mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Unanimous Consent Request--H.R. 8281 (Executive Calendar)
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2024-7-11

one citizen, one vote--today, this foundational principle is under attack. It is under attack because President refuses to enforce the law. Now we face a direct threat to our entire electoral system. prgtoken Consider this: Since President 's inauguration on January 20, 2021, over 10 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States. This figure exceeds the populations of 36 States, creating a crisis that has been met with troubling silence and inaction from far too many on the other side of the aisle. prgtoken With millions of unauthorized people now on U.S. soil, living here in the United States, the potential for election fraud through ineligible voting is not just a hypothetical risk--no; it is a looming reality. prgtoken With the influx of noncitizens under this administration, even if just a fraction--let's just say something like 1 in 100--were to vote, this could translate to hundreds of thousands of votes, enough to sway our tightly contested elections and potentially alter their outcomes. prgtoken This is deeply concerning considering that a recent study showed that noncitizens have ample openings to vote illegally. It found that anywhere from 10 to 27 percent of noncitizens are registered to vote and 5 to 13 percent of noncitizens do actually vote in Presidential elections, no less. prgtoken Across the Nation, instances abound where States have inadvertently facilitated this very crisis. From unsolicited voter registration forms being mailed out to noncitizens to driver's licenses issued without adequate checks, practices relying merely on the honesty of illegal aliens have opened up the floodgates to voter fraud. prgtoken While it is true that it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections, there are no effective systems in place to verify the citizenship of voters. A mere check on a box is all it takes, with little risk of being caught. In short, you are on the honor system with those forms. prgtoken Federal law even prohibits States from requiring proof of citizenship when registering voters via Federal forms. So it is not just that the States aren't doing an adequate job of verifying citizenship as a condition precedent to registering to vote in a Federal election; they are prohibited by law from doing so. prgtoken An increasing number of localities permit noncitizens to votes in local elections, and this makes it even worse. It further blurs the distinctions that are there that have historically been meant to protect the integrity of our elections. prgtoken Prominent have openly discussed these tactics, in many instances as beneficial to their agenda, as likely to help their political ambitions. Only months ago, every Senate voted to count illegal aliens in the census to help them shore up more seats in Congress and consequently more votes in the electoral college. prgtoken This cannot continue. It is our responsibility, our im
TRIBUTE TO SUZANNE DOWNING
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2024-7-11

I rise today to pay a special tribute to a very special Alaskan, Suzanne Downing. Suzanne turned 70 this year, and--big news for Alaska--sold her news site Must Read Alaska to businessman Jon Faulkner of Homer, who has already prgtoken done a great job with it. So thank you, Jon. prgtoken Established in 2015, Must Read Alaska is a conservative online site that has a huge impact in Alaska. Suzanne's reporting gives voice to issues and opinions that a large part of our State can't get elsewhere, particularly in her unwavering commitment to holding the mainstream media accountable or, as Suzanne puts it, ``at least on their toes.'' prgtoken Tens of thousands of Alaskans read Suzanne's stories on Must Read every day, in part because of her crisp prose and her point of view, but also because she is so prolific. She works 10-hour days, at least, writing two, sometimes three or more stories a day, covering local political races, national issues, foreign policy, you name it. Must Read Alaska has been so successful in Alaska in large part because she offers an outlet for conservative voices and ideas, but also because of her knowledge on many different subjects, particularly on all things Alaska. This is knowledge that comes from real world experiences, the kind of varied experiences that so many journalists lack today. prgtoken So let me talk briefly about Suzanne's interesting background. Suzanne moved to Alaska as a child in 1969, only 10 years after statehood. She lived with her family along Auke Bay near the capital city of Juneau in a small cabin on the water. Juneau would eventually be her home as an adult. In Juneau, she worked in various capacities: in the state legislature, at the University of Alaska Southeast, in shops in downtown Juneau, and as an editor of the Juneau Empire. She worked in commercial fishing in Cook Inlet and on a crab boat out of Kodiak. As I said, she has an interesting background, and there is more. prgtoken Eventually, Suzanne became a mom and finished her technical writing degree at Oregon State University. She got a job as a reporter and editor on Bainbridge Island in Washington State for the island's weekly newspaper. After 3 years, Alaska called Suzanne home once again, and she was hired as the Sunday editor of the Juneau Empire, eventually working her way to full-time editor. prgtoken Suzanne then moved to Georgia, where she was the editorial page editor for 3 years for the Augusta Chronicle before meeting her husband Patrick Yack. They moved to Florida, where she worked in the inner city for Fresh Ministries, an Episcopalian group which offered wrap-around services for the poor. prgtoken After Hurricane Katrina hit, she created a ministry called ``Neighbors to the Rescue,'' which connected volunteers to families who had escaped the path of the hurricane and could not return to their Louisiana homes. prgtoken The cutting-edge technology she deployed in ``Neighbors to t
TRIBUTE TO LYNN HELMS
Kevin Cramer (Republican, ND) \u2014 2024-7-11

I rise to honor the 26 years of distinguished service of a remarkable North Dakota public servant who retired June 30. prgtoken Lynn Helms, longtime director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, has been an invaluable and supportive resource to me in the U.S. Senate, as he was when I served in the House of Representatives and the North Dakota Public Service Commission. Through all these years, he made himself available whenever I asked, testifying at hearings, meeting with other lawmakers and regulators, and always providing wise and valued counsel to me and my staff. prgtoken He is a treasure, not just to North Dakota, but to the entire energy industry. He is a spectacular regulator who understands the role of regulation, the role of rich mineral resources in North Dakota, and the contribution of these resources to American security and America's economy. prgtoken In the Senate, I worked with him on several efforts and initiatives. A notable collaboration included the REGROW Act, a bipartisan bill to remediate the Nation's orphaned wells, which was built off the State program Lynn implemented. His leadership helped secure its inclusion in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law on November 2021. prgtoken A graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Lynn spent his early years as a petroleum engineer with Texaco and the Hess Corporation. Since 1998, as the director of the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division and now the Department of Mineral Resources, he has had a front row seat to oil and gas development in our State. Through the ups and downs and challenges and triumphs, he helped steer North Dakota's petroleum industry through decades of responsible growth. prgtoken He is the consummate professional, explaining to all of us the intricate challenges of regulating the drilling and production of North Dakota's oil and gas resources. His genial demeanor and steady voice during his 26 years with the State helped us all navigate through this epic time in our State's history. prgtoken Today, North Dakota's economy is thriving due to the sensible energy development policies and reasonable regulations the State has championed. As a leading oil producing State, North Dakota's petroleum industry enhances the quality of life for our residents now and well into the future. prgtoken During Lynn's tenure, the State's average daily oil production increased from 99,217 barrels per day in 1998 to an alltime high of 1,519,037 in 2019 before stabilizing. Under his supervision, natural gas capture also reached an alltime high of more than 3.5 billion cubic feet per day. prgtoken It will take decades for the impact of Lynn Helms' contributions to our State to be adequately measured. On a personal note, I will miss working with him as a valued colleague. On behalf of all North Dakotans, I thank him for his years of service to the State of North Dakota. I co
DEFENDING VIETNAMESE ACTIVISTS
Michelle Steel (Republican, CA) \u2014 2024-7-11

I rise to demand the release of Y Quynh Bdap and Nguyen Thuy Hanh. prgtoken Y Quynh Bdap is a Vietnamese activist religious minority who has lived as a refugee in Thailand since 2018, where he is pending extradition to Communist Vietnam. He will likely face torture and lengthy prison time. This extradition would be a severe violation of human rights promises made by Thailand. prgtoken Nguyen Thuy Hanh is a human rights activist currently imprisoned in Vietnam. Her detention is not only unjust but even more horrific as she is also undergoing chemotherapy for stage II cervical cancer. prgtoken I call on U.S. and Thai diplomats to secure the release of these brave activists. I also call on the Vietnamese Government to stop trampling on the human rights of their own citizens.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2024-7-11

last month's arrest of eight men from Tajikistan with suspected ties to ISIS further underscores what we have known for a long time, and that is that President 's 3-year-plus border crisis is a threat to our national security. All eight of these individuals had made their way into our country across our southern border, and they are hardly the only dangerous individuals to have made their way into our country on President 's watch. prgtoken An illegal immigrant who had successfully evaded the Border Patrol to enter the United States has been arrested for the murder of a mother in Maryland. An illegal immigrant released into the country on parole has been charged with the murder of a nursing student in Georgia. Two illegal immigrants are charged with the killing of a 12-year-old girl in Texas. prgtoken Unfortunately, I could go on. prgtoken In another alarming case, 50 out of 400 illegal immigrants who entered the United States through an ISIS-linked smuggling network are still unaccounted for. It is, of course, impossible to predict or stop every crime, but the chaos at our southern border that President has allowed to rage for 3-plus years has unquestionably created an environment that facilitates the entry of dangerous individuals into our country. prgtoken Since President took office, approximately 10 million individuals, that we know of, have made their way illegally into our country--10 million. prgtoken That is larger than the population of the vast majority of American States. We have had 3 successive years of record-breaking illegal immigration on President 's watch--3. And we can only hope that we will manage to avoid yet a fourth. prgtoken The situation is so bad that President finally realized that if he didn't do something, his disastrous record on the border might tank his reelection prospects. And while it would be nice if the executive action he took last month had been motivated by the clear national security dangers the situation presents and not by fear of losing an election, at least he finally conceded that he had to do something-- inadequate and full of exemptions as it might be. prgtoken But while this might--and I emphasize ``might''--be a case of better late than never, I am afraid it is also a case of too little, too late. Because a tremendous amount of damage has been done that President can't fix, even if he should succeed in restricting future flows. prgtoken As I said, roughly 10 million illegal immigrants have entered our country on President 's watch. And while I am sure that many of these individuals were simply in search of a better life, we can be pretty confident that there are others, like the recently arrested individuals with suspected ties to ISIS, who have more malign intentions. prgtoken Of particular concern are the roughly 1.8 million known ``got- aways.'' Those are individuals who the Border Patrol prgtoken saw but
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-7-11

I rise at a time of widespread and acute peril for the national security of the United States and for America's allies. Led by China, our enemies and our adversaries--Russia, Iran, North Korea--are actively cooperating to target us and our allies all over the world. In extreme cases, they seek nothing less than the physical annihilation of the countries they are targeting. prgtoken In Europe, Russia has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In Asia, China is engaged in day-by-day aggression against our allies and is threatening another full-scale invasion of Taiwan. And in the Middle East, Israel is fighting for its survival in the face of a war of extermination being waged against it by the Iranian regime. October 7 was the worst 1-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. Iran and its terrorists have attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip, from Lebanon, from Syria, from Judea and Samaria, from Yemen, from Iraq, and from Iran. prgtoken And what has the administration's policy been? Since the opening days of this administration, they have pursued an obscene policy of denying weapons to our allies while allowing resources to flow to our enemies. prgtoken They immediately halted arms to our Arab allies that they were using against Iran's Houthi terrorists while lifting sanctions simultaneously on the Houthi terrorists. The Houthis immediately launched a vast offensive and today are significantly blocking shipping through the Red Sea. The administration denied critical weapons such as ATACMS to Ukraine at a period that they could have stalled Russia's offensive, providing both time and space for Iran to flood drones to be used by Russian forces against Ukraine. prgtoken And, of course, the administration flooded unaccountable hundreds of millions of dollars into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which they knew would benefit Hamas. sent that money to Gaza, even though he was warned that the money would inevitably go to Hamas and be used for terrorism. prgtoken I joined 19 Senators in making that point explicitly: If you send this money to Gaza, it will be used by Hamas for terrorism. And we now know that the administration agreed with me. The administration concluded that it was ``highly likely''--that is their assessment--``highly likely'' that the money going to Gaza would be used by Hamas for terrorism. prgtoken Now, ordinarily, under U.S. anti-terrorism law, that is the end of the matter. If it is highly likely the money will be used for terrorism, you don't send it. prgtoken Do you know what they did instead? They waived our anti-terrorism law and said: Send it anyway. prgtoken I guess they are OK if Hamas uses U.S. dollars to murder Israelis because that is exactly what happened. prgtoken After October 7, the administration didn't change. Even after October 7, the administration has slowed and halted critical weapons that our Israeli allies need to co
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2025
Don Bacon (Republican, NE) \u2014 2024-7-11

. Mr. Chair, to this amendment. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I do recognize the concerns of Mr. Huizenga. I think they should be corrected, but there is a lot of goodness in this program as well. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. prgtoken Earlier this year we mourned the murder of Alexei Navalny by Putin, an anticorruption activist and courageous leader of the political opposition to Putin of Russia. prgtoken Navalny's legacy of leadership has been recognized and honored all around the world. prgtoken While many are familiar with the renowned life of Alexei Navalny, most do not know he first came to America in his early twenties under a congressional exchange program for emerging world leaders, the same program this amendment now seeks to defund. prgtoken The Congressional Office for International Leadership was founded in 1999 to promote democracy and accountable governance. For more than two decades, COIL has been investing in the best and brightest young leaders from around the world to show them how government of, by, and for the people functions and remains accountable to the people it serves. prgtoken Since 1999, COIL has introduced more than 30,000 young leaders to the United States of America to see firsthand what self-government looks like at the Federal, State, local, and Tribal levels in all 50 States, all for about $6 million a year. prgtoken I have hosted three of those delegations, two from Vietnam, and one from Papua New Guinea. I was surprised to see the Vietnamese members who came here from the initial parliament in Vietnam, the seeds of democracy that we want to water, nurture, and grow. prgtoken So, , the COIL program promotes and inspires America's foundational values. I ask my colleagues to join me in opposing the amendment which would end one of the most cost-effective ways the United States Congress, the most powerful and consequential legislative body in the world, has to grow and inspire America's future allies and partners around the world.
HONORING DAVE TOLLIVER
Carol D. Miller (Republican, WV) \u2014 2024-7-11

I rise today to posthumously recognize Mr. Dave Tolliver. prgtoken Dave was born to William and Emma Tolliver on September 5, 1947, in Pierpont, West Virginia, and he passed away on Monday, June 3, of this year. prgtoken Dave leaves behind him a long legacy of dedication to his community, his State, and his country. prgtoken Throughout his life, Dave took on many important roles. He proudly served in the United States Army, 101st Airborne Division, became an ambulance driver for the Wyoming General Hospital, and worked for the Beckley Fire Department. He also worked as a school bus driver for the Raleigh County Board of Education and eventually ended up working in the local government where he served as a county commissioner in Raleigh County. prgtoken His fellow commissioners have credited him with providing 98 percent of the county with water. In a State as mountainous and rural as West Virginia where the majority of the people rely on private wells, this was no small feat. prgtoken Dave was an honorable man and a kind man who had a servant's heart and cared deeply for his community. I am so grateful I was able to work with him in my capacity as a Member of Congress. prgtoken Dave leaves behind him a wife, two children, and many, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We are going to miss him. God bless you, Dave.
CELEBRATING PLANT VOGTLE
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2024-7-11

I rise today to celebrate Georgia's Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 for winning POWER's Plant of the Year Award. prgtoken For 30 years, America hadn't seen the full construction of a nuclear reactor until the construction of Plant Vogtle's Units 3 and 4. Now, 25 percent of the State of Georgia's electricity is sourced from nuclear power. That is due to Vogtle Units 3 and 4 entering operations in 2023 and 2024. prgtoken Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power, and Dalton Utilities should be proud of their years of hard work cemented in this landmark construction and acknowledged with this fantastic award. The construction has also led to thousands of new jobs for Georgians in addition to the clean, reliable baseload energy being supplied to households across the State. prgtoken Plant Vogtle has done a great job innovating ways to provide the best service to the people of Georgia. I congratulate and thank them.
GROWING CONCERNS
Kevin Kiley (Republican, CA) \u2014 2024-7-11

every year, millions of high schoolers across the country who are interested in pursuing higher education fill out the Federal prgtoken Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. prgtoken The FAFSA is designed to make post-secondary education accessible and affordable for students across the United States and let students know what Federal student aid, Pell grants, or work-study programs are available to them. prgtoken Traditionally, the FAFSA is released by October 1 every year, giving students, families, and schools plenty of time to decide what post- secondary education is right for them. Unfortunately, the Department of Education under President has been unable to meet this standard. As early as 2022, the Department of Education refused to commit to the traditional October 1 release of the FAFSA application for the 2024- 2025 school year. prgtoken , 6 months later, in March, the Department finally admitted that it would be delayed until ``sometime in December,'' only to reveal in November that the launch date would be on December 31, the very end of December. prgtoken When the forms were finally released, processing of completed FAFSAs was delayed for months. Once processing finally began, millions contained calculation errors, rendering them useless for schools and requiring reprocessing. This caused great confusion for schools and families, and schools were forced to push back deadlines, causing uncertainty and stress for fall enrollment as if the process of applying for college isn't stressful enough. prgtoken Current law recommends FAFSA be released by October 1 but allows the Department of Education to delay the FAFSA release until January 1. Last year, the Department abused the statutory gap and continually failed to give a clear date for when the FAFSA would be released. prgtoken That is why I am cosponsoring a piece of legislation that passed the Committee on Education and the Workforce yesterday, the FAFSA Deadline Act. The FAFSA Deadline Act gives students, families, and schools much- needed clarity and stability by ensuring the FAFSA is released on October 1. prgtoken Choosing the right college is stressful, and students and families should not have to deal with added uncertainty from the Department of Education. This legislation will prevent any future delayed rollouts by the Department of Education. prgtoken I am proud to have supported it in committee, to be a cosponsor. I am hoping it will soon pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by the President. Preserving Lake Tahoe