mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Filibuster (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-3-18

earlier today, my friend from South Dakota, the Senator John Thune, came to the floor and discussed the filibuster. It has been a topic of discussion not only this week but even before. I hope that Senator Thune will concede that whether you are for the filibuster or against the filibuster, we should certainly be dedicated to the proposition that the U.S. Senate should be a deliberative body that actually considers amendments and legislation on the floor. prgtoken Now, what I just said sounds very routine and normal. It is radical when you look at the record of the U.S. Senate. Last year, under the leadership of Senator McConnell, we had 29 amendments on the floor the entire year--29. That was really an improvement over the previous year, 30 percent better than the previous year--22 amendments. What that says to those who may not be familiar with Senate procedure is that the floor is empty and no one is here because we aren't taking up legislation. Why? prgtoken So far this year, we have done three things in the Senate: the impeachment trial; the reconciliation bill, the American Rescue Plan by President ; and nominations. What do those three things have in common? None of them, not one of them can be stopped by a filibuster. Why aren't we taking up other legislation? Because looming over us is a supermajority requirement of 60 votes to get anything done. prgtoken What I have said to my friends on the side of the aisle is, show me that we can make the Senate function. If we can show that with the filibuster, so be it. If we can show it by changing the filibuster, so be it. But let's do something. prgtoken We were elected to do things. We were elected to pass an infrastructure bill for America. It has been years since we have done that. We were elected to deal with issues that are fundamental to this country. What about all the student loan debt in this country? Are we going to do anything about it, say anything about it? Nothing is coming to the floor, is it? There are so many issues that we should be taking up that we are not taking up because of the looming specter of the filibuster. That is a reality. prgtoken Let me bring that reality close to home. Twenty years ago, I introduced the DREAM Act. I said if you were brought to America as an infant, toddler, child, young person--your family brought you here, you grew up here, you went to school here, and you pledged allegiance to that flag in your classroom every single day--at some point in your life, you ought to have the opportunity to earn your way to be a legal person in America, a citizen in America. I don't think that is a radical idea. In fact, the overwhelming majority of Americans support the idea. prgtoken So, Durbin, let me ask you a question. It has been 20 years. You are supposed to be a legislator. Why haven't you passed this, something that simple and that direct? I haven't made it a law o
GEORGIA SHOOTINGS
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-3-18

the Asian-American community is still reeling from the senseless murder of eight people near Atlanta, six of whom were women of Asian descent. It will be some time before we understand what drove the madman who perpetrated this crime, but there is no doubt that abuse, prejudice, and violence against Asian Americans is on the rise, and it is so un-American and so despicable that we all must be speaking out about this. prgtoken The same day that six Asian women were killed in Georgia, the Stop AAPI Hate organization released a report naming 3,800 incidents of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and that is just in 1 year alone. prgtoken The fear in the Asian-American community and the threat of violence against its members should be a topic of national conversation. prgtoken In the last 4 years--you know, we all know there have been forces of racism, dark forces, that have been often seen in America, but the last 4 years, where , at the very minimum, refused to condemn the bigotry in the instances when he should, have allowed them to come far more up to the surface. It is as if the society's superego that keeps these dark forces down has been greatly diminished or even removed. prgtoken It is up to us, particularly under the new President, who fights bigotry at every step of the way--but it is up to all of us to speak out against it and to act against it. prgtoken The story of the Asian-American community is quintessentially an American story, and we cannot allow the rising tide of bigotry against them, the intolerance against them, the prejudice against them to go unchecked because in a multicultural society like ours, an attack on any one group is an attack on everyone. prgtoken I love the Asian-American community. They are such fine, good American people. The story of the Asian-American community is quintessentially an American story. It is a story of coming here, building strong communities, opening local businesses, churches, civic organizations, and slowly but surely gaining the political representation they so deserve. prgtoken Just yesterday, we confirmed a nominee whose parents emigrated from Taiwan to become the U.S. Trade Representative. That is notable and important progress. But, unfortunately, the past few years have shown us that America has not excised the age-old demon of racism, and to too many it has become acceptable, permissible, or just shrug your shoulders. That cannot be. prgtoken With respect to the Asian-American community specifically and all communities, we must condemn rhetoric that is racist. In this case, we must condemn any rhetoric that blames the Chinese people for the coronavirus. President did that, despicably, and that notion was too often encouraged by others who repeated his harsh, nasty, and bigoted words. prgtoken We must stand beside and stand up for our Asian-American brothers and sisters. Americans of every faith, every c
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2021
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2021-3-18

. Madam , I rise today in support of H.R. 6, the DREAM and PROMISE Act of 2021. This timely legislation would finally provide a solution to the millions of immigrants who have faced uncertainty on their legal status for too long as a result of this country's broken immigration system. prgtoken When I was young and our family had the opportunity to travel to go see family or to see the country, I did not have a say in where we went or how long we stayed there. I was a child. Simply put, this was not my decision. Similarly, the children of undocumented immigrants who were brought to our country did not have a say on where their parents were bringing them, or how long they would be staying here. They were innocent children. prgtoken And while we've debated for over two decades on meaningful immigration reform, these individuals have had the opportunity to grow up with our children and families, attend the same schools and universities, have families of their own, and make immeasurable contributions to our communities. DREAMERs have been able to live the American Dream in every way but one--on paper. prgtoken The legislation that we are debating today not only provides a pathway to legalization and citizenship for these individuals but also to those who fled political unrest and natural disasters in their home countries. Currently protected under TPS (Temporary Protected Status), these individuals face the same uncertainty about their futures as DREAMERs. And like DREAMERs, they too have been in our country for decades and play a critical role in the success of our communities. prgtoken DREAM and PROMISE Act of 2021 is widely popular--supported by a majority of Americans--and, notably, bipartisan. It is backed by business leaders, labor unions, and educators alike. Some of its advocates are my constituents, who have told their stories and inspired me with their commitment and unwavering dedication to their work, their families, our community in North Texas, and to the country they call home, the United States of America. prgtoken Madam , I strongly believe that we must act now and pass legislation to offer a common-sense and logical solution to our broader immigration issues. The DREAM and PROMISE Act would take a meaningful step towards that goal and would lay out a path in which we could do that, which is why I urge my colleagues to support it and look forward to the Senate's immediate consideration.
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2021
Adriano Espaillat (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-3-18

. Madam , I rise to support H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act. prgtoken Madam , how hypocritical and shameful of the other side of the aisle. They want to deny Dreamers, yet those Dreamers provide education and daycare services for their children. prgtoken They want to deny Dreamers, but those Dreamers take care of their frail and elderly parents. prgtoken They want to deny Dreamers, but their parents pick the crops and the fruits that they eat at their table. prgtoken Madam , how hypocritical. They want to deny Dreamers, yet those Dreamers, as members of the National Guard, protected us right here against an angry, racist mob. prgtoken Madam , I know that too well because I came to this Nation without any papers. And I sit as a Member of Congress and my vote is equal to any of their votes. It is equal to any of their votes because, in this country, you can dream and it has promise. prgtoken Madam , we will not go back. We will continue to move forward. I support H.R. 6.
PROTECT DEMOCRACY IN BURMA ACT OF 2021
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2021-3-18

. Madam , I thank the distinguished chairman for his leadership, and I thank the ranking member as well. prgtoken Madam , I stand here today to recognize the hardworking Burmese Americans who are here, who are fighting every day for their friends and their relatives in their native land. prgtoken On February 1, 2021, hours before the Burmese Parliament was to convene in a new session, Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the Burma ruling party; and President Win Myint, the duly-elected head of government, were deposed in a military coup. prgtoken How shameful. prgtoken As that coup was done, violence prevailed. And as violence prevailed, people lost their lives. prgtoken This is a worthy act of condemnation. I also support H. Res. 134, the resolution condemning the coup in Burma, and condemning the still detaining of Aung San Suu Kyi to her place of residence. She is in danger. prgtoken So I rise today to support H.R. 1112, which declares: ``It is the policy of the United States to instruct, as appropriate, representatives of the United States Government to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United prgtoken States at the United Nations to hold accountable those responsible for the military coup in Burma.'' prgtoken The legislation also directs that not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this act that Congress gets a report from the Secretary of State as relates to the military coup in Burma, and provide a description of the efforts taken by the United States to help the people of Burma restore their democratic form of government. prgtoken I want to cite a constituent in my district--first of all, the people from Burma who have been generous in their help of Houstonians, their fellow Houstonians, in Hurricane Harvey, in the freeze, in COVID-19-- Mr. Mouton, who has provided resources to all of the people in the area representing the community of those from Burma. He has been generous in his support when people have been in need. That is what people from Burma here in the United States do. prgtoken So this statement that we are making is to say that we are standing with the freedom fighters. We are standing with those who believe in democracy. prgtoken And I want to salute the Parliament. The Parliament and the duly elected members of the Burmese Parliament who have taken it upon themselves to continue serving as representatives of the people through alternative methods of communicating and convening is courageous and laudable and inspires the respect of freedom-loving people everywhere. prgtoken It is our goal, as we stand on the floor of the House, for the American peoples' voices to be heard through H.R. 1112, the Protect Democracy in Burma Act of 2021, and H. Res. 134, the resolution condemning the coup in Burma, and to support the American-Burmese community. prgtoken Madam , as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary and the Member of Congress for the Eighteenth Congressional District
RECOGNIZING OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2021-3-18

I rise today to congratulate the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University, OLLI Mason, its 30th anniversary and on its continuing success in offering educational programming for older Americans in Northern Virginia. Programs like OLLI Mason provide lifelong learning opportunities for seniors interested in maintaining an active intellectual life. prgtoken The Learning in Retirement Institute was founded in 1991 to establish educational and social opportunities for a growing base of seniors in Northern Virginia. The Institute soon became affiliated with George Mason University as part of Mason's vision to extend its learning mission in the community. The institute was generously endowed by the Bernard Osher Foundation, a nonprofit that is dedicated to enhancing quality of life in the United States through education and the arts. prgtoken What started two decades ago as a member-run Learning in Retirement Center with 100 members operating and teaching out of one room in Mason's Commerce II Building has burgeoned today into a robust, first- rate educational and social institute with 1,100 members. prgtoken OLLI Mason's mission is ``to offer its members learning opportunities in a stimulating environment in which adults can share their talents, experiences and skills, explore new interests, discover and develop latent abilities, engage in intellectual and cultural pursuits, and socialize with others of similar interests.'' OLLI Mason has fulfilled this mission by offering retirees in Northern Virginia over 600 courses from arts to zoology, religion to science, as well as excursions and special events. prgtoken As the over 50 population across the Commonwealth continues to live longer and healthier lives, I am pleased to recognize OLLI, George Mason University, and the County of Fairfax for their initiative in foreseeing decades ago the critical need to offer programs that meet the needs, expand opportunities, and enhance the quality of life for older Americans across Northern Virginia. I look forward to many more years of their programming success.
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2021
Thomas R. Suozzi (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-3-18

. Madam , 100 years ago my father was born in a small medieval village in the mountaintops of southern Italy. He came to America as a young boy, and in his St. Dominic's High School yearbook, he wrote that his goal in life was to become a real American. prgtoken Twenty-seven years ago, I served as the young mayor of my hometown of Glen Cove. I addressed the issue of a growing population of new immigrants from Central and South America who gathered on street corners looking for daywork by creating the first dayworkers' site anywhere on the East Coast of the United States of America. prgtoken Today, those same men who gathered on street corners have their own businesses, own homes, their children went to school with my children. One Dreamer from El Salvador who graduated from high school with my daughter went on to graduate from college with a degree in biomedical engineering, got a master's in biomedical engineering, and is now pursuing a doctorate in the same subject. prgtoken Today, I will support the American Dream and Promise Act for Mario, and for Nelson, and for all the other Dreamers whose goal is like my father's, to be a real American.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2021-3-18

I thank the senior Senator from Oregon, and from Pennsylvania too. prgtoken We passed the American Rescue Plan, as Senator Wyden said, to get shots in people's arms, money in people's pockets, get kids back in schools, and people back in jobs. Stimulus checks are already going out the door in Hawaii, in Pennsylvania, in Oregon, and Ohio. More than 100 million checks are already in Americans' bank accounts. We promised in campaigns, we promised in January we would do this and we would do this quickly. prgtoken Five million Ohioans are going to get a check. We know predatory debt collectors are already lining up to try to take a cut of those checks. We know it costs more to be poor in this country. So often the debt collectors come after you. Just to cash your check, there often is a fee and all the bank fees that they have. prgtoken We passed the rescue plan to put money in people's pockets so they can pay bills and buy groceries and spend money in local businesses. They can buy a washer perhaps made by American workers in Clyde, OH, or new tires for their cars made at Goodyear in Akron, OH. Maybe they are looking forward to throwing a small high school graduation party in their backyard--after they get their vaccines--with a cake and a barbecue from a local restaurant. prgtoken That is why we passed these checks, to support families, to support local economies, not to line the pockets of predatory private debt collectors. That is why I appreciate Senator Wyden's work with us on this bill to protect Americans' stimulus checks from financial predators. prgtoken We know how aggressive private debt collectors are. They harass people. They prey on workers trying to make ends meet, and now they want to take this money before it even reaches Americans' bank accounts. prgtoken Last year, as Senator Wyden said, we joined colleagues Grassley, a from Iowa, and Scott, a from South Carolina, to pass bipartisan legislation to protect people's money. prgtoken It shouldn't be different this time. We are still in a public health crisis. Whether you voted for or against this American Recovery Act is immaterial. We have a choice. Whose side are you on? Are you going to protect workers and their families or are you going to side with debt collectors? prgtoken back to Senator Wyden.
FARM WORKFORCE MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2021
Sylvia R. Garcia (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2021-3-18

. Madam , I rise in strong support of this bill. Agricultural workers are crucial to our economy, and this bill would establish a legal and reliable farm workforce. prgtoken I support this bill because it recognizes the humanity--yes, the humanity--of farmworkers and their families. prgtoken This is personal to me. I grew up poor, picking cotton in the fields of south Texas. I can testify firsthand about the incredibly hard, backbreaking work that farmworkers do, especially in the heat of the south Texas sun. Not much seems to have changed since I worked in the fields. Things pretty much still are handled about the same. prgtoken This bill is long overdue and would provide farmworkers with important worker protections and legal rights that I never had and that they desperately need today. Texas is home to nearly 250,000 farms, and the need for a strong agricultural workforce is vital. It is vital to Texas; it is vital to this country; and it is vital to this world. prgtoken Madam , I urge passage.
CONFIRMATION OF XAVIER BECERRA
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2021-3-18

I rise today in support of the nomination of my friend and former colleague Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. prgtoken Xavier and I served together in the House of Representatives from January 2007 to January 2013. While we sat on different House committees, we were both very involved in one of Congress's most significant achievements during that time--passage of the Affordable Care Act, ACA. The ACA promised to greatly shrink the number of uninsured Americans and rein in health care costs that were increasing rapidly. It also led to false, harsh, partisan accusations by s that the law was going to ration health care and death panels were inevitable. prgtoken Despite years of sabotage and dozens of attempts to repeal it, the Affordable Care Act has lived up to its promise: more than 20 million Americans gained prgtoken health insurance thanks to the ACA, and the ACA reduced health care spending a total of $2.3 trillion between 2010 and 2017. prgtoken As a senior member of the Health Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, Xavier Becerra played a significant role to help write and pass the ACA and defended the law from near continuous assault as California's attorney general. Most recently, he has been leading litigation at the Supreme Court to reinstate the ACA after an ideologically-driven district court judge struck down the law in its entirety. prgtoken These efforts demonstrate the leadership, experience, and health policy expertise Xavier will bring to the Department of Health and Human Services. prgtoken Despite these bona fides, Senators are actively smearing Xavier's reputation and misrepresenting his qualifications to prevent him from becoming the first Latino to serve as HHS Secretary. prgtoken First, they claim Xavier isn't qualified because he isn't a doctor. s clearly didn't believe this was a deal breaker when all but one of them voted to confirm Alex Azar--a former executive at Eli Lilly--as 's HHS Secretary. I think most Americans would rather have an HHS Secretary like Xavier Becerra, who successfully sued hospitals to lower healthcare costs, than a person in charge of running a pharmaceutical company. s have also claimed that Xavier lacks ``extensive health care experience.'' This is particularly rich coming from the same people who voted to confirm Betsy De-Vos to become Education Secretary. She not only had never worked in a public school, she had never even attended one. These same s voted to confirm Rick Perry to become Energy Secretary, when he didn't even know the Department of Energy was responsible for the Nation's nuclear arsenal. prgtoken Throughout his 12 terms in the House of Representatives, Xavier Becerra was a leader on health policy issues. He helped write the most sweeping change to our healthcare system in more than a generation, and now, as