoid the worst impacts and to lower costs, create good-paying jobs, and build safer, more resilient communities. prgtoken Today, I am optimistic that America will lead the world in solving the climate crisis, and I thank the young people all across this country who pushed us to take this historic step. prgtoken The Inflation Reduction Act is also good news for Floridians, as will lower the costs of prescription drugs, empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices, institute a $2,000 cap, and much more. prgtoken It is a big deal for the 2.8 million Floridians who purchase high- quality health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. With these tax credits, those policies will be more affordable. prgtoken Yes, this is good news indeed, a true people over politics moment for all of our neighbors, their health, their pocketbooks, and the obligation we have to our kids to provide a livable planet. prgtoken I thank Pelosi for her vision for the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and I also thank Chairman Frank Pallone and my colleagues for their inspiring work. prgtoken Madam , I urge a ``yes'' vote.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 5376, BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Mary Gay Scanlon (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2022-8-12

the American people asked, and are delivering. prgtoken I am proud to join my colleagues in moving this historic effort to fight climate change, lower prescription drug prices, and reduce the deficit. prgtoken Every district in our country has felt the pain of inaction on the growing climate crisis, from forest fires in the West to unprecedented flooding in the Midwest and Northeast. prgtoken My district is no exception. Just this week, I visited the Brandywine River Museum of Art, home of Andrew Wyatt's masterpieces, which, 1 year ago, experienced devastating damage when extreme weather caused the nearby river to rise over 18 feet. prgtoken Yesterday, I toured the wetlands at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge to discuss measures to address the ever-more-frequent flooding being experienced in the nearby Eastwick neighborhood. prgtoken From one end of my district to another, my constituents are seeing the devastating impact of climate change every single day. Congress must deliver results for these people: legislation that makes a difference for hardworking Americans. prgtoken When my colleagues were in the majority, they used their control over this body to pass tax cuts for the wealthy and deny healthcare to millions of Americans. But have proven over and over they take seriously their job to deliver results for all of their constituents, and that is why we are here today. prgtoken Through tax incentives, grants, and loans, the Inflation Reduction Act will reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2030. This legislation will invest in our energy sector to promote innovation and renewable energy, and it will do this while supporting workers' unions and creating more than 9 million new jobs over the next decade. prgtoken The bill will also ensure that vulnerable communities like Eastwick, most likely to feel the impact of a climate crisis, will receive the tools and attention they deserve. prgtoken Beyond addressing climate, the bill will radically lower the cost of expensive prescription drugs, help 13 million Americans keep their health insurance, and empower the IRS to go after wealthy corporations and tax cheats. Notably, it will do all this while reducing the budget deficit. prgtoken , I am proud to support this legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2022-8-12

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Today will be the culmination of the meeting of promises that President made to the American people resulting in some 7 to 8 million more people voting for President than the incumbent President. prgtoken My colleagues, we have just heard from the leader of the party of: You are on your own. prgtoken The leader who just spoke voted against the American Rescue Plan that put money in the pockets of American families, put American children back to school, and resulted in our not wearing masks today by--with some exceptions--putting vaccine in arms. prgtoken The leader who just spoke voted ``no,'' as did every one of his colleagues. They said ``no'' to money to help families not fall through the cracks, to help them afford their groceries, to help them afford to pay their mortgage, and to send their kids to school. prgtoken They voted ``no'' to make sure those vaccines were in arms. prgtoken They voted ``no'' to help small businesses, restaurants, and others be lifted up. The party of: You are on your own, America. prgtoken And yes, when they came to office, what did they try to do in 2017? prgtoken Repeal healthcare support for the American people. prgtoken We are doing the opposite. We plead guilty. prgtoken The leader of the Party who just spoke voted ``no'' on the infrastructure bill to respond to building roads and bridges and to making sure they are maintained and safe; to respond to broadband to make sure that rural areas are connected, and with airports to make sure we had a grid that made us competitive. prgtoken The gentleman who just spoke voted ``no.'' prgtoken As far as the CHIPS bill, the gentleman talked about China. China was lobbying against the CHIPS bill. The minority leader voted ``no'' on the CHIPS bill, which was a bill to make America competitive and create hundreds of thousands of jobs. That was bipartisan in the House by a small degree and in the Senate, as well. But the minority leader voted ``no.'' prgtoken So I must say that I am not shocked that he is voting ``no'' on this bill, which is aimed at helping Americans with their healthcare, which is one of the greatest reasons for inflation. prgtoken I am not surprised that he mischaracterized the reaction on this side of the aisle when he said gas prices were high and haven't come down. In fact, in the last 40 days, they have come down 20 percent. prgtoken The gentleman is shaking his head, no, no, they haven't. I don't know where he is buying gas, but they have come down from $5 to $4, and in some cases less than $4. prgtoken Is that too high? prgtoken Yes, it is. prgtoken Should we be concerned about that? prgtoken Yes, we should be. prgtoken We passed two bills. One was a bill to make sure that we didn't have price gouging. No American wants to see price gouging. prgtoken The minority leader voted ``no'' on that bill. prgtoken We offered another bill that dealt with food and fuel prices
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Ron Kind (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2022-8-12

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , as a dear friend of Jackie Walorski, I share in the grief of her passing and her staff's passing. It is very tragic. prgtoken Madam , this Inflation Reduction Act is historic legislation. It puts people over politics by lowering families' kitchen-table costs from prescription drugs to their energy expenses, creates millions of good-paying jobs, delivers the most significant action to combat climate change when Mother Nature is screaming at us to take action today, and it substantially reduces the deficit by over $300 billion. prgtoken Now, on that last point, Madam , not once has a -led Congress brought a reconciliation bill to the floor that was paid for, let alone reduces the national deficit. prgtoken In fact, as an example, when they passed their prescription drug bill in 2004, not only did they not pay for it, not one nickel of it was offset. Over $400 billion, the largest expansion of entitlement funding since the creation of Social Security and Medicare, but there were no offsets. prgtoken When we passed the Affordable Care Act a little over 10 years ago, not only did we pay for it, but we also reduced the deficit. Just this week, it was announced that health uninsured rates is at an all-time historic low for our country, no less due to that Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Madam , they made that prescription drug bill even worse when they passed it by inserting language in it that specifically made it illegal for us to discuss prices or negotiate prices with the drug companies. This bill changes that today by allowing once and for all some price negotiation with the drug companies to deliver real relief for our seniors. prgtoken Madam , I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Scott H. Peters (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-8-12

today, we write a bold new chapter in our history by passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which will substantially lower the cost of living for San Diegans and all Americans. prgtoken We are turning our climate ambition into climate action by establishing a methane fee to reduce harmful emissions, creating a clean energy technology bank, and funding wildfire resiliency efforts and clean energy infrastructure. prgtoken Together, these investments will cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and create 1.5 million good-paying jobs. prgtoken This legislation is also the largest downpayment in deficit reduction since I have served in Congress. Importantly, the drug pricing reform framework I helped author will help seniors at the drug counter and protect private-sector innovation, and it has earned enough votes to pass the Senate. prgtoken The Inflation Reduction Act is a historic measure. After months of negotiations and hard work, let's finally get this done. Vote ``yes.''
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Mondaire Jones (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-8-12

I am so proud to be standing here today in this Chamber as we make history for the American people. prgtoken fought so hard for so long to get to this moment. Even when faced with what many described as insurmountable odds, we kept at it. We never gave up. We never relented in our advocacy. We said we wanted to get back to the negotiating table and that we wanted to start with climate. prgtoken Now, we will make the biggest climate investment this Nation has ever seen, while creating millions of good-paying jobs. The stakes of the climate crisis could not be higher, especially for low-income communities and communities of color around the country, who are always the hardest hit. prgtoken This legislation is also for my grandmother, Alice Jones, who worked well past the age of retirement just to pay for the high cost of prescription drugs and medical procedures not fully covered by Medicare, as we know. Today, we will also lower prescription drug prices for our seniors. prgtoken This is why I ran for Congress. This is government working for the people. This is delivering on our promises.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Kurt Schrader (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2022-8-12

. Madam , I rise today in complete support of H.R. 5376, the Inflation Reduction Act. prgtoken During my time in Congress, I have dedicated my service to improving our healthcare system and working to lower the cost of prescription drugs. I am ecstatic that the bill before us today includes my and Representative Peters drug price reduction framework that will finally rein in the cost of prescription drugs for our seniors and protect pharmaceutical innovation, contrary to what the other side will tell you. prgtoken The Medicare drug cost reductions will be transformative. The bill will allow Medicare to finally negotiate drug prices and the practice of raising prices in the Medicare program beyond the rising inflation and provide lasting financial relief to our most vulnerable seniors by establishing a $2,000 out-of-pocket maximum for spending on prescription drugs. prgtoken The prescription drug cost portions of this bill will also preserve scientific creativity and the innovation ecosystem that has been essential to the domestic job-preserving development of life changing and lifesaving treatments and cures. prgtoken And the close to $300 billion in deficit reduction from this portion of the bill will be huge for the overall viability of our troubled Medicare system going forward. This will be the biggest improvement to Medicare since the inception of part D almost 20 years ago. I am proud to have been a leading advocate to deliver relief on the high cost of prescription drugs. prgtoken Madam , s in both Chambers who worked with me directly to get this across the finish line.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Deborah K. Ross (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2022-8-12

. Madam , I rise to support the Inflation Reduction Act. prgtoken This bill is a monumental achievement that will move America forward, making important advances in everything from healthcare costs to energy prices to tax fairness. prgtoken Coming from North Carolina, a State battered with increasing regularity by catastrophic storms, I am especially proud that this act represents the most significant investment to combat climate change in U.S. history. prgtoken I am also pleased that this bill includes a measure that I have championed, which will end the prior moratorium on offshore wind. The administration basically banned North Carolina from taking advantage of industrial-scale offshore wind. Our utilities support it, it is good for our economy, and it is good for our environment. This is an important, game-changing bill.
HONORING PATRIC T. POWELL
Mike Thompson (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-8-12

. Madam , I am joined with Pelosi as we rise to honor Patric Powell and celebrate the 45th anniversary of his floral business, Bloomers. He is an inspiring leader in the community, creating both beauty and change through his work at Bloomers. prgtoken Born in St. Helena and eventually moving to San Francisco, Mr. Powell has always been passionate about flowers. His first job working after school was at a St. Helena flower shop, and when he moved, he continued to work in flower shops across San Francisco. In 1977, he established Bloomers. The small florist shop was originally located on Sacramento Street, eventually moving to its permanent location on Washington Street. Now, it occupies a pre-earthquake building constructed in 1900. Overtime, Bloomers has evolved to include ribbons, baskets, antiques, and even a gallery area for artists and authors to share their works. Bloomers is a beloved community asset and resource. prgtoken Under Mr. Powell's leadership, Bloomers has regularly contributed to a variety of local non-profit organizations. These past 45 years, Mr. Powell has demonstrated a remarkable dedication to serving his community. Beyond non-profit work, Bloomers is a full participant in multiple life cycle events, resulting in multiple generations of families becoming loyal patrons of the shop. prgtoken Bloomers' excellence goes beyond the customer experience. The staff are equally impressive. Their long tenures at the store exemplify this, with three employees serving for 30+ years, 2 for 20+ years, and 1 for 15+ years. This longevity is a testament to Mr. Powell's inspired leadership and the care with which the business is operated and managed. prgtoken In addition to being a successful business owner, Mr. Powell is a devoted husband to his wife, Mary, a proud father to his children, Blair and Alex, and loving grandfather to Zoe, Luke, Mathilda and Lucie. prgtoken Madam , Patric Powell works incredibly hard for the individuals and community he serves. He and his store, Bloomers, have been a remarkable part of San Francisco for over 45 years. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor him and his staff here today.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 5376, BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Conor Lamb (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2022-8-12

if you were in western Pennsylvania for the 2020 campaign season, you would have seen a lot of commercials about what s were going to do on the issue of energy and for energy workers and what were going to do. The contention was that s were going to make us energy dominant, that they were going to help all these workers and give them more job opportunities, and that the were going to take all that away. prgtoken So here today, we have a bill that is all about energy dominance and energy jobs. If you build pipelines, this bill is for you because of the increased money for carbon capture and hydrogen. prgtoken If you make the steel tube that goes into those pipelines, if you work at a nuclear power plant, or if you build things for the nuclear power plant, this bill is for all of you. It strengthens and widens our energy portfolio and gives us more options at a better price. prgtoken Yet, today's bill is not a bill. It is a ic bill. I wish it wasn't only a ic bill, but it will be because when it comes to the needs of these workers and the true need for our country to be energy secure, we are the ones doing the job.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Kim Schrier (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2022-8-12

. Madam , I am so excited to vote today for this climate and healthcare bill, and here is why: This bill is the answer to the questions that my constituents have been asking since day one. prgtoken Here is what I am hearing: prgtoken Dr. Schrier, you have diabetes, too. I can't afford my insulin. I am having to ration at the end of the month. Won't you do something about it? prgtoken Well, here is the answer: $35-a-month insulin. prgtoken Dr. Schrier, I am a senior. I have a fixed income. I can't afford these high drug prices. Why can't Medicare negotiate them? prgtoken Well, here is your answer: Medicare getting the power to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs. prgtoken Also: Dr. Schrier, I am a senior. There are too many out-of-pocket costs for me. prgtoken This caps them at $2,000. prgtoken And finally, right now, we have fires burning in Washington State. And I have farmers who have seen reduced crop yields because of extreme heat. prgtoken They say: Dr. Schrier, can't you do something about climate? prgtoken And here is the answer: The biggest investment in climate solutions that we have ever had. prgtoken This bill brings relief. It brings financial relief to families who are feeling the high inflation in gas prices. prgtoken And you know how it does it? By finally making sure that the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share of taxes, and it does it without raising tax on middle-class families. prgtoken Madam , I am so excited about this bill because it answers the requests of the people I represent, and that is why I am so excited to vote for it today.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 5376, BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Joe Neguse (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2022-8-12

I thank the chairman for yielding. prgtoken My colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk a big game about deficit reduction. They used the same parliamentary procedure, budget reconciliation, when they were in power and in control of this majority, and they blew a $2 trillion hole in the deficit. prgtoken House here today, putting people over politics, have put a bill on the floor that would reduce the deficit by billions of dollars. Apparently, that is not enough for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. prgtoken This bill will lower costs. It will create better-paying jobs for the American people, and it will invest in climate action and the existential threat of our time facing my constituents in Colorado. prgtoken Since 1982, Colorado has experienced natural disaster after natural disaster that has cost our State over $55 billion, including the most destructive fire in the history of my State just this past December. prgtoken It is time for us to take this climate crisis seriously. That is exactly what this bill does, through investments in R&D, through investments in energy storage and battery technology, and so much more to enable our transition to a clean energy future. prgtoken I am proud to support this bill because I believe it delivers for the American people I certainly urge my colleagues to support it, as well.
BUILD BACK BETTER ACT
Suzan K. DelBene (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2022-8-12

. Madam , Congresswoman Jackie Walorski was a friend, and I send my deepest condolences to her family and the families of Zackery Potts and Emma Thomson. prgtoken Madam , the Inflation Reduction Act is nothing less than historic and shows our constituents that governance can still work for them. prgtoken The bill extends the Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies that have saved 13 million Americans an average of $800 a year on health coverage. prgtoken It will enable the U.S. to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 through investments like my clean hydrogen provision and make it more affordable for families to purchase energy and cost-saving products like electric vehicles and solar panels. prgtoken These are provisions that the New Coalition and I have been calling for from the beginning. For our seniors, the bill will lower the costs of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices and will cap out-of-pocket drug spending at $2,000 annually. These are tangible benefits for Americans. prgtoken The legislation is fully paid for by ensuring corporations pay their fair share and providing the IRS with the resources it needs after decades of -driven budget cuts. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I remind my colleagues that there are 533,775 Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes in North Carolina, but the gentleman remains against this bill capping insulin costs and Medicare at $35 per month.