mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
STRATEGIC PRODUCTION RESPONSE ACT
Sydney Kamlager-Dove (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-1-27

. Mr. Chair, today, I rise in opposition to H.R. 21. prgtoken Once again, s are selling out the American people to their Big Oil friends. Oil companies are not even using the thousands of permits to drill on public lands that they currently hold, and s want to add another 300 million acres to this oil carnage. prgtoken Big Oil rakes in record profits while poisoning the Earth and anyone who lives and works near their oil fields. prgtoken The Inglewood Oil Field is in my district and has been toxifying the predominantly Black and Brown communities near it for decades. There is literally oil bubbling up through the sidewalks. prgtoken Back in April, more than 1,600 gallons of oil spilled from the field, spewing toxins into the air, and s want more of that everywhere. Not caring if people literally have clean air to breathe doesn't sound very pro-life to me. prgtoken This ``drill, baby, drill'' attitude isn't making the United States any safer or more economically competitive. It is killing Mother Earth and us. prgtoken H.R. 21 is derelict to the American people, and I urge my colleagues to protect what is left of our public lands and vote against H.R. 21.
RECOGNIZING NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH
Mary Gay Scanlon (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2023-1-27

as chair of the Congressional Youth Mentoring Caucus, I rise to recognize National Mentoring Month to celebrate the impact of youth mentoring and ask caring adults across the country to consider becoming mentors as our youth face the overwhelming challenges of our time. prgtoken One-third of young people in the United States don't have a meaningful connection with a responsible adult outside their homes, but such connections can have a powerful, positive impact on their economic mobility, mental health, violence prevention, and identity development. prgtoken I have been a youth mentor since college, and it is incredibly rewarding. I have been honored to participate in and celebrate the personal and professional growth of scores of young people. prgtoken This week, we welcome mentors from across the country to Capitol Hill, including visitors from the Philadelphia region who work with MENTOR and Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and we heard about the work they do to support young people in our communities every day. prgtoken , I urge all adults to consider how they can serve their communities and the next generation by becoming mentors through sports, career exploration, school, or faith-based programs.
Frank Pallone, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2023-1-27

. Mr. Chair, I know we are closing the debate now on the underlying bill, but I will say one more time, we have been at this 2 days now. We have had a lot of amendments. I certainly appreciate the fact that we have had an open rule and that Members on our side of the aisle have had an opportunity to present amendments and speak. A lot of our new Members have had that opportunity. prgtoken The bottom line, , is that this underlying bill makes no sense, and it is strictly a political message. It is going nowhere. The President has already said that he would veto it, and the Senate won't take it up. prgtoken The bottom line is that as what we are trying to do is address affordability issues for the American public in the context of gasoline prices. We knew as prices went up that we should use every tool in our arsenal to try to bring them down. That is what prgtoken President did. He decided to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to provide more supply and bring down prices. It succeeded in doing that. His actions did that. From the price in June at a high, it went down about $1.69 per gallon. prgtoken Why would the s want to deny the President--not just President , but any President--that opportunity? prgtoken We are just trying to address the concerns that the American people have. prgtoken We did it on drug prices by saying we are going to negotiate drug prices. prgtoken We did it on insulin by saying we wanted to cap it at $35 a month. prgtoken are constantly trying to address these affordability issues, many of which resulted from the COVID crisis. prgtoken The bottom line is, I don't understand why the s would suggest that the President not be able to do that. prgtoken They talk over and over again about how it is necessary to lease more public lands at a time when over half the leases that are out there are already not being used by the oil companies because the oil companies don't want more oil. They don't want more supply. They want to keep the price down. If there is more supply and more pumping of oil domestically or internationally, they lose those huge profits that they have made in the last few years. prgtoken Please, don't hamstring this administration. Let us use the reserve in part to try to bring prices down and let the President continue to have that option. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I would urge opposition to H.R. 21, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.'' prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR VICTIMS OF THE HALF MOON BAY SHOOTINGS
Anna G. Eshoo (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-1-27

I seek recognition to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in my congressional district in the community of Half Moon Bay on Monday of this week. prgtoken , seven lives, seven precious lives, farmworkers in a community that is as all-American as can be, about 11,000 people. It is a bucolic community on the magnificent California coastline. It is known for its pumpkin festival. It is known for its Mavericks competition in terms of surfers, but also, for over a century, it has been known for its flora culture and its agriculture. prgtoken It was on Monday that one individual went to a nursery--actually, where he worked. He knew exactly who he was pursuing. It was intentional. It was targeted. It was execution, and children witnessed this. Children witnessed it. prgtoken He left that site, drove about a mile and a half to Highway 1, which is the scenic highway with the magnificent Pacific Ocean on one side and the community on the other, to another nursery and murdered three others. prgtoken The first 3 weeks of this New Year: 39 mass shootings in the United States of America. We always come to the floor: Thoughts and prayers, thoughts and prayers. prgtoken My thoughts are, I don't think we are safe anywhere anymore-- churches, schools, community centers, now at nurseries where agricultural workers work, dance rooms, restaurants. prgtoken I believe sincerely, number one, in prayer. My prayer today is that there will be a collective examination of conscience in the Congress because we have a responsibility in this. We all do, regardless of party. prgtoken This is a matter of conscience. It is a moral issue. When the number one cause of death of children in our Nation is from gun violence, we have to stop and examine our conscience. prgtoken We say home of the brave, land of the free. My prayer today is that we will be the home of the safe. prgtoken These are whose lives were taken on Monday: Zhishen Liu, 73 years old; Aixiang Zhang, 74 years old; Qizhong Cheng, 66 years old; Jingzhi Lu, 64 years old; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50 years old; Yetao Bing, 43 years old; Jose Romero Perez, 38 years old. prgtoken God rest them.
RECOGNIZING HENRY LYKES
Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2023-1-27

today I want to recognize Henry Lykes, a resident of Inkster in Michigan's 12th District Strong, for his hard work on behalf of retirees across southeast Michigan. prgtoken For more than 30 years, Mr. Lykes was an employee of Wayne County, from which he retired in 2001. Moved to action by attacks on retiree benefits, Mr. Lykes kept busy in retirement. Henry founded and acted as President of AFSCME Wayne County Retirees Sub-Chapter #38 in October of 2004. He was formative in making Sub-Chapter #38 one of the largest and most active AFSCME Retirees sub-chapters. He led that group until October of 2017. He was part of a legal action that resulted in healthcare retirees receiving a deserved monthly stipend. prgtoken In 2017, Mr. Lykes was elected as the founding President of AFSCME Retirees Michigan Chapter 255. He served in that capacity through November of 2022. He also served as the Executive Vice President of the Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans. Mr. Lykes fought for worker and retiree benefits to ensure a good quality of life for families across Michigan. In each of these organizations he was active as a delegate on the County, State and International levels. As a founding officer in these organizations he worked on bylaws, rules and regulations. He was an integral part of each organization and helped to build their memberships. prgtoken Mr. Lykes is proud of his service as a precinct delegate in Inkster. He has attended many state conventions as a delegate and has been a Michigan delegate to the Presidential conventions. Mr. Lykes enjoys spending time with his family, including Barbara, his wife of more than 40 years, their children, 8 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. prgtoken Please join me in recognizing the numerous and remarkable contributions of Mr. Henry Lykes to southeast Michigan, and Michigan's 12th Congressional District.
STRATEGIC PRODUCTION RESPONSE ACT
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2023-1-27

. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act. s brought H.R. 21 to the House Floor today to prohibit the Department of Energy from releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) until it expands oil and gas drilling on federal lands by the same percentage that it releases oil from the SPR. prgtoken House s are once again doing the bidding of their Big Oil friends at Americans' expense, while threatening the President's ability to take timely action to lower prices for American consumers. When Putin invaded Ukraine and the oil prices soared worldwide, President acted quickly to release oil from the SPR helping to lower gas prices for American families by $1.69 per gallon since their peak. Restricting the federal government's best tool in the middle of a global energy crisis--with no benefit other than increasing the profits of the fossil fuel industry--is a disservice and will harm working families who will bear the brunt of this decision. prgtoken The fossil fuel industry is already sitting on approximately 9,000 approved but unused permits for drilling on public lands because they are more concerned with keeping supply artificially low so that prices can stay artificially high to line their own pockets. This legislation could result in giving the fossil fuel industry an additional over 30 million acres of public lands for new oil and gas drilling--that is over 5 times the size of Minnesota, and 8 times the amount of public lands and waters currently available for oil and gas development. prgtoken This bill will only make us more dependent on fossil fuels. The growing threat of climate change is real, and in order to protect our planet, we must reduce carbon emissions and embrace a sustainable energy future. Congress should use its power to invest in developing alternative energy sources and expanding federal incentives making them more affordable for American consumers.
HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
Chrissy Houlahan (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2023-1-27

I rise in remembrance of the Holocaust and the day that we mark to remember it. prgtoken This is a 1-minute speech--60 seconds. prgtoken Lucy Jampoler, Hanka Awin, Christine Winecki, and Andrew Christopher Alexander Jampoler. These are the names of the four people in my family who survived the Holocaust. prgtoken It took me 10 seconds to name them. If I stood here and named every Jew who died in the Holocaust, it would take me 140 days. I wish I had that time. prgtoken Sylvia Yoma Tarquine, Monica Yoma, Jason Karol Alexander Jampoler, and Christina Jampoler Houlahan--me. James Yoma, Molly Elise Houlahan, Carolyn Deane Houlahan, Lukasz Jampoler, Lilka Jampoler, and Harper James Yoma. These are the lives that now flourish here because my four family members served. prgtoken It would take me nearly 1 yearlong to name all of us if I could name everyone who has been produced as a result of the people who survived the Holocaust. prgtoken , let us take the time. Let us never forget. We must never forget.
Ted Lieu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-1-27

. Mr. Chair, this amendment would limit oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf if the leases would harm marine mammals. prgtoken Not only does the bill keep from lowering your gas prices, it also is going to harm marine mammals. I rise today to try to improve this terrible underlying bill. prgtoken What this would do is it would prevent harm to marine mammals if my amendment were adopted. Currently, House s are continuing their attacks on our public lands and public waters. prgtoken The U.S. is already the world's top producer of oil and gas, and the fossil fuel industry already has large portions of land that they are not using to drill. Of the over 26 million acres of public lands that fossil fuel companies control, half are unused. prgtoken As a co-chair of the California Coastal Caucus and a Member representing the beautiful Los Angeles County coastline, I know that my constituents and I want an end to all offshore oil drilling, not another expansion. prgtoken In October 2021, an estimated 126,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into our waters off the coast of Huntington Beach. This harmed our beaches, wildlife, and coastal communities. prgtoken Oil spills continue to be one of the greatest perpetual threats to our coastal communities and marine life. We simply cannot allow an expansion of offshore oil drilling. prgtoken We need to continue to build on the work of the 117th Congress to drive us toward true energy independence through renewable energies and new technologies. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I ask for adoption of my amendment, and .
SUPPORTING STRIKING WORKERS AT THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
Christopher R. Deluzio (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2023-1-27

I rise to recognize the striking workers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette who are more than 100 days into their unfair labor practice strike. prgtoken CWA and Teamsters members went on strike this fall. They were joined in solidarity by members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. Striking workers continue to keep the community informed through their strike publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress. prgtoken A healthy democracy requires a free press, and Western PA is no exception. We need strong, independent journalism. The destruction of small news outlets and consolidation in the industry are big problems for the freedom of the press in our country, including in Western Pennsylvania. prgtoken Owners at Block Communications recently acquired the Pittsburgh City Paper, a weekly focused on local issues. The News Guild-CWA has raised concerns about this acquisition and its impact on competition, workers, and journalistic independence. I share those concerns. prgtoken While I am glad that a judge found Block Communications broke the law in the Guild's NLRB case, the fight isn't over. I stand in solidarity with the striking workers in Western Pennsylvania and with workers across the country fighting for the dignity that we all deserve.
NOTAM IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2023
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2023-1-27

I rise in support of H.R. 346, the ``NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023'', which will be beneficial to the modernization of the safety, efficiency, and productivity of the future of aviation in the United States of America. Specifically, this bill aims to reinvigorate the current system of Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) by pinpointing failures within the existing standards. This will be achieved by: prgtoken Aligning the NOAM and aeronautical information systems under a single governing office with the authority to standardize and ensure compliance with FAA Orders and ICAO requirements. prgtoken Redesigning the current NOTAM information management system with single technology gateways for entering, processing, and retrieving all NOTAM data. prgtoken Creating a unified training and outreach strategy for federal and non-federal NOTAM users. prgtoken , as a member of the Committee on Homeland Security and the Budget, it is my pleasure to support and urge members to strongly consider H.R. 346. prgtoken This bill aims to modernize flight across all The United States of America and not only increase the safety of the existing system of Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) but maximize its efficacy. prgtoken , hundreds of flights were grounded Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at Houston airports and across the nation's airports, domestic and international which the Federal Aviation Authority reported as a nationwide outage that was felt across the country. prgtoken Millions of Americans were grounded away from their homes, families and loved ones. The cause of this devastating outage was attributed to a computer system glitch. prgtoken More than 21,000 flights in the U.S. were scheduled to take off on January 11, 2023, mostly domestic trips, and about 1,840 international flights expected to fly to the U.S according to aviation data firm Cirium. ``The FAA's infrastructure is a lot more than just brick and mortar.'' Investment in the agency is set to be addressed this year by Congress when the 5 year FAA Reauthorization Act signed in 2018 expires. Strong consideration for this bill should be thoughtfully considered. prgtoken Throughout the years we have lagged in advancing our aviation systems. The tragic events that transpired earlier this year could have been avoided, but ``Because of budgetary concerns and flexibility of budget, this tech refresh has been pushed off.'' prgtoken AOPA recently surveyed 30,000 members about improving Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs), and 77 percent of respondents said making Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) easier to understand was important while 46 percent said addressing the number of Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) was important. prgtoken Sources and tragic instances have continuously given us warning signs plus evidence that our NOTAM system is an example of aging infrastructure that is considerably due for an overhaul. prgtoken This bill firmly establishes the strategic steps towards harnes
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE IN PERPETUITY
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2023-1-27

today, I rise in opposition to H.R. 21. prgtoken A top U.S. security priority must be energy independence in perpetuity. prgtoken We know high oil prices hit working families hard. Last year, the administration rightly released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and oil prices dropped $1.69 a gallon in my area. prgtoken Unfortunately, the bill we had debated adds layers of bureaucracy-- four agencies and departments thick--limiting our progress to stabilize prices. prgtoken America must have an all-of-the-above energy profile. Here is yet another handout to Big Oil. It forces the leasing of additional lands to oil companies while vast amounts of current federally leased land sites are already going unused. prgtoken Leasing land is not the same as production. prgtoken H.R. 21 would hamstring our ability to protect people and companies from spiking gasoline prices. prgtoken I fought hard to save the Strategic Petroleum Reserve when others here tried to decommission it. American energy security means national independence. We should settle for no less.
Wiley Nickel (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2023-1-27

. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of amendment No. 77. prgtoken Listen, the American people have been hit so hard by inflation and the prgtoken rising cost of goods. In its current form, the Strategic Production Response Act deprives the Federal Government of one of the most important tools in its toolbox to fight inflation and to lower gas prices. prgtoken Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple. It would protect our ability to fight inflation by releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and would create an exception clause to ensure that the Secretary of Energy can draw down the reserve if a delay in drawdown would worsen inflation. prgtoken Releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a critical strategy that helped lower gas prices for American families. This bill, without my amendment, could hurt working Americans struggling so hard with rising prices. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to protect American families from rising gas prices and runaway inflation. prgtoken Lowering gas prices is not a political tactic; it is a question of survival for many Americans. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
STRATEGIC PRODUCTION RESPONSE ACT
Brad Sherman (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-1-27

. Mr. Chair, American gas prices are too high. The pressure is on this Congress to do something about it. President has done something about it by releasing oil at a strategic time from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and gas prices are down from their peak. prgtoken But Americans want more. They want real action, and instead, they get what is nothing more than a 2-day fraud on this House floor: a bill that would do absolutely nothing to reduce oil prices or gas prices. prgtoken Yet, by spending 2 days on the floor and by making this the bill of the week, we fool the American people into thinking that Congress is doing something. prgtoken Now, how utterly meaningless is this bill? prgtoken It would do nothing to increase oil production in the United States for it calls only for a plan to be created but not necessarily implemented. It implies that it would do something to increase oil production but not for well more than a year after the crisis began any spike in oil prices. Finally, even if more oil is produced in the United States, it will be exported and will lower the world price perhaps by a penny. prgtoken This is a messaging bill. Its message is to attack President , who is the only one who has actually done something to reduce oil prices. prgtoken So let's look at what this bill does. It calls for a plan. If the administration wants to give us a plan, then give us a plan. Washington is filled with plans. The American Petroleum Institute has a plan. Everybody has a plan. So we draft another plan. prgtoken What does that do? prgtoken Now, it forces the administration to write a plan about leasing more land for oil drilling. They are free to list parcels where everybody knows there is no oil and nobody wants to bid. If they don't want to do a plan, then that is the plan they will give us. prgtoken But let's say they give us the plan that the majority seems to want. They can write the plan, accompany it with a letter explaining that they think it won't reduce oil prices and that it is bad for the environment, and therefore they are not going to implement it. So now we have a plan that is similar to what they want and a letter saying why it won't be implemented. prgtoken This is what we offer the American people? prgtoken If we are going to have a bill that requires a plan, then we ought to adopt this amendment that offers the administration a chance to create a different kind of plan, a plan to prohibit or limit exports. prgtoken The illustration of how important this is can be seen just north of our border. Canada produces twice as much oil as they consume, and their consumers are paying $2 a gallon more than we are paying. So producing more oil inside your country doesn't seem to lower oil prices for those living to the north of the United States. prgtoken Why? prgtoken Because the oil is simply exported at the world price. Now, that guarantees--if we actually produced more oil in the United States and