mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING UTAH NATIONAL GUARD
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2021-1-26

some of our Nation's finest answered the call of duty here in our Nation's Capitol over the last 2 weeks to assist with the peaceful transition of power and make sure that it was in fact peaceful. These dedicated men and women in the National Guard have taken an oath to protect that bedrock document, the Constitution of the United States, and, indeed, they have fulfilled that duty. prgtoken Some of our very finest in the National Guard came here to serve from my home State of Utah; 321 troops that have discharged their duties with distinction and honor came from the Utah National Guard. prgtoken The majority of Task Force Utah consisted of soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery, 65th Fires Brigade, also known as Triple Deuce. Additional soldiers came from 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne). prgtoken I rise today to honor and thank these really selfless women and men. These past weeks, the Utah guardsmen were stationed at the Madison Building of the Library of Congress, just across the street from the Capitol. For many of these soldiers, it was their first time ever visiting Washington, D.C. prgtoken Major Brent Mangum of the Utah National Guard remarked that as the soldiers were stationed at buildings, they saw these quotes on the walls--quotes from our Founding Fathers--and as they were working in these buildings, you could see them pausing during the day, reading the quotes, and then stopping to reflect on them. prgtoken I, myself, had the great privilege, in a couple of different groups, to give some of these men and women a tour of the Capitol Building before they left to go back to Utah. It was a great honor to meet and get to know these dedicated guardsmen and to learn from their stories and to see firsthand their caliber as people and, most importantly perhaps, their visible commitment to the United States of America. prgtoken This idea, this principle, in this great land of ours--the greatest civilization human history has ever known--was something that they are independently committed to defending and protecting, even at the sacrifice of their own security and their own ease, which they would have otherwise enjoyed over the last couple of weeks. prgtoken One of the most remarkable things about these citizen soldiers is the way in which they tirelessly serve their communities, and I say that meaning both inside and outside of their Guard duty. prgtoken My Salt Lake City office was lucky enough to have one of these fine young soldiers, Alfredo Lopez, as an intern a few years ago. prgtoken Alfredo immigrated with his family from Peru at the age of 10, and they began to build a life here in the United States. In addition to serving the people of Utah in my State office, he also was on Active Duty with the Marine Corps before he joined the National Guard. Alfredo, in all of his endeavors in our country, has sought only to give back. He i
FILIBUSTER
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-1-26

yesterday, two ic Senators confirmed they will not provide the votes to eliminate the legislative filibuster. The senior Senator from West Virginia issued a public ``guarantee'': ``I do not support doing away with the filibuster under any condition.'' prgtoken Any chance of changing his mind? ``None whatsoever.'' prgtoken The senior Senator from Arizona made the same commitment. She opposes ending the legislative filibuster and ``is not open''--not open--``to changing her mind.'' Our colleague informed me directly last night that under no circumstances would she reverse course. prgtoken Now, it should not be news that a few Members of the majority pledge they won't tear up a central rule, but the ic leader was reluctant to repeat the step I took as majority leader in unified government when I ruled out that step on principle. prgtoken Rather than relying on the ic leader, I took the discussion directly to his Members. Basic arithmetic now ensures that there are not enough votes to break the rule. This victory will let us move forward with the 50-50 power-sharing agreement containing all the elements of the 2001 model because it will sit on the very same foundation. prgtoken I want to discuss the precipice from which the Senate has stepped back. In 2013, Senator Harry Reid began the ``nuclear'' exchange over nominations. I said would regret it. A few years later, we have many Federal judges, including three Supreme Court Justices, who were confirmed with fewer than 60 votes. prgtoken The back-and-forth exchange over nominations had one institutional silver lining, because, routinely, filibustering nominations was itself a modern invention pioneered by Senate in the 2000s. So, on nominations, for all the fighting, the Senate just simply circled back to the simple majority threshold that had been our longstanding norm on nominations; that is, on the Executive Calendar. prgtoken Legislation is very different. When it comes to lawmaking, the Framers' vision and our history are abundantly clear. The Senate exists to require deliberation and cooperation. James Madison said the Senate's job was to provide a ``complicated check''--a ``complicated check,'' he said--against ``improper acts of legislation.'' We ensure that laws earn enough buy-in to receive the lasting consent of the governed. We stop bad ideas, improve good ideas, and keep laws from swinging wildly with every election. prgtoken Our friend, Lamar Alexander, put it this way in his farewell speech. He said: ``The Senate exists to produce broad agreements on controversial issues that become laws most of us have voted for and that a diverse country will accept.'' prgtoken More than any other feature, it is the Senate's 60-vote threshold to end debate on legislation that achieves this. It ensures narrow interests cannot ignore the rest of the country. It embodies Jefferson's maxim that ``great innovations
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Todd Young (Republican, IN) \u2014 2021-1-26

I rise today to celebrate the 105th birthday of a proud Hoosier, Neva Fricke Bell, born on January 26, 1916. Neva lived through the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and many other tragedies, as well as great celebrations, including her marriage to Simeon Bell for 60 plus years, the birth of her loving children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. A Boilermaker through and through, Neva's tenacity and great style are a testament to all Hoosiers and all Americans that our great State and Nation endures and celebrates victories great and small. Happy Birthday, Neva Fricke Bell.
Filibuster (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2021-1-26

there has been a lot of talk about the legislative filibuster here in the Senate over the last few days. As we started the new Congress evenly divided between s and , the leader had proposed that the leader include a commitment to preserving the legislative filibuster and the power-sharing agreement the leaders have been working out. This should have been easy. prgtoken Less than 4 years ago, with a President in the White House and s in control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, a bipartisan group of 61 Senators affirmed their support for retaining the legislative filibuster, stating: ``We are united in our determination to preserve the ability of Members to engage in extended debate when bills are on the Senate floor.'' prgtoken There are 26--26--current ic Senators--a majority of the current ic caucus--who signed that defense of the legislative filibuster when they were in the Senate minority. It is disappointing that the leader failed to express his support for this essential Senate rule. prgtoken Nevertheless, thanks to the recent commitment from two Senate to oppose any attempt to eliminate the filibuster--a commitment which secures this key protection for minority rights-- Leader McConnell is now moving forward without a statement from the leader. prgtoken But it is worth taking a moment to reiterate why the legislative filibuster is so important. The legislative filibuster, of course, is essentially the requirement that 60 Senators agree before the Senate can end debate and vote on a bill. In other words, you need 60 percent of the Senate to agree before you can pass a bill. This usually means that you need the support of at least some Members of the other party before you can move legislation. prgtoken The party in power doesn't always enjoy that rule. All of us would like the opportunity to pass exactly the legislation that we want. But most of us recognize that it is a good requirement. prgtoken The legislative filibuster ensures that the minority is represented in the legislation. This would be important even if elections tended to break 60 to 40 or 70 to 30 in favor of one party or another. All Americans, whether or not they are in the majority, deserve to be represented. But it is particularly important when you consider that our country is pretty evenly split down the middle. prgtoken While the advantage sometimes goes to and sometimes to s, the truth is that our country is pretty evenly split, which means any attempt to disenfranchise the minority party means disenfranchising half of the country. prgtoken Of course, the party in power generally gets to accomplish more than the minority party--and that is appropriate. The country may be fairly evenly divided, but sometimes it wants to move more toward one side or the other. prgtoken What is not approp
IMPEACHMENT
Ron Johnson (Republican, WI) \u2014 2021-1-26

I would like to first thank my colleague from Kentucky for his consistent, over the years--consistent fighting, I use that word--fighting for the Constitution. I truly appreciate it, and I appreciate his raising this constitutional point of order in an hour or so. prgtoken The issue he raises is one of constitutionality versus unconstitutionality. I have been reading positions on both sides. I understand there are legitimate arguments on both sides of that question. But the fact is, 3 weeks ago, we came together in this body and we collectively decided that it was not wise, it was not smart-- regardless of the constitutionality or the ability for us to do so, it was not smart for Congress to overrule, overturn the wishes of voters and of States that certified the electors. We felt that was not wise. prgtoken Again, in a couple of hours, we are going to be voting on--we won't be able to debate, which is why I am rising today or at this moment--we are going to debate whether a trial of someone who is no longer a President, no longer a civil servant, a private citizen, whether that is constitutional or not constitutional. Again, there are good arguments on both sides. Senators will vote differently and have justification for whatever side of that argument they take. prgtoken What I would like my colleagues to consider when they decide how to vote on that is not the constitutionality or unconstitutionality of that; I want them to consider, is it wise? Will a trial of a former President, of a private citizen--will it heal? Will it unify? I think the answer is clearly it will not. A trial of a former President is simply vindictive. It will divide. It is like opening up a wound and throwing salt in it. That is not a healing process. prgtoken Again, the question when we vote on this in a couple of hours, for every Senator, should be, Is it wise? Is it the right thing to do? I think from that standpoint, the choice is very clear: It will not heal. It will not unite. prgtoken Let's put an end to this now. Let's dismiss this trial and rule it unconstitutional. prgtoken .
MORNING BUSINESS--Continued
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-1-26

throughout the Presidential campaign, President spoke often about the need to unify the country. He talked about the need for people across our great Nation to come together to empathize with one another and to mend the divisions that exist in our society. He echoed that same theme in his inaugural address, saying: Without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. prgtoken I agree with President that there is an imperative to restore unity and civility throughout our country, but for all of the talk of uniting, compromising, and working together, the early pages of this new chapter read quite differently. prgtoken For starters, there are the actions of our ic colleagues who are trying to eliminate the legislative filibuster. They have echoed and praised the President's call for unity and bipartisanship while threatening to tear down the very rules that force us to work together in a bipartisan way. We know that the filibuster, or the cloture requirement that requires 60 votes to close off debate, is designed to encourage a fulsome debate of the issues that confront 330 million Americans. It is what distinguishes the Senate from other legislative bodies. Unlike in the House of Representatives, where you need a simple majority in order to work your will, the Senate requires 60 votes to be in agreement in order to close off debate before a bill can be passed with 51 votes or more. It really forces us to do what sometimes we resist, which is to work together in a bipartisan way. The American people may believe that it is in our best interest for us to pass things on a partisan basis, but it is certainly not in their best interest. So the cloture requirement, or the filibuster rule, is designed to prevent either party from steamrolling the other, and that is a good thing prgtoken The new majority leader, the Senator from New York, has threatened to blow up the filibuster and clear a path for a sweeping, radical agenda--this despite the fact that our ic friends have themselves relied on the filibuster over the last 6 years as the minority party and that President himself, based on his 36 years of experience in the U.S. Senate, has affirmed the importance of this 60-vote requirement. I am glad that two of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle--one from West Virginia and one from Arizona--have offered their assurances that they will not vote to end the legislative filibuster, but I am disappointed that only two of our ic colleagues have done that. This should not be controversial or newsworthy to begin with. So far, the majority of Senate has made no legitimate effort to pursue President 's call for unity or bipartisanship. prgtoken Unfortunately, it is not just the actions of our ic colleagues which have caused concern. Presid
Nomination of Antony John Blinken (Executive Session)
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2021-1-26

I just remark how quickly you have risen in the Senate. So we welcome you here. prgtoken I rise today in support of Tony Blinken's nomination to be Secretary prgtoken of State. I want to thank Senator Risch for working with me expeditiously to get this nomination to the floor, and I appreciate his work and common cause to achieve it. prgtoken We all know Mr. Blinken has impressive credentials. He was confirmed by the Senate as Deputy Secretary of State, and before that, he served as the Deputy National Security Advisor and as the staff director at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But apart from his extensive experience, he showed in almost 5 hours of hearing testimony that he is thoughtful, willing, able to grapple with the most complex challenging issues facing our country, and committed to engaging Congress, and he did so on both sides of the aisle. prgtoken Not surprisingly, the Foreign Relations Committee reported him out by an overwhelming bipartisan vote. prgtoken Now, some in this body may not be aware of Mr. Blinken's family tradition, which reflects the best of this country in two ways: our history of welcoming those in need of refuge and the contributions that immigrants and refugees have made in the service of our Nation. prgtoken Mr. Blinken's family came here fleeing persecution. His grandfather, Maurice Blinken, fled Russian pogroms. His father's wife, Vera Blinken, fled communist Hungary, and his late stepfather, Samuel Pisar, survived Nazi concentration camps and met the first U.S. soldiers he saw with the only English words he knew: God bless America. And from that family, our country has benefitted from the service of two Ambassadors, an Assistant Secretary, and a Deputy Secretary of State--what a testament to the power of the American Dream. prgtoken Mr. Blinken must be confirmed so we can start addressing the challenges we face abroad. Every day there is an event or calamity across the globe, and whether it is a massacre in Ethiopia or democratic protests in Russia, we need U.S. leadership and engagement to chart our foreign policy through these troubling times. prgtoken We now have a COVID vaccine, but troubling new variants and strains are appearing in the United Kingdom and South Africa. We need a confirmed Secretary of State and a robust State Department to revitalize the traditional U.S. role as a leader on global health issues. This is just one of the many things we have to do to bring this pandemic to an end both in this country and abroad. prgtoken It is also important that Mr. Blinken be confirmed to help address the challenges we face closer to home. The State Department is suffering from a historic crisis stemming from low morale, the departure over the past 4 years of many of our most experienced diplomats, and the lack of accountability for the political leadership at the top during the last 4 years. Mr. Blinken's experience and expertise is necessary to begin
Filibuster (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-1-26

it has been my good fortune to serve in the Senate for 24 years. I have great respect for this institution and continue to believe that the men and women who serve here are extraordinary examples, by and large, of public service and that we have done great things of a historic nature. prgtoken I think of the days of the Presidency, when we had to rescue our economy, make reforms on Wall Street that made a difference, and build a public health system that we have aspired to for decades. We achieved those goals--not easily--with hard work and determination. I am glad to have been a part of it. prgtoken When I hear the leader come to the floor and talk about his memory of the Senate, I hasten to add: There is another side to the story. I will come to the floor in a few days to outline the history of the filibuster, but I am sure the Senator from Kentucky, who has been in the Senate--and his staff--in elected capacity for decades, would concede this point: Up until the 1960s, the filibuster was rarely used in this U.S. Senate. The demand for, once, 67 votes, then 60 votes was rare. prgtoken Oh, it was remembered that, in the 1960s, civil rights legislation foundered on the floor of this U.S. Senate because of the filibuster, but it was rarely applied. That changed. It changed under the Senator from Kentucky's leadership. It became so commonplace--the filibuster was being used so frequently--that it led to Senator Reid, then the ic leader, making some fundamental changes in the Senate rules. prgtoken I remember that day very well, and I remember the anguish that Senator Reid felt at the time. But he felt he had no recourse because the filibuster had become commonplace, the 60-vote requirement commonplace. prgtoken I don't know exactly what the argument is from the other side at the moment, but I think any fairminded Senator would concede the Senate is capable of doing great things; it is capable of being deliberative; yet it still can be decisive. prgtoken There comes a time when we should act. And to merely let every issue get mired down into a 60-vote requirement and filibuster and nothing come out of this Chamber as a result cannot be what our Founding Fathers envisioned for the world of the U.S. Senate. prgtoken I want to address that issue at another time in more detail, with facts and figures on the use and misuse of filibuster, but at this moment I would like to raise another question, which is related.
RECOGNIZING GORHAM MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL'S SOPHOMORE STUDENT COUNCIL
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2021-1-26

I am proud to recognize the Sophomore Student Council at Gorham Middle & High School as December's Granite Staters of the Month. When a vendor accidentally sent extra chocolate as part of the Sophomore Student Council's fundraiser, the students launched a new effort. Instead of reselling the surplus chocolate to benefit their class, they decided to sell the extra chocolate to benefit their school's food pantry. prgtoken Like most events this year, the Sophomore Student Council modified a fundraiser that they would typically hold in-person to be an online event. One of the participants in the fundraiser, the aunt of Sophomore Student Council Representative Emma LaPierre, bought three boxes of chocolate to benefit her niece's class. However, instead of receiving the expected three boxes of chocolate, she received three entire cases of chocolate. The vendor, World's Finest Chocolate, was alerted to the mistake, but due to safety concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic, said that they could not take the chocolate back. Emma, along with other members of the Sophomore Student Council, decided that rather than sell the extra chocolate to profit their class, they would use the additional funds to benefit their school's food and supply pantry. After selling the chocolate at a reduced rate, the students successfully raised $200 for the pantry, which provides weekend meals, snacks, and school supplies to any student in need. Following the students' efforts, a local paper published an article about the fundraiser, which inspired a couple in the community to send a $100 check to the school to benefit their food and supply pantry. prgtoken Emma and the other students in Gorham's Sophomore Student Council exemplify the way that small acts of kindness can make a big difference in a community. Their selfless decision to raise money on behalf of a community-wide resource, rather than keep the funds for their class, helped to spur other acts of kindness in their community from which the whole school and community benefited. I am honored to recognize their efforts and proud that their efforts reflect the Granite State's core value--the belief that individuals should step up when they see a problem--and that when they do, their actions have a ripple effect that strengthens the entire community. The Gorham Sophomore Student Council has done just that.