mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE LOCAL RESIDENT VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT ACT OF 2022
Lauren Boebert (Republican, CO) \u2014 2023-2-8

I wish to speak in response to some of the opposition that I have heard to this legislation. prgtoken First of all, we have heard about slave trade multiple times this evening. If we are concerned about slave trade, then let's secure the southern border because that is where the human trafficking is taking place. Millions of people are being trafficked, and women and children are being sexually assaulted and abused. Young girls are taking Plan B pills at the start of their journey because they anticipate being sexually assaulted on their journey. prgtoken If this is something that you are that concerned about, then let's work together to secure the southern border and stop the human trafficking and the slave trade that is happening there. prgtoken There is slavery that is taking place in China in the cobalt mines that these climate extremists are pushing. There is child enslaved labor there. That is where we are extracting our rare earth minerals, from China-owned mines in the Congo. So let's talk together about American energy. prgtoken You say that this is just for local elections. Are there two registries? How is that going to work if there are two registries? I don't think it is going to stop there because every time we give in and give an inch, well, they take 7 miles. prgtoken The gentleman on the other side of the aisle mentioned that in Colorado illegal aliens are voting. Well, illegal aliens are voting, but no State has actually allowed that since 1926 in America. There are loopholes that are allowing illegals to vote in our elections. This is election interference, allowing noncitizens to vote in our elections. prgtoken In fact, this is why the crime rate is up in Colorado. We are encouraging illegal aliens to come to Colorado. We are number one in the Nation for bank robberies, number one in the Nation for auto thefts, number two in the Nation for fentanyl poisoning. We have a Department of New Americans. If you go to the Colorado State website, it says, well, what is a new American? A new American is a Coloradan.
RECOGNIZING THE LIMA NOON OPTIMIST CLUB'S ANNUAL YOUTH APPRECIATION LUNCHEON
Jim Jordan (Republican, OH) \u2014 2023-2-8

I always appreciate the opportunity to share positive news about young people from Ohio's Fourth Congressional District. Today, I am pleased to commend to the House 12 high school students who are being honored for their outstanding leadership skills and volunteerism. prgtoken On Wednesday, the Noon Optimist Club of Lima will recognize Emma Core, Gabi Croft, Brady Shea, Lauren Cunningham, Elena Oliver, Grant Hardeman, McKenna Bader, Jordane Dues, Jacquelyne Lynch, Alora Patel, Ryan Kaverman, and Sabrina Heffner at its annual youth appreciation luncheon. These students were each nominated by their schools for being good role models for their peers. prgtoken I thank the Optimists for their efforts to celebrate the many achievements of these students and am proud to join in the accolades to them. They have my very best wishes for continued success in their lives in the years to come.
STATE OF THE UNION RESPONSE
Mark Alford (Republican, MO) \u2014 2023-2-8

. Madam , I rise today in response to the President's State of the Union Address. prgtoken While the state of the Union was the focus last night, today, I am more concerned about the state of the President. prgtoken Just hours ago, the President of the United States stood in this very room right behind me and told one of the greatest tales that I have seen in modern history, attempting to tout optimism, curbed inflation, and a secure nation. prgtoken However, this failing, flailing, incompetent chief executive ran from the fact that he welcomed more than 4 million illegal aliens into our sovereign Nation, he reversed our energy independence, he let the Chinese spy balloon float entirely over our Nation with impunity, flying over Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the B-2 Stealth bomber. prgtoken The state of our Union is strong. The state of our President is weak. prgtoken We don't need more yelling, . We need more healing in America. prgtoken Some 40 years ago, President Ronald Reagan said, It is time for us to reassert our trust in God. It is time for us to realize that we need Him more than He needs us. It is time to turn to God for the healing of America. Let's get about the business of healing America.
TERMINATING CDC REQUIREMENT FOR PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION FOR FOREIGN TRAVELERS
Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-2-8

. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman yielding. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 185, which will lift the CDC's burdensome mandates for international travelers into the United States. prgtoken Frankly, I can't believe the mandate is still here, but I talk to my constituents who have family that want to come to the United States, international travelers, and they can't come because they don't want to take the vaccine. That is their right. prgtoken We need to lift this Mr. Massie, for his leadership on this particular piece of legislation. prgtoken This past week, my colleagues and I on the Energy and Commerce Committee have held hearings and markups focused on competitiveness versus China, ensuring American companies lead the globe. prgtoken This morning, we also held a long-overdue Oversight Committee hearing with the CDC, and I challenged them to think of the impacts their mandates are having on the travel and tourism section. prgtoken The administration's onerous vaccine mandates for workers, citizens, and international travelers have been disastrous for our economy and have done very little to mitigate public health concerns, as my colleague stated. prgtoken s have made it clear: We are tired of mandates and overregulation. This legislation will remove these mandates so travel can resume into the country and so we can make our Nation competitive again on the international stage. prgtoken We have the Brand USA program that advertises our Nation's hidden treasures. They are everywhere, but the travel sector hasn't been able to be fully unleashed, thanks to the CDC. We know, historically, that the industry in my home State of Florida--but it is not just my home State--has accounted for more than $80 billion in revenue and 1\1/2\ million jobs annually. prgtoken Let's get our economy back on track. This makes so much sense, this particular bill. Let's remove this ridiculous mandate.
RESPONDING TO STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
George Santos (Republican, NY) \u2014 2023-2-8

I rise today in response to 's State of the Union Address. prgtoken As a reminder, I do not wish failure upon any sitting President. Whether it is a or , their success is our success, and when we wish for their failure, then the Nation fails. prgtoken We have had 2 years of one-party rule in the White House, in the Senate, and in the House. In those 2 very short years, we watched our thriving economy steer in the opposite direction. prgtoken American households cannot afford food and gas. Our wages are failing to keep up with inflation that continues to increase. prgtoken Since the President took office, we as a Nation watched the average gas price go from $2.39 to our current average of $3.45. However, on day one of 's Presidency, he killed the Keystone XL pipeline, which could have been supplying 830,000 barrels per day from Canada to U.S. refineries, and depleted our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its lowest level since 1984. prgtoken Another item that President failed to address was the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan. As a result, 13 brave servicemembers lost their lives, and the Taliban have now taken back control of Afghanistan.
PROTECTING THE SECOND AMENDMENT
Bob Good (Republican, VA) \u2014 2023-2-8

. Madam , the administration continues their all-out assault on the Second Amendment as evidenced by the President's call just last night in this very Chamber for banning weapons he finds objectionable. prgtoken Madam , believe that the government should decide your God-given constitutionally protected rights. Their new ATF rule published in the Federal Register further threatens the rights of law- abiding citizens. prgtoken It treats individuals who own pistols with stabilizing braces as if they possess illegal short-barrel rifles, and it forces them to surrender them to the Federal Government. If they don't surrender them, then they are retroactively declared criminals for what was then a lawful purchase, and they now face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. prgtoken This is just another example of the Washington-knows-best elites who are out-of-touch with everyday Americans. prgtoken So I introduced the PISTOL Act to block the ATF from redefining pistol braces as short-barreled rifles. My legislation provides a simple statutory definition of a pistol and would prevent the administration from improperly classifying pistol braces or regulating them by decree or fiat. prgtoken The Second Amendment is not subject to bureaucratic interpretation, and we have got to fight to protect the God-given and constitutionally protected rights of all Americans.
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Mike Collins (Republican, GA) \u2014 2023-2-8

for yielding. prgtoken I also want to thank my sister, Crystal, and my other sister, April, for being with me here today. prgtoken , last night, we heard President 's fairy tale version of the state of our union. prgtoken I will tell you, Americans know he just doesn't line up with what they are seeing and feeling out there. They know our economy is in shambles, and they also know that the only thing higher than food and energy prices out there right now are Chinese spy balloons. prgtoken Our border is in a mess, and the whole time, our government is over trying to secure Ukraine's border. prgtoken The bottom line is that our country is suffering under the weight of the administration's America-last policies and, unfortunately, last night, yeah, he is doubling down. He is doubling down on the failed agenda that brought us here. prgtoken The only answers that he offers are bigger government and more control over our lives. prgtoken I wish I could say I was surprised, but these are always the solutions offered by the other side of the aisle, the same ones that got us in this mess. prgtoken So let's set the record straight. prgtoken , reopening the economy after his party shut it down, that is not creating jobs. More taxes and regulations on small businesses will not promote growth. Bringing business back to America from overseas just to tax and regulate them will not return jobs to our shores. prgtoken More spending and debt, that definitely will not lower inflation. Telling Americans to kick back, put your feet up, depend on the government, wait on a check, and hope for a better life, doesn't empower them to reach their potential because, as we know, no successful person built a career or provided for their family by hanging around and waiting for the government to redistribute other people's income. prgtoken It is time to let Americans run with the ball by letting them keep more of their hard-earned money, getting government off their backs, paying down our national debt, and promoting self-reliance and personal responsibility again in this country.
TERMINATING CDC REQUIREMENT FOR PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION FOR FOREIGN TRAVELERS
Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (Republican, AR) \u2014 2023-2-8

. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank my friend and colleague from Kentucky for his leadership on this bill. prgtoken I just want to remind everyone here today that the year is 2023, it is not 2020, and yet, many of our COVID policies are still based on numbers from almost 3 years ago. prgtoken This vaccine requirement for international travelers is a prime example. Countries all around the world realize this and are rolling back their own border restrictions. prgtoken I also point out that this vaccine requirement is not part of the emergency declarations that are scheduled to end in May. prgtoken This means that vaccine requirements could still stay in effect for an indefinite period of time. Come May, it is possible we won't even have a public health emergency at all. prgtoken We won't have a national emergency, but our friends and family from, say, for example, Canada would still have to show proof of vaccination when flying in to visit their relatives. prgtoken We don't even require our own citizens to be vaccinated or show a negative test, so why would we do that and create a different standard for folks that are visiting? prgtoken This only causes confusion for Americans who are told one minute they are safe and don't have to fear COVID-19, and yet, we continue these pandemic requirements. prgtoken I am here today to tell the American people that despite the mixed messages emanating from the White House, I believe we are safe, and in the words of President , the pandemic is, in fact, over. prgtoken I am proud to cosponsor this commonsense bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 185.
TERMINATING CDC REQUIREMENT FOR PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION FOR FOREIGN TRAVELERS
John W. Rose (Republican, TN) \u2014 2023-2-8

. Mr. Chair, the balance of my time. prgtoken Mr. Chair, just a few days ago, we saw the People's Republic of China send a high-altitude surveillance balloon over our airspace spanning almost the entire continental United States. No one believes the government of China's ludicrous explanation that this was simply a weather balloon that inadvertently went off course. If the Chinese Government is willing to make such a bald-faced lie to the world, then how can we possibly trust the information they are releasing regarding the current COVID crisis in China? prgtoken The easy answer is: We can't. Because we can't trust the Chinese Government to be transparent and honest about the scope of their current COVID crisis, we must take appropriate precautions. Continuing to test travelers from China is essential to our national safety. A vote for this amendment is a vote in favor of holding China accountable and ensuring the safety of our Nation and its people. prgtoken In closing, I urge Members to vote ``yes'' on my amendment and the underlying bill, and .
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Ralph Norman (Republican, SC) \u2014 2023-2-8

. I thank the gentleman for hosting this all important subject, really, on our entire country and the state of it. prgtoken Last night, Americans tuned in to the State of the Union. The State of the Union is a very important address for the American people for a lot of different reasons. One, the history of it. prgtoken Since 1790, 233 years that the President has addressed a body that has all three branches of government, the executive branch, the House, the Supreme Court, the cabinet, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all were here last night. prgtoken Now, what is the purpose of the State of the Union? The State of the Union is where the leader of the free world gives a vision for America. They give their solutions to problems facing America. They give answers to questions that have been asked by the American people. prgtoken What we saw last night from President was a total embarrassment. What we saw last night was a President who was more eager to criticize this great Nation than he was to heal our wounds. prgtoken Here are my questions: Mr why did you not offer solutions to these problems? prgtoken Why did you not offer solutions to the invasion of our border to the tune of five million illegals that are crossing our border every day? prgtoken Why do you not believe that a nation is not a nation unless it has borders? prgtoken Mr why did you not address the drugs as a result of the invasion at the border, the drugs, fentanyl, primarily coming from China to Mexico, back into our Nation that are killing thousands of people, 100,000 last year? prgtoken Why do you not care about that? prgtoken Mr why did you not address our gas and oil problems? prgtoken Why did you shut the Keystone pipeline? prgtoken Why do you like foreign oil of OPEC nations, many who don't like us, example, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran? Why do you like their oil better than American oil? prgtoken , why did you not address our national debt? prgtoken Why did you not have solutions to what you are going to propose in a budget that you should have already produced that you have not done? prgtoken , why have you not addressed our crime problem? You cannot turn on any TV station without seeing the blue sirens, the deaths of many innocent people, the rampant crime that is up double digits in every city of America. Instead, you chose to criticize our great police force. prgtoken Why did you not address the problem that we are all having with the police shortages that exist in this very Capitol? prgtoken Why did you not address, , our national security threat from China? prgtoken Why did you not address the balloon that was allowed to go over our great country for 8 days? prgtoken Why did you shoot it over the Atlantic Ocean and not the Pacific? prgtoken Why did you not shoot it over Alaska? prgtoken Why did you not shoot it down or allow it to be shot down over Montana, which the worst that could have happened would
HONORING LeBRON JAMES
Emilia Strong Sykes (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2023-2-8

today, I rise to celebrate a philanthropist, a community activist, a constituent of Ohio's 13th Congressional District, the birthplace of champions, and the greatest basketball player of all time, LeBron James, but we know him as just a kid from Akron, the GOAT, or King James. prgtoken Yesterday, LeBron broke the NBA's scoring record previously set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,390 points. It was a feat that once seemed almost impossible for anyone except for LeBron, but James has become known for making the improbable part of his routine, including four NBA championships and numerous MVP titles. prgtoken , LeBron James has scored 38,390 points in his career, making history on the 38th day of the year of his 38th year of life with 38 points. prgtoken LeBron, we celebrate you and all of your accomplishments. You have, indeed, earned the title of greatest of all time and cemented Ohio's 13th Congressional District as the birthplace of champions. prgtoken From one kid from Akron to another, LeBron, we are proud of you.
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE LOCAL RESIDENT VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT ACT OF 2022
Jamie Raskin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2023-2-8

such time as I may consume just to respond to the gentleman before he goes, perhaps. prgtoken When I said that they were returning to their worst possible instincts, that was actually a bipartisan comment because in the old days it was , racist Dixiecrats on the House District Committee who lorded over the District of Columbia and denied the people of Washington their rights. They are returning us to those days where Congress will micromanage the affairs of Washington, D.C and not allow the people their own self-government. prgtoken He said you don't need to be a or a to understand the issue. It would actually help to know your Abraham Lincoln because, of course, Lincoln was a major defender of noncitizen voting to the extent you guys want to act like a super D.C. Council and get into the merits of it. prgtoken In fact, when he was elected, his Southern opponents said he was elected on the strength of the noncitizen vote in New York, as a matter of fact, and in Illinois and other States where they had so-called declarant alien suffrage, which means if you are on the pathway to citizenship you are allowed to vote, which is a policy that makes a lot of sense, but different jurisdictions have different policies according to home rule and self-government. prgtoken When Lincoln was here, his major legislative initiative, interestingly enough, was to abolish the slave traffic in the District of Columbia because he felt that freedom and democracy should obtain in the Nation's Capital. That is something that our colleagues should also think about in terms of defining an agenda of their party. I know they are careening from this issue to that issue, but if you are thinking about D.C think about what Abraham Lincoln did. prgtoken , I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE LOCAL RESIDENT VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT ACT OF 2022
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-2-8

I thank the ranking member and my colleague from Maryland for yielding. prgtoken It is so rich to hear the other side discuss the sacred right of voting, discuss what our veterans and our servicemembers fought for, and the sacred right of voting while defending and continuing to defend the disenfranchisement of American citizens in D.C. for their right to vote. prgtoken They don't believe in statehood. They don't believe in the actual enfranchisement and voting rights for D.C. residents who are U.S. citizens. prgtoken Yet, they have the audacity and the gall to not just continue in that position and claim they believe in the sacred right to vote while denying that right to vote to an overwhelmingly Black city, but then expanding their position--expanding their position--so that, in direct contradiction of their ``conservative'' values of small government and defending freedom, they have decided to expand the jurisdiction of this body to meddle into the business of D.C. residents. prgtoken The D.C. Council has the right to determine its policies for D.C. residents. If any Member of this body does not like that, they can feel free to change their registration, resign their post, and run for D.C. Council. prgtoken For those who are residents here of Washington, D.C they could have gone, as the ranking member stated, to any one of the many hearings on this issue. prgtoken I understand that there may be disagreement. I understand that s may not be happy with what the D.C. Council is doing, but when cities in Vermont pass the same provisions, when San Francisco, when nine Maryland cities brought up this provision, did the Party corral all of Congress and bring this issue down to the floor for a vote? prgtoken No, they did not. prgtoken They are singling out the residents of the District of Columbia and expanding in the history of disenfranchisement that goes all the way back to the legacy of slavery, and they are bringing it right here to this floor. Because why? They don't have any real bills to debate. We are not here to talk about healthcare; we are not here to talk about abortion; we are not here to talk about voting rights. We are here to talk about the expansion and the continued subjugation and disenfranchisement of the people of the District of Columbia. Let them govern themselves.