mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
WATER ISSUES
Tracey Mann (Republican, KS) \u2014 2021-6-29

I rise today to discuss the importance of water and my concerns with the administration's unnecessary overreach. prgtoken We use water to sustain ourselves; for industrial manufacturing; for swimming and recreation with our family and friends; to bathe; and to produce the most affordable, abundant, and safe food supply in the world. prgtoken Agriculture is the largest industry in Kansas' Big First District and across the State, so water conditions determine good or bad crop years, the amount of time livestock producers spend hauling water or moving cattle to land with a better pond, and ultimately, the kinds of foods that show up on the grocery store shelves across the country. prgtoken In western and south-central Kansas, the Ogallala aquifer is the main source of water and represents the supply of one-third of the State of Kansas. The Ogallala covers about 175,000 square miles across eight States from South Dakota to Texas, making it the largest aquifer in the country and one of the largest in the world. prgtoken At the beginning of the 20th century, States began pumping water from the Ogallala to irrigate the land for agricultural production use. In arid climates like western Kansas, irrigation transformed the Dust Bowl ridden region into the incredibly productive land that we see today. On average, Kansas has about three million irrigated acres with nearly 2.6 million acres irrigated with water from the Ogallala and the rest of the High Plains aquifer. The Ogallala's groundwater is essential to our food supply, as it supports nearly one-fifth of all of the wheat, corn, cotton, and cattle produced in the United States. prgtoken In 2018, when I was Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, we worked with the Ogallala Water Coordinated Agriculture Project to hold the first ever Ogallala Aquifer Summit in Garden City and gathered stakeholders from the eight States covering the aquifer to discuss the need to conserve water and sustain the Ogallala region's agriculture productivity over the long-term, adapting new technologies and voluntarily reducing water waste. prgtoken Since then, producers like Lynn Goossen have made changes to their operations to reduce the amount of water they pump and protect Ogallala. Goossen Farms has shifted from irrigated corn to a wheat rotation, adapted conservation practices when applying fertilizer, and changed from flood to sprinkler irrigation. Understanding the depletion of the Ogallala caused Mr. Goossen to take on leadership within his Groundwater Management District and work with other producers to voluntarily use their water wisely. prgtoken Efforts at the State level in Kansas through Groundwater Management Districts have also supported the sustainable use of the Ogallala aquifer where districts work with communities to set their own water conservation goals and control measures; develop plans to reduce water withdrawals in a designated area; and continue using water in a m
REQUEST TO CONSIDER H.R. 18, NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTIONS ACT
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2021-6-29

. Madam , I stand in solidarity with the majority of Americans that oppose taxpayer funding of abortions. prgtoken Despite how clear Americans are on the issue, President and the in Congress are attempting to force Americans to pay for abortions. prgtoken President 's recent budget calls for removal of the Hyde amendment, the appropriations rider that prohibits Federal funding of abortion. Congressional have committed to removing the Hyde amendment and other longstanding pro-life provisions from this year's appropriations bill. prgtoken We must not allow longstanding abortion funding prohibitions that are widely supported by the American people to be gotten rid of at the whims of pro-abortion radicals. prgtoken Madam , I ask unanimous consent that the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 18, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
THE UNITED STATES-CANADA BORDER NEEDS TO SAFELY REOPEN
Brian Higgins (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-6-29

for 34 years my community of Buffalo, New York, and our Canadian neighbors in Fort Erie, Ontario, would mark the first week of July with the Friendship Festival. prgtoken This event that invites citizens of both countries to cross our shared border and celebrate with music, culture, food, and festivities highlights the strong and lasting bond between the United States and Canada. prgtoken There will be no cross-border celebration this year on Canada Day and Independence Day. Not due to the pandemic, but due to the failure of both countries to plan for a safe reopening of the U.S.-Canadian border. prgtoken For friends and families living along the northern border, crossing isn't an annual event, it is a way of life. prgtoken Vaccines provide the bridge that allows people to come together again. prgtoken We need leadership to open those bridges and let us reunite.
IG INDEPENDENCE AND EMPOWERMENT ACT
Deborah K. Ross (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2021-6-29

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. prgtoken I rise today in support of the Inspector General Independence Act. Inspectors general are vital to the integrity, efficiency, and efficacy of our Government. It is crucial that they operate free from political influence. prgtoken This critical legislation includes a bipartisan bill I introduced, the Inspector General Access Act, which grants the inspector general of the Department of Justice the authority to investigate misconduct by DOJ attorneys. prgtoken The DOJ inspector general is currently the only Federal inspector general without this authority. This is simply unacceptable. prgtoken DOJ attorneys wield a tremendous amount of power, including the ability to make life and death decisions. It is crucial that these attorneys are held to the highest level of professionalism, and that their actions and conduct are subject to independent oversight. prgtoken For this reason, I wholeheartedly support the Inspector General Independence Act, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
REPLACEMENT OF BUST OF ROGER BROOKE TANEY WITH BUST OF THURGOOD MARSHALL
Al Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2021-6-29

. Madam , I thank the chairwoman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , the great Thurgood Marshall won 29 of 32 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States of America. He was eminently qualified then and he is now, and this is a proper thing for us to do. prgtoken I want to close with this: If Judge Taney and his cohorts had their way, there would be no person of color in this building today. prgtoken Madam , if they had their way, you would not be at that podium. prgtoken Madam , I stand with Mr. Hoyer. I am grateful for what he has done, and I will vote for this legislation. Its time has long since come, and we are doing the right thing. Dr. King reminded us, ``the time is always right to do that which is right.''
IMPROVING TRANSPORTATION IN RHODE ISLAND
James R. Langevin (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-6-29

. Madam , I rise today to speak in strong support of the INVEST Act, which contains nearly $19 million in funding for three infrastructure projects in Rhode Island's Second District. prgtoken This legislation will improve roads in Westerly and Charlestown to increase accessibility along the Scenic Highway, repair roads in Cranston to smooth the commute for Rhode Islanders traveling across the State, and connect a key stretch of the East Coast Greenway in Coventry to boost tourism, create jobs, and spur economic development. prgtoken Madam , Rhode Island's roads and bridges desperately need repair. According to the White House, 148 bridges and over 860 miles of highway are in poor condition in Rhode Island, earning our State the grade of C-minus on our infrastructure report card. prgtoken Investing in our aging infrastructure will create good-paying jobs and make our roads safer and less congested. That is true of Rhode Island and every State across the country. prgtoken Supporting the INVEST Act and the important projects within it is a no-brainer. prgtoken As my New England Patriots always say: Do your job. prgtoken To my colleagues, let's do our job so Americans can get on with theirs.
Now, I yield to my friend from California (Mrs. Kim), who has taken a leadership role from the other side of the aisle to talk to us about SALT.
Josh Gottheimer (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2021-6-29

. Madam , I would be happy to. prgtoken One of the biggest challenges people don't realize for States like New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and California is how much our taxpayers pay into the Federal Government and, historically, how we get back less in return than some of the other States in the country do. prgtoken For instance, for every dollar that Mississippi sends to the Federal Government, they get $4.38 back. Alabama, I believe, receives $4.32 back. The State of Louisiana starts its budget every year with half coming from the Federal Government. prgtoken States like Jersey, we get back 67 cents, historically, on the dollar. prgtoken What does that mean? It means that we pay lots of money to Washington. People like me are fighting to claw more back to Jersey, but we know that other States benefit more. prgtoken When the tax hike bill passed in 2017, and the red States gutted the State and local tax deduction, capping it at $10,000, what they did was shift actually even more of the tax burden over to blue States like ours, and the red States benefited even more. prgtoken It just reiterates, even more, the importance of actually reinstating the State and local tax deduction, not only because, as Katie Porter said, it is double taxation and not only because it has been around since 1913 or even before for exactly this purpose. It is because we recognize that some States pay more than others, and we have to find ways to balance that out. Otherwise, we are going to keep losing people from States like ours to States like Florida and other red States. prgtoken Frankly, that is why it is so important that we fight back to get tax relief for the people that we represent, to make sure they can afford to live in our States and that we have a good tax base to be able to have great schools and stand by law enforcement, firefighters, and others.
Now, I yield to my friend from California (Mrs. Kim), who has taken a leadership role from the other side of the aisle to talk to us about SALT.
Salud O. Carbajal (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-6-29

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken The gentleman is right, Madam , COVID really devastated my community, but, more importantly, SALT also landed a devastating punch. prgtoken This issue is about proud Californians who pay more than their fair share of Federal taxes. It is about equity for fellow Americans, like Californians, and other States like California. prgtoken California today is still the largest State in the United States in terms of population and economic activity. For years and years, California has been a net donor State to the United States. Let me repeat. For years and years, California has paid more Federal dollars than it gets back from the Federal Government. prgtoken We Californians work hard. We live in a State that generates tremendous economic activity, and we have a very high cost of living. And we pay more--we pay more than our fair share of taxes proudly. As Americans, we pay our Federal taxes proudly. prgtoken So I ask why? Why is the Federal Government not being fair to States like California? prgtoken So why do we randomly have a law that arbitrarily caps our State and local tax deductibility on our Federal taxes? prgtoken This SALT cap hurts. It hurts my friends and neighbors. It hurts middle-class families in California. In my State, the average price of a home, a used house, middle class, is now close to $800,000. prgtoken So why would we make it more difficult, more expensive for a middle- class family to buy a home? prgtoken I say to all of you, both sides of the aisle, let's be fair and let's be equitable to the middle class in this country. Join me in thanking States like California for paying more than their fair share of Federal taxes. Join me by eliminating the SALT cap, that is deductibility of local taxes on the Federal return. prgtoken And I say to you: No SALT deductible, no deal.
HONORING HEROES GORDON BEESLEY AND JOHNNY HURLEY
Ed Perlmutter (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2021-6-29

on June 21, 2021, the community of Arvada, Colorado, experienced a tragedy. In a matter of minutes, our community lost two heroes, with dozens of Arvada residents left stunned and horrified. prgtoken Arvada Police Officer Gordon Beesley was responding to a report of suspicious activity in Olde Town Arvada when he was ambushed and shot by a man who had immense hatred toward the police. prgtoken Minutes later, a Good Samaritan named Johnny Hurley intervened and shot the suspect, undoubtedly saving countless other lives. In a tragedy upon a tragedy, Hurley was then mistaken as the shooter, and he was killed. prgtoken Officer Gordon Beesley joined the Arvada Police Department in 2002 and served in a number of roles for the department. He spent most of the year working as a school resource officer at local schools in our community, including Oberon Middle School, Lincoln Academy, and Excel Academy Charter School. During the summers, he often returned to patrol work, as he was doing last Monday in Olde Town Arvada. prgtoken Officer Beesley was a well-known and well-liked member of our community. His calm, gentle, and patient demeanor made a big difference in his day-to-day interactions with students, especially those students who needed it most. prgtoken In 2015, he was named employee of the year by the city of Arvada after the city learned Officer Beesley was riding his bike to school multiple times a week with a student who suffered from developmental delays and was not able to ride by himself. prgtoken Countless other stories have surfaced from students, his colleagues, and community members in the days following his death about the impact he had on their lives, big and small. prgtoken He was an accomplished drummer and singer who played in local Arvada bands Railbenders and Brethren Fast. prgtoken We will remember Officer Beesley's kindness and bravery and the approach he brought to life each and every day to ``make someone feel special today.'' prgtoken Hearing gunshots, another hero stepped up to protect and defend the community, 40-year-old Denver resident Johnny Hurley. According to Arvada's chief of police, Johnny's actions were ``decisive, courageous, and effective in stopping further loss of life.'' prgtoken Johnny's friends and family remembered him as an idealist and iconoclast and were not surprised to learn Johnny stepped up to defend his community in a time of need. prgtoken The loss of Johnny Hurley is tragic. I join the Arvada Police Department and our community at large in honoring his bravery for his actions that day, which undoubtedly saved lives. prgtoken Although we don't know all the facts, our hearts go out to the officer who mistook Mr. Hurley for the shooter. prgtoken This has been a difficult week for our community, including for members of the Arvada Police Department. Our heroes in uniform are charged with protecting our communities, and last week's shooting is a reminder of the dangers our p
IG INDEPENDENCE AND EMPOWERMENT ACT
Jamie Raskin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-6-29

. Madam , I thank Chair Maloney for her wonderful leadership of the Oversight Committee. prgtoken I rise in support of H.R. 2662, the Inspector General Independence and Empowerment Act. prgtoken The inspectors general are a remarkable innovation in American Government that have saved us untold billions of dollars and checked the corrupt abuse of power by people controlling Federal departments. They are essential to our ability to legislate as the Article I branch and to do meaningful oversight over the executive branch of government. prgtoken That is true in general, but it is especially true when we have a President like who categorically refused to recognize congressional subpoenas, blocked members of his administration from coming to testify before Congress in an unprecedented way, and generally refused to cooperate with congressional factfinding at all. prgtoken When a President refuses to cooperate with the legislative branch, when he obstructs Congress at every turn, the IGs are our only source of information. It is imperative that we protect our inspectors general's independence and their impartiality so they will not be reduced to the level of being Presidential sycophants who are party loyalists. prgtoken The Supreme Court has recognized the importance of IG independence, noting that it is ``vital to effectuating Congress' intent and maintaining an opportunity for objective inquiries into bureaucratic waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.'' prgtoken This bill will ensure that the IGs have the tools that they need to conduct thorough investigations on behalf of the American people, and it will protect them from unjust political retaliation.
REPLACEMENT OF BUST OF ROGER BROOKE TANEY WITH BUST OF THURGOOD MARSHALL
James E. Clyburn (Democrat, SC) \u2014 2021-6-29

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time. prgtoken I listened pretty intently to the minority leader talking about theory, a principle upon which a set of practices prgtoken are made. That is what a theory is. We are not here today to talk about theory. prgtoken Today, we are talking about some actions, some practices that were made. We are talking about moving to make this Nation more perfect. And one of the ways you do that is by recognizing and admitting that we have a very spotted history when it comes to race. prgtoken I met my late wife in jail protesting practices that were based upon our skin color. Racial inequities, that is what this is all about. prgtoken One of the statues in this building sent up here by my State, South Carolina, is a statue of John C. Calhoun. John C. Calhoun is not here because he defended the southern States during the Civil War. We talk about those generals all over this place. prgtoken John C. Calhoun died in 1850, more than a decade before the Civil War started. So why is he here? Why did South Carolina send his statue up here for us to honor? Simply because he was this Nation's foremost proponent of slavery. So much so until Yale University from which he graduated took his name off the college that they celebrated him with. Clemson University, which he was one of the founders of, took his name off of his Honors College. Charleston, South Carolina, where he is buried took his statue down overnight. People went to bed around 11 o'clock at night looking at the statue, and when they got up at 6 o'clock the next morning, it was gone because South Carolina has done everything they can to get beyond those principles advocated by John C. Calhoun. prgtoken But his statue is here. And I want to thank the for moving that statue to some place out the eyesight of any school child coming up here. I always call this Hall ``America's classroom.'' And we ought to be teaching in this Hall that which is wholesome about the country. prgtoken This is a great country. Nobody denies that. I don't call this a racist country. I do say that this country has on occasion, too often for my taste, tolerated racism. That is a fact. And nobody can deny that fact. prgtoken Last time this bill came before this body, over 70 of my friends voted for it. I would hope we could do a little better today. prgtoken Madam , I close by reminding my friend, most of us who studied history, we know when the Party came into being. We know when the ic Party came into being; it happens to be an older party than the Party. So I understand all of that. But we also know that in 1948, when Hubert Humphrey spoke at the 1948 ic Convention against segregation, Strom Thurmond, the , left the party, came back. And in 1964 when came together and decided that they were going to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Strom Thurmond, the , left the De
REPLACEMENT OF BUST OF ROGER BROOKE TANEY WITH BUST OF THURGOOD MARSHALL
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-6-29

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I am glad to be back. prgtoken Madam , I have been out for 2 weeks, and now that I have a new knee, I am good for another 20 years. That is what they tell me. They guarantee me that. prgtoken Madam , when I brought this bill to the floor just about a year ago, I referred to our Capitol Building as a sacred space for democracy, a symbol around the world of democracy. The intervening months have shown us, in ways we could not have imagined then, just how true that statement was and is. prgtoken Sadly, we in this House, our colleagues in the Senate, all who work here, experienced on January 6 a wrenching reminder of how democracy demands our eternal defense and vigilance. We watched our temple of democracy defiled by a violent mob of insurrectionists. For many of us here, that was a watershed moment, seeing such evils pervade the halls of the American Capitol. prgtoken However, Madam , for African Americans, who have been serving here, working here, and visiting here for many decades, that sense of defilement of this sacred space is all too familiar for them. prgtoken Our colleague, the former speaker of the California Assembly, Karen Bass, made that clear when she spoke. When they see individuals like John Calhoun, Charles Aycock, and James Paul Clarke celebrated in stone and bronze in these halls, they are reminded that, for so much of our history, the leaders and leading institutions of our government and country did not view them as equal or, at times, even human. prgtoken When they enter the solemn Old Supreme Court Chamber and stare into the cold marble eyes of Roger Brooke Taney, they are reminded that, at one time, the highest court in our land declared that Black lives did not matter. prgtoken , we ought not be surprised when our fellow citizens of color raise signs that say: No, America, Black lives do matter. That is somewhat what this debate is about. prgtoken In the infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision written by Justice Taney, a distinguished citizen of Maryland revered in his time for his intellect and his accomplishments, Taney, in this terrible decision, quoted the Declaration of Independence, which all of us quote so often: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'' Today, we would say all men and women are equal, irrespective of color. prgtoken But this Dred Scott decision ought to teach us a lesson today. It ought to humble us today. When people around us say, ``Boy, that is the right decision,'' because it happens to be the decision of the moment, not a decision of history. prgtoken Beneath those lines, Taney wrote these: ``The general words,'' that is, that all men are created equal, ``The general words above quoted would seem to embrace the whole human family.'' Hear me, colleagues. This is Taney speaking in a decision where he is about to say Black lives do not matter. prgtoken He said, however, that it ``would