mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Border Security (Executive Calendar)
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2024-1-10

as we begin our new year, I rise to continue our discussion on one of the most pressing matters that has been so hard on our country. That is our open southern border and the responsibility for this Senate to take meaningful action. prgtoken Since this Chamber last was in session, each of us has traveled back to our respective States and has had the opportunity to talk with our constituents about what they are thinking and what they are seeing. Hands down, I can tell you that the crisis on our southern border is on the tip of everybody's tongue in terms of asking questions. It is the No. 1 issue for my State of West Virginia. Time and time again, across a multitude of conversations, West Virginians have asked me pretty logical questions: When will enough be enough? When will President finally wake up and realize that this is a crisis? What can Congress do to stop this? What are you--meaning me as a Member of the Senate--going to do about it? prgtoken They see the numbers in the news--we saw them all through December, the mass humanitarian costs broadcasted on our TV sets daily--and the destruction that the flow of illicit drugs is doing and causing in our communities. So I share their frustration, and I have voiced it many times here on the floor. The crisis of our southern border is a topic that I have addressed repeatedly. prgtoken The chronic failure of this President to act has led to the point where even my colleagues across the aisle--everyone--have begun to raise alarm as the consequences of the administration's bad border policy have become undeniable. prgtoken One of my colleagues referred to the border as ``porous.'' That is kind of a nice way of saying it is open and very, very easy to get through. I am not sure what finally led to this universal recognition, but I do have some ideas. It could have been the 2.4 million migrant encounters this past fiscal year--2.4 million. I live in a State of a little less than 1.8 million. My entire State came through that border, and more. Or the month after month of record illegal crossings with the largest month being just this past December of 302,000 encounters. That is this past December. Or the over 10,000 illegal encounters that we are experiencing daily, which is the size of many of the small towns in my State, with the record being 12,600, again, in December--12,600 crossings in December. Or the record 169 encounters with individuals on our Terror Watchlist just this past fiscal year, with an additional 30 encounters the first 2 months of fiscal year 2024. These are people whom we know have terrorist ties; whom we know could be a danger to us. Yet we are catching them as they are joining this brigade of millions coming across our southern border. prgtoken This is just an untenable national security crisis, one where we have no way of knowing how many terrorists have evaded apprehension and are now in the heartland of our country.
S.J. Res. 32 (Executive Calendar)
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2024-1-10

. Two minutes, two points, . prgtoken No. 1, imagine if you are a typical Louisiana middle-class family. Mom is making, let's say, $40,000 a year; Dad is making $40,000 a year. They have two children. You have a house note. You have a car note-- probably two car notes because both Mom and Dad have to get to work. You have to pay for health insurance. You have to eat. You try to save a little bit for retirement, and you try to save for your children's college education. But, basically, you are living on $80,000 a year for a family of four. prgtoken All of a sudden, prices start rising, as they have. Since President has been President, we have experienced 17-percent inflation. That is how much prices have gone up on average. What does that mean? We cite that number a lot. By the way, I know inflation is coming down and that is a very good thing and I am glad. I hope it stays down. But all that means is that prices are rising less quickly. It doesn't mean prices are dropping. prgtoken These high prices caused by the President's inflation are going to be permanent. They are. I wish I didn't have to report that. And as a result of omics and inflation, in my State, the average family making $80,000 a year is going to have to pay an extra $800 a month because of inflation. That is an extra $10,000 a year. You are on a fixed income of $80,000 and you have to find an extra $10,000. prgtoken That is happening right now to millions of Louisianians and millions of Americans. What are you going to do? Well, the first thing you are going to do is ask for a pay raise from your employer. And some of our employers have granted pay raises; and I thank them for that. But it is not how much of a pay raise you have been given that is relevant. What is relevant is how much of a pay raise you have been given vis-a-vis the inflation rate. That is why, when we look at wages, we talk about real wages. That is the amount that wages have gone up after accounting for inflation. prgtoken Well, here is what they look like. Since President has been President, this chart represents wages after inflation. We started up here. We are down here. They have been a little bit better lately. So most Americans who have gotten a pay raise after inflation, it doesn't count. It doesn't count. Pay raise doesn't work. It is great to have, but inflation eats it up and then some. prgtoken Well, OK. That family still has to find $10,000. What do you do? You are going to borrow the money. And that is what is happening. Credit card debt--buy now, pay later--and other types of loans. Don't just take my word for it. On the last numbers we have in the third quarter of this year, credit card spending was up 9 percent at Chase Bank. It was up 15 percent at Wells Fargo. It is not just putting more money on the card that is relevant; it is also paying down the amount on the card. prgtoken People are not only borrowing more on this credit c
RECOGNIZING KEVIN SELLERS
Beth Van Duyne (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-1-10

I rise today on behalf of a grateful Nation and the citizens of the Twenty-Fourth District of Texas, the 2023 Congressional Veteran Commendation is hereby presented to Kevin Sellers, Colonel, United States Air Force, of Grapevine, Texas for the honorable service he performed while in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and for his continued service to his community. prgtoken Mr. Sellers was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1995, serving as an acquisitions and material officer, with deployments to both Afghanistan and Iraq as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, respectively. His decorations include the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Award, the AF Outstanding Unit Award with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the National Defense Service Medal with one Service Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with one Service Star, the Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal, the Overseas Ribbon, the Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Longevity Service with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol), and the Air Force Training Ribbon. prgtoken The selflessness Mr. Sellers demonstrated in the U.S. Air Force continues with his service to his community. He currently serves as a Tarrant County Precinct Chair, the Service Officer for the Grapevine Rotary Club as well as a member of its Foundation Board, and the Commander of the Airport Cities Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 10454 in Grapevine. prgtoken Mr. Sellers' service is consistent with the finest traditions of the United States Air Force and reflects great credit upon himself, the State of Texas, and the United States of America.
POLICY SOLUTIONS TO THE BORDER CRISIS
Blake D. Moore (Republican, UT) \u2014 2024-1-10

I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for his remarks. prgtoken , I echo the gentleman's sentiments, and I will continue to speak on it today. The solutions at the border are simple. We have got actual data that can just be reimplemented and we can get rid of the politics involved and just do something right by our Nation. We look forward to an opportunity to leverage this moment to get this border policy through. The things in H.R. 2 make absolute sense. prgtoken I am looking forward now to the remarks of my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce).
Border Security (Executive Calendar)
Jerry Moran (Republican, KS) \u2014 2024-1-10

I rise today to continue the conversation that I have just appreciated hearing from my colleague from Texas, Senator Cornyn. prgtoken I am once again on the floor to call attention to and express my great concern for the continuing humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border. prgtoken Since President took office, we have seen the largest year-to- year increase in migrants crossing our southwest border. Congress has provided resources for physical security, for walls and fencing and personnel; however, to keep our Nation safe and secure, we need to change the administration's policies. prgtoken While money and programs are important, the green light that this administration's policies provide to encourage people to come here has to come to an end. These are policies that encourage more migrants to attempt to enter our country illegally, and then, once they enter, there is no consequence. prgtoken I am increasingly concerned about this administration's carefree attitude toward those seeking to abuse our asylum system and increase the use of administrative parole. These policies bog down the asylum system, making it harder for those it was designed to protect and help to utilize it while also stretching thin our border personnel. prgtoken In fiscal year 2023 alone, the overworked men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection had approximately 2.5 million encounters along the southern border. The number of encounters in 2020--only 3 years earlier--was only 458,000. At the time, we thought that was a terrible number to deal with, but it has gone from 458,000 to 2.5 million in 3 years. prgtoken The vast majority of those encounters are with people who claim to be seeking asylum in our country. When someone arrives at the southern border, whether they present at a designated point of entry or not, that person only needs to say they are seeking asylum to be able to take advantage of the policies instituted by President and by Secretary Mayorkas. Without being detained, these individuals are provided an asylum hearing date at some time several years into the future. Unsurprisingly--no surprise here at all--the majority of those released under this process then fail to report as they were directed. prgtoken In December of 2023, border authorities were forced to deal with more than 10,000 migrants crossing daily. In response to this, President and Secretary Mayorkas suspended rail service and closed the international crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso. This greatly harmed our carriers' ability to move goods across the North American rail network and to the North American consumers who rely upon them. Closing the crossings limited grain exports from Kansas and elsewhere by nearly a million bushels a day, and it had negative impacts on many other agriculture commodities as well. prgtoken I raise that point because it is an example of where we are trying to take som
POLICY SOLUTIONS TO THE BORDER CRISIS
Larry Bucshon (Republican, IN) \u2014 2024-1-10

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken I am rising today to advocate for America's patients and their physicians. prgtoken Over the past 3 years, doctors across the Nation have more than stepped up to the challenges that they have encountered, COVID, often risking their own health and safety to protect our communities. That not only includes the physicians; that includes the nurses, the technicians, and everyone in America's hospitals. However, when Congress left town in December, we once again let down America's doctors by allowing a 3.37 percent Medicare payment cut to hit January 1. prgtoken As a cardiothoracic surgeon for 15 years, I have seen firsthand the consequences of cuts like these. What are the consequences? Access to quality healthcare for rural America that I represent, underserved urban America, the American people. prgtoken The payment cut to physicians will impede patients' access to care while increasing the gap between physician expenses and reimbursement rates. prgtoken I want to associate myself with Dr. Murphy's comments. Costs are dramatically going up, and, if that continues, more and more of America's physicians will not take Medicare. I didn't say Medicaid. I said Medicare. prgtoken Given the existing shortage of physicians in the United States, the combination of declining reimbursement and rapidly rising costs threatens to drive more doctors out of the profession, particularly, as I mentioned, in rural and underserved urban America. prgtoken It has led to a lot of consolidation, as Dr. Murphy mentioned-- physicians being consolidated into a large medical practice or employed by large hospital systems. prgtoken Fortunately, we have a window of opportunity to right this wrong and support the thousands of hardworking men and women serving millions of Medicare beneficiaries. We must stop the bleeding and eliminate the full 3.37 cut by January 19. prgtoken Congress must also implement a permanent solution that will halt the downward spiral of physician reimbursement and provide much-needed and deserved stability for America's doctors. Again, if we want access for America's seniors to the Medicare program, we have to act. We have to act soon. prgtoken Again, it is not just physicians out there not taking Medicaid. They are not taking Medicare. I have elderly in-laws and an elderly mother. They have experienced this. prgtoken In fact, we had a hearing in the Committee on Energy and Commerce a couple of weeks ago. There was an economist there. He couched it in a way that was positive. He said, Well, 60 percent of America's seniors are not having trouble finding a primary care physician. prgtoken When it came around time for my questioning, I said, Well, I want to rephrase that. Forty percent of America's seniors are struggling to find a primary care doctor. That is a big number, folks. Forty percent of America's seniors are struggling. Their physician retires. Their physician moves. prgtoken
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 788, STOP SETTLEMENT SLUSH FUNDS ACT OF 2023; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 98, PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER THE RULE SUBMITTED BY...
Erin Houchin (Republican, IN) \u2014 2024-1-10

if I had one word to describe what I hear from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, including the administration, it would be gaslighting. prgtoken My colleagues claim that we don't want to help everyday Americans. My colleagues claim that we are offshoring American jobs when the very bills we are considering here today are trying to fight against doing precisely that. prgtoken They claim that we are trying to hurt businessowners. prgtoken We are trying to help businessowners by giving them more flexibility to engage in employee relationships as they see fit. We are trying to bring American jobs back by supporting our American manufacturers over Chinese manufacturers. We are trying to compensate victims over woke ideological groups. prgtoken It is more gaslighting from our colleagues on the left. I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will recognize that and will join us in support of this legislation. prgtoken , .
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2024-1-10

I rise today to pay tribute to Arkansas State Police troopers Special Agent Matt Foster and Senior Corporal David Smothers, the 2023 State Law Enforcement Officers of the Year. prgtoken The Arkansas Officer of the Year Award honors members of law enforcement who exemplify bravery, service, and commitment. The recognition is bestowed upon officers who go above and beyond the call of duty. Special Agent Foster and Senior Corporal Smothers earned this distinction by saving a victim of human trafficking and apprehending the trafficker. Smothers was conducting a traffic stop on I-40 when, after recognizing the smell of marijuana, he initiated a search of the vehicle and found illegal drugs and weapons. Additional items discovered during the search led him to believe a woman in the car was the victim of human trafficking. prgtoken He contacted Special Agent Matt Foster, who is trained in recognizing and identifying victims of human trafficking. In an interview with the passenger, she confirmed to him how she had been trafficked for several months. Thankfully, Foster facilitated her rescue from this dangerous situation and helped place her in a recovery program specializing in assisting victims of human trafficking and drug use. prgtoken On behalf of all Arkansans, I thank Senior Corporal David Smothers and Special Agent Matt Foster for making sacrifices to keep us safe, saving the life of an innocent victim, and bringing offenders to justice. I applaud their courageous actions, compassion, and the use of their skills to enforce the law and protect the vulnerable.
RECOGNIZING THE 80TH BIRTHDAY OF COACH BILL HILL
Jack Bergman (Republican, MI) \u2014 2024-1-10

it is my honor to congratulate Coach Bill Hill on the celebration of his 80th birthday and recognize him for his decades of dedication to the many students of Gwinn. prgtoken Bill has served as a coach, instructor, and mentor for generations of students and athletes. Before settling in Gwinn, Michigan, Coach Hill spent 24 years in selfless service to the United States Air Force, retiring as a Senior Master Sergeant. Coach Hill served at many duty stations, including the Vietnam Campaign, where he earned a Bronze Star Medal; Tripoli; Libya; Japan; and KI Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan. When KI Sawyer AFB was decommissioned in 1995, Coach Hill decided to stay in the area and continue giving back to the Gwinn community in new ways. prgtoken Mr. Hill soon began coaching for the Gwinn Middle/High School girls basketball program. The program was utilized by Bill to impart wisdom and character-building principles to his students beyond the basketball court. Upon prgtoken his retirement in 2020, due to the countless lives he positively changed, a Facebook group with over 200 members and hundreds of messages was made as a dedication to this exemplary coach. Bill has been dubbed a coach, role model, mentor, teacher, inspiration, and friend to many. prgtoken , it is my honor to celebrate the 80th birthday of Coach Bill Hill. An inspiration to the community. I wish Coach Hill all the best in his future endeavors.
CONGRATULATING MR. BERNARD "TONY" THIEMAN ON THE WENTZVILLE, MO CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Blaine Luetkemeyer (Republican, MO) \u2014 2024-1-10

I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Tony Thieman on the Wentzville, MO Citizen of the Year Award. prgtoken Mr. Thieman has long been a staple of the Wentzville community. In addition to his involvement in multiple community organizations, Mr. Thieman has reinvested in downtown Wentzville by buying several old buildings, renovating them, and then leasing them out to local businesses. Tony also volunteers his time to neighbors by plowing their driveways and mowing their fields when in need. prgtoken , please join me in recognizing Mr. Tony Thieman as the Wentzville, MO Citizen of the Year.
POLICY SOLUTIONS TO THE BORDER CRISIS
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2024-1-10

I appreciate the time to be able to weigh in on these issues in a little more relaxed manner here and spend some time. prgtoken I want to talk a little bit about legislation we are working on here known as S.J. Res. 38. In this case, it would ensure our taxpayer dollars are used to buy American-made products, something that has had bipartisan support, nonpartisan support, in the past around here. prgtoken Certainly, when we are talking about having something domestically produced or buying it from a foreign competitor or ally, one thing we shouldn't be doing is buying more and more things from China. prgtoken What is the sense of exporting so many of our dollars over to somebody who is such an adversary in so many things on the world front, with the funding of countries that are helping to sponsor terrorism and the unrest they are helping fund in the Middle East? There are constant threats to Taiwan and the other islands in the South prgtoken China Sea that are possessions of Japan and others, constant aggression on that. They sink many other smaller countries into huge debt by dangling out loans they know they can't repay, and pretty soon, they can take over the resources of that country. prgtoken As the United States of America, we can produce anything we want here. We can produce it well, usually of the best quality, using the best practices, by far, yet what are we doing? We are hamstringing our own ability to strengthen our own economy with the energy we need to produce in order to do that, with environmental policies that 50 years ago were well intentioned but have been completely weaponized against industries and farming, mining, and timber. The West burns each year massively. In California and Utah, it is endless. prgtoken A lot of this currently comes from administration policies, and I jump back 3 years to 8 years to the -era policies that have put us in this spot. prgtoken Currently, President wants to shoot down the waiver to eliminate the buy in America requirements for, in this case, electric vehicle chargers. That is what this bill, S.J. Res. 38, is about, which would be purchased under the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, another boondoggle itself. prgtoken If the money is going to be forced to be spent, and we have to buy these electric chargers for electric cars, at least can we have them be American produced, American made. prgtoken Don't get me mixed up with the electric car crowd. I don't think we should be forcing that on anybody. At the same time, they are tearing down the California power grid with the dams they are removing on the Klamath River up in the north part of my district and one across the border, and then threatening the Snake River farther up and one down in Mendocino County. prgtoken It is just one thing after another, getting rid of hydroelectric power and also the ability to store water and for the water to be retained during flood control season and for some re