mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT--Continued
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-8-5

I rise today to discuss the mammoth $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill before the Senate. prgtoken On Sunday night, we finally got to see the 2,700-page infrastructure bill that we will be voting on sometime tomorrow or Saturday. And what we saw is that want to give billions of dollars to unelected bureaucrats in the administration to spend however they please. prgtoken This bill spends $21.5 billion to create a new office at the Department of Energy called the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, which would give President 's Secretary of Energy the power to use taxpayer dollars to invest in whatever green energy initiative she likes. Reminiscent of Solyndra, we can have the same bankruptcies at taxpayer expense. prgtoken This bill spends $24 billion in taxpayer dollars to preserve the water in the San Francisco Bay, and the Long Island Sound would receive $106 million in taxpayer dollars. prgtoken As the New York Times reported, ``Climate resiliency programs would receive their largest burst of government spending ever'' from this bill. prgtoken And the Wall Street Journal rightly called it ``a major down payment on President 's Green New Deal.'' That is exactly what this bill is. prgtoken Furthermore, this bill institutes a new tax on 42 chemicals that will raise prices for everyday consumers. Texans will bear the brunt of these high prices because 40 percent of the manufacturing plants that this new tax will hit are in Texas alone. prgtoken But this tax will also hurt Louisiana and Michigan and Pennsylvania and Ohio and other manufacturing States. prgtoken Indeed, this provision will also likely make many of the raw materials used in infrastructure projects more expensive. prgtoken I filed an amendment that would strike this harmful provision. Not only will manufacturing plants in Texas be hurt by this new tax, but for some of these plants, the new taxes will exceed profit margins, leading to plant closings and more and more manufacturing moving to China. prgtoken In effect, the loss of these plants would result in lower tax revenue to the Federal Government, not more. Imports would rise, U.S. exports would fall, and production in the United States would fall as well. prgtoken Ironically, this infrastructure bill also tries to grow more critical minerals manufacturing and personal protective equipment, or PPE, manufacturing in America. But it places a brandnew tax on both of these things. prgtoken PPE is made with many of the 42 chemicals this infrastructure bill now wants to tax, and four of these chemicals are on the administration's own critical minerals list. prgtoken The old saying was: If it moves, tax it, and if it stops moving, subsidize it. Well, this bill taxes the things that we are trying to get moving in the first place. prgtoken This bill is also a liberal spending wish list. The fact of the matter is, this bill spends too much money, and it is not paid for
REMEMBERING ALLEN THOMAS NOBLE
Mike Crapo (Republican, ID) \u2014 2021-8-5

along with my colleagues Senator Jim Risch, Representative Mike Simpson, and Representative Russ Fulcher, I honor Allen Thomas Noble, a stalwart of the city of Boise and a great Idahoan. prgtoken Allen Noble was a visionary, who loved our country. He was a native Idahoan, born in Idaho Falls. He graduated from Kuna High School and started out in farming in the Happy Valley of Idaho. Allen married Vera May Shulz, of Kuna, and they had five children: Susan, Linda, June, David, and Mark. As his obituary reads, ``He loved farm equipment and in 1958 bought an interest in Nampa International Harvester and moved his family to Nampa.'' Allen's deep love for farming was evident in his agricultural advancements, including his development of ``high lift pumping'' that advanced farm irrigation capabilities in the Dry Lake area and later near Glenns Ferry. In 1965, Allen married Billie Dee Jolley Johnson and added prgtoken four more children to the family: Linda Sue, Cindee Lou, Kate, and Rusty. He later expanded into John Deere dealerships, as Campbell Tractor Co and extended his appreciation for aviation into agricultural spraying and Idaho Helicopters, Inc.'s firefighting and air medical operations. His helicopter operations have served as the primary life flight service in the Pacific Northwest, saving countless lives. This service has been instrumental in serving Idaho's backcountry and moving patients quickly from accidents to medical care. prgtoken In addition to his success and advancements in agriculture, Allen gave generously of his time, talents, and resources to many organizations and efforts in the community. He was a longtime supporter of Boise State football, and he contributed for decades to the Boise State athletic department. This included backing the expansion of Albertsons Stadium and helping to establish the Allen Noble Hall of Fame Gallery, named in his honor. He served on the Bronco Athletic Association Board of Directors and earned the Bronze Bronco Award. He also served on the board of directors for the Idaho First National Bank. Additionally, he was an initial outside investor in Micron Technology and served on its board of directors, playing a key role in the start and growth of the company. prgtoken Allen's light shined brightly over the 92 years we were blessed to have him as part of our world. He has been fittingly described as a great man who had an innovative mind, a passion for progress, and a pioneering spirit with the drive and determination to accomplish anything he put his mind to. He was also warmhearted and giving, and his encouragement and support touched many lives over the years. prgtoken He is remembered as a loyal friend who was open and generous with his life. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his many friends and loved ones, including his siblings, children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren. Multiple lifetimes may not have been long enough for all
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-8-5

since last March, State and local governments have received about a half trillion dollars in Federal funding to bolster their fight against COVID-19. Leaders in my State have used this funding to cover the mounting costs of expenses at the start of the pandemic. It enabled them to stand up testing, increase bed space for ICUs and hospitals, and provide grants to small businesses without the fear of cutting other critical services. prgtoken As time has gone on, the battle against this virus has shifted, and so have the needs of my State and our local communities. Many simply don't have the continued need or even opportunity under the guardrails Congress imposed to spend this money within the set timeline. prgtoken That is especially true in some of the rural parts of my State or places where COVID numbers are, thankfully, low. Qualifying pandemic- related expenses are few and far between in some of those places, as strange as that may sound here in Washington, DC. prgtoken I have heard from State and local leaders who are frustrated by the strict rules on the funding. They have needs, but somehow the limitations that Congress has put on their access to the money are stifling their ability to deal with priorities that they have at the local level. prgtoken They are able to use these dollars on some of the tough financial dealings of the pandemic, but not all. One of the greatest needs they have is to deal with infrastructure. When folks hunkered down at home to stop the spread of COVID-19, State and local transportation budgets took a big hit. As a result, many infrastructure projects ended up on the chopping block. prgtoken In 2020, States and cities across the country delayed or canceled transportation improvement projects totaling about $12 billion. Many of these projects are still in limbo. Without sufficient funding, there is no timeline when that planned construction might actually begin. prgtoken For months now, there has been a clear need to bridge the gap. Back in March, nearly three dozen organizations wrote to Treasury Secretary Yellen urging her to make transportation infrastructure an eligible expense. They said the pandemic had impacted every State and community differently, and they wanted and asked for flexibility. They said that flexibility will be critical to ensuring funds are used expeditiously and with maximum impact. prgtoken I have gotten the same sort of requests from the people I represent in Texas, so I drafted an amendment to this legislation to provide that flexibility. Thankfully, I found a partner in Senator Alex Padilla of California, and our bipartisan amendment, which will, I believe, when we vote on it, receive broad bipartisan support. I am hopeful we can vote on that amendment sometime later today. prgtoken This amendment puts decision-making power at the local level and gives these leaders more flexibility to invest in the most critical projects for their communi
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Todd Young (Republican, IN) \u2014 2021-8-5

when I first ran for Congress in 2010, then-Vice President was on a ``recovery summer'' tour. You see, on the heels of a trillion-dollar stimulus package, he argued millions of jobs would magically appear. prgtoken Happy days are here again. prgtoken When that summer ended, the unemployment rate was 9.4 percent, and 280,000 jobs vanished. If ever there was a show that did not deserve a sequel, this was it. But that is exactly what the American people are living through right now. prgtoken When they passed their $1.9 trillion ``son of stimulus'' package earlier this year, the President and his friends in Congress promised millions of jobs and another summer of recovery. Like the original, this sequel is a flop. That is because, once again, our friends across the aisle are confusing taxpayer priorities with a liberal wish list. prgtoken I see at home the cost of living is rising for Hoosier families and job creators. You take a trip to my hometown grocery in Greenwood, IN, the cost of steak and chicken and bread have all increased. Across the board, the cost of putting food on the table has gone up over 5 percent since last year. prgtoken It is not just groceries. The cost of gas and energy and housing and household goods are at historic highs, all while America endures a nationwide crime wave and our borders are overrun. prgtoken Now, I know my ic colleagues don't want to use the I-word, but let's call it what it is: Inflation. Taxation without legislation. And inflation is at its highest level since 2008. prgtoken We know they want to raise taxes on Americans, including those in the middle class, but this is probably not what had in mind. prgtoken But the President, evidently, he is not worried. He says the rising cost of living is only temporary. It is transitory. prgtoken Look, this is easy for him to say. His pocketbook isn't impacted by inflation. He isn't buying groceries at the local grocery store or a new fridge for the White House. He is not gassing up the Presidential limousine. Maybe that explains why he is urging Congress to spend another $3.5 trillion taxpayer dollars--$10 billion here for environmental justice, $174 billion there for electric cars, a massive expansion of Medicare and Medicaid, and trillions more in taxes on American families as we emerge from a global pandemic. prgtoken Trust me, I can tell you, Hoosiers don't want any of that, nor do the majority of the American people: no more trillion-dollar tax-and-spend rescue plans. They aren't rescuing Americans; they are raising their cost of living. prgtoken Don't take it from me. Take it from Larry Summers, President 's economic adviser. He is warning President about inflation--has been for a number of months. In fact, he described recent fiscal macroeconomic policy, including the last round of nearly $2 trillion in stimulus as ``the least responsible fiscal macroeconomic policy we've had in the
THE NATIONAL DEBT
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-8-5

the Senate is considering an infrastructure bill, and I am glad we are. For too long, Americans have been compelled to send their tax dollars overseas to improve the infrastructure of other countries. I have been fighting, for several years, to invest in infrastructure here at home, which is why I find it frustrating that the very people who celebrate this package today actually opposed my efforts in the past. prgtoken We have a short memory here in the Senate. Only 2 years ago, I offered my Penny Plan for Infrastructure for a vote. My plan would have invested nearly $40 billion in infrastructure over those 2 years. In those 2 years, nearly 20,000 miles of roads could have been resurfaced. Instead, those investments weren't made and 2 additional years of wear and tear passed by. prgtoken The parade of Senators coming to the floor and expounding upon the urgency of this package is nothing less than shocking, particularly when those same Members voted against 20,000 miles of resurfaced roads only a short time ago. prgtoken The Penny Plan was not my only effort to invest in infrastructure. Six years ago, I worked on a bipartisan package that would have made $ 130 billion available for infrastructure. Had my plan been enacted into law, Americans would now be driving on 130 thousand miles of new roads. prgtoken So, why for more than 5 years have my infrastructure proposals been stifled? For only one reason: each of my proposals were paid for. prgtoken And if there is only one thing Congress always agrees on: never pay for any new spending. Ever. prgtoken Proponents of this bill claim it is paid for. And by using budgetary gimmicks, they hope they will erect enough smoke and mirrors to obscure this bill's enormous price tag. But this $1.2 trillion bill is not paid for. And, perhaps the most alarming part of the cost, is the authors of this bill know it is not paid for. And we know that because they wrote the bill so as to exempt it from rules that require the bill be paid for. prgtoken You see, Congress passed a law back in 2010 mandating that new spending has to be paid for. That law is called statutory pay-go, or pay as you go. And if Congress can't help itself and refuses to offset the cost of new spending, pay-go is enforced by an automatic cut to spending elsewhere. prgtoken But Congress rarely adheres to its own rules. Instead, Congress waived pay-go more than 60 times over the past decade and added over $10 trillion to our debt. prgtoken This time is no different. This bill, which its proponents say is paid for, also carries a provision that says pay-go won't apply to it. prgtoken The only way to ensure Congress adheres to pay-go is through a point of order. If this bill is actually paid for, then you should have no trouble supporting the point of order. But if you vote to waive the point of order, if you vote to exempt Congress from its own rule requiring that we be good stewards of taxpayer dollars
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Patrick J. Toomey (Republican, PA) \u2014 2021-8-5

. Reclaiming my time. prgtoken I want to thank my colleague from Oregon for his thoughtful leadership on this. prgtoken from Wyoming. Senator Lummis, is on her way down. She is going to join us, as she has been an integral part of this effort to just correct this. prgtoken This is a big deal in a number of respects. I would point out--I want to stress, right now there is no statutory reporting requirement in this whole space. There is no regulatory requirement. I don't think you could have a regulatory requirement without a statute authorizing it. prgtoken So this is a big deal. It would require the companies operating these exchanges to report this financial information so that it dramatically enhances the likelihood that capital gains taxes would be collected. This provision scores as a source of revenue because it increases the likelihood of compliance. prgtoken I don't know why anyone would object. I am not aware of any objection of the substance of this on my side of the aisle. I know Senator Wyden has like-minded folks on his side of the aisle. prgtoken It is really important that we not overreach, that we not do this wrong. We have not gone through the ordinary process for developing tax legislation. Tax legislation is notoriously complicated and difficult to get exactly right and prone to unintended consequences. prgtoken Normally, we have hearings in the Finance Committee. We get input from all kinds of experts. We make drafts. We circuit the drafts. It is a long process to make sure you get it right. This has gone through none of that, zero. prgtoken What we are trying to do is say let's restrict this to where it belongs, let's clean this up the best we can. prgtoken You know what? prgtoken This space is changing. A year from now, there will be new innovations we haven't thought of, that probably nobody has thought of, and we will probably have to go back and revisit this. What we wouldn't want to do--shouldn't want to do--is have an overly broad mandate, a reporting requirement on people who can't possibly comply with it because they don't have the information. We wouldn't want to impose that and have a stifling impact on the development of a really, really exciting and potentially powerful new technology. That is what this is about. prgtoken As I said earlier, I am going to insist on having a vote on this. I don't know why we wouldn't win by a big margin since, after all, we are just ensuring that we get the intent of this legislation rather than a miscarriage of it. prgtoken As the Senator from Oregon pointed out, Senator Portman from Ohio, who has worked so long and so hard on this infrastructure bill, supports us getting a vote on this. He supports the amendment that we have drafted. prgtoken I am hopeful that this is going to pass. I will be insistent that we get our vote. That is something we ought to do. prgtoken . prgtoken .
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT--Continued
Roger F. Wicker (Republican, MS) \u2014 2021-8-5

. Senator Shaheen, the Portman-Sinema substitute provides in title 1 of the division on broadband that ``[n]othing in this title may be prgtoken construed to authorize the Assistant Secretary or the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to regulate the rates charged for broadband service.'' prgtoken It is my understanding that an agreement was made among the bipartisan group that no rate regulation of broadband services would be authorized or permitted by NTIA or the Assistant Secretary who leads the NTIA, as part of the State broadband grants program. prgtoken Is it the Senator's understanding that the language I just quoted accomplishes that goal?
HONORING MR. DALE NASH UPON HIS RETIREMENT
Elaine G. Luria (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2021-8-6

. Madam , I rise to celebrate the career of Mr. Dale K. Nash, who is retiring on August 1 after serving as CEO and Executive Director of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, or ``Virginia Space,'' since 2012. prgtoken During Mr. Nash's tenure as CEO, Virginia Space, which owns and operates the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, MARS, at Wallops Island, Virginia, has grown to include a state-of-the-art payload processing facility and a purpose-built UAS runway. Under Nash, Virginia Space has also produced three launch pads that support cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station and Lunar science missions for NASA, as well as national security payload processing and launch services for the Department of Defense. Most recently, Mr. Nash was instrumental in attracting Rocket Lab USA to base its U.S. operations from MARS, which will accelerate the expansion and promotion of the commercial and government aerospace industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. prgtoken Mr. Nash's time at the helm of Virginia Space is the culmination of a 38-year-long career in the space industry that includes other prominent positions. Prior to his role with Virginia Space, Mr. Nash served as CEO of Alaska Aerospace and its Kodiak Launch Complex. He also held senior management positions on the Space Shuttle program and Orion program development with the United Space Alliance, Lockheed and Thiokol Corp. prgtoken I hope my colleagues will join me in celebrating Mr. Nash upon the culmination of his impactful career. I am thankful for his dedication and service to our country's space program, and I wish him and his family the best of luck and much happiness in retirement.
TRIBUTE TO MELVIN BORTON
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2021-8-6

. Madam , I rise today to remember the life and accomplishments of Melvin Borton. Mel passed from this life on July 16 at the age of 94, having dedicated six decades to the betterment of farmers in Ohio and across this Nation through his skilled leadership with the Ohio Farmers Union and National Farmers Union. prgtoken Mel's passion for agriculture began at an early age. He grew up on a family farm, where he helped his brother cultivate everything from tomatoes to wheat. In 1948, four years after his graduation from Chesterfield High School, Mel began a fanning operation of his own and joined the Farmers Union. prgtoken By the end of the 1960's, Mel pursued a new endeavor: lifting up the voices of his fellow farmers as a National Farmers Union leader. He served as both a regional director and the national director of organization and field services for the National Farmers Union before returning to Ohio to serve as the Ohio Farm Union's director of marketing. prgtoken After nearly two decades of service to the Ohio Farm Union, Mel Borton served as the state committee Chairman of the United States Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency. In this role, he advocated for farmers enrolled in federal farm programs. prgtoken Without his efforts, the National Farmers Union and Ohio Farm Union wouldn't be what they are today. In 2013, Mr. Borton's tremendous efforts were recognized by the National Farmers Union as they awarded him its Meritorious Service Award--the top award bestowed by the organization--for his contributions to agriculture, humanity, and the union. prgtoken Despite his numerous accolades and accomplishments, Mel Borton was a humble and soft-spoken gentleman. Ungregarious by nature, he cared most about looking out for the most vulnerable among us, recognizing that our communities are only as strong as their weakest link. His vigilance, perseverance, and compassion were palpable during our frequent visits. prgtoken Everyone who had the pleasure and privilege of knowing Mel Borton knew that he, above all else, was utterly passionate about agriculture and the plight of small farmers. He made sure others were taken care of before himself and lived a life a true service. prgtoken Melvin Borton's legacy will live on forever through those that he touched throughout his life. The great state of Ohio and our Nation are better because of his contributions. To his wife, Linda, his family and friends, we offer our deepest condolences as they mourn the loss of this treasure of a man.