mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING FLORIDA BLUE KEY
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-3-30

today I recognize Florida Blue Key and the celebration of their centennial anniversary. One hundred years ago in 1923, Florida Blue Key was founded at the University of Florida to foster leadership and service. Since that time, Florida Blue Key members have served their State and our country at every level of government, including here in the U.S. Senate. I had the honor of being inducted into Florida Blue Key in 2014 and was preceded in this body by fellow Members, including Lawton Chiles, Bob Graham, Connie Mack, Bill Nelson, Marco Rubio, and George Smathers. Today, Florida Blue Key serves as the oldest leadership honorary in the Sunshine State and continues to graduate its membership into law, medicine, business, and government. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Florida Blue Key and wish them continued success in the years to come.
CONGRATULATING CITY OF FLORENCE
Russell Fry (Republican, SC) \u2014 2023-3-30

. Madam , I rise today to extend my congratulations to the city of Florence for being awarded the 2023 Great American Main Street Award by Main Street America, an award that hasn't been given to another South Carolina city for 20 years. prgtoken This is such a well-deserved recognition of the city of Florence's dedication to preserving its history and culture and maintaining a thriving community. prgtoken Downtown Florence is booming with restaurants and local businesses, residential growth, and community involvement, and I am thrilled that the city has received this national recognition of their dedicated work to create such a great place to live. prgtoken I am looking forward to seeing the continued success of the city of Florence, as it is such a vital part of the Pee Dee region of our State.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2023-3-30

. If I can respond very quickly because I know the floor is backed up, and I know we want to get back on schedule. prgtoken First of all, I really appreciate the kind remarks from the Senator from New Jersey. He is a dear friend. I am a former resident of his State, and I first heard his name when I lived there about 25 years ago. prgtoken I have always enjoyed working with him, and I appreciate the dignified manner in which he responded to this request today. He drew the short stick, and you have got a job to do. I get it. prgtoken I do look forward to working with you on this because I suspect you and I could get to the point where we agree on this. I would love nothing more than to add you as a cosponsor, but the bottom line is, I haven't reviewed what Senator Sanders has submitted through Senator Booker, but I look forward to doing that. prgtoken I surmise, based on the summary, that these are relying on certain experts, some of the same experts who have given some phenomenally bad advice, much of which turned out to be wrong; the same experts who told us it didn't leak from a lab; the same experts who told us that it wouldn't spread among the vaccinated; the same experts who have told us that we should have to mask 2-year-old children when getting on a plane; that there would be no adverse consequences from sending children to school during COVID and that it was absolutely necessary and apparent to do so--some of the same experts who tell us to vaccinate young children, sometimes infants, with this particular vaccine. prgtoken So I have great reluctance to defer to those same experts, when especially--especially considering the fact that even though some of those very same experts are telling us not to end the public health emergency, we have now prgtoken done so, and President is going to sign that into law. prgtoken Let's end the madness of deference to experts who have been proven time and time again to be wrong.
REFORMING FOREST MANAGEMENT
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2023-3-30

. Madam , yesterday the House included two of my prgtoken amendments into H.R. 1. Both amendments are important fire prevention measures that make northern California and rural America safer. prgtoken While we can't prevent the outbreak of every fire, we can certainly take steps to reduce the likelihood and severity of wildfire outbreaks. prgtoken The first of the amendments was called the CARR Act, which would allow the Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management to thin forests and manage vegetation within 300 feet of roadways along these Federal lands. prgtoken This amendment is in response to the 2018 Carr fire, which happened near Redding, California. It spread rapidly due to overgrown vegetation near the road on Park Service land. Even the term ``firenado'' came from that fire. prgtoken The second amendment, the CLEAR Zones Act, allows us to easily clear unhealthy or hazardous trees within 50 feet of power lines. It is especially important for my district, as several fires in the past, most notably the devastating 2018 Camp Fire which devoured Paradise, California, started near power lines--in these cases either by trees falling into power lines or by equipment that is faulty. prgtoken Both of these amendments are prudent fire prevention measures that reduce the risk of fire outbreaks. They will help keep our air and water clean, our wildlife safe, and our forests green. This is good reform to help keep our forests as we would see them.
REMEMBERING RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSON
Mike Rounds (Republican, SD) \u2014 2023-3-30

on April 2, we recognize the life and leadership of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, a global spiritual leader known universally as the Rebbe and head of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. prgtoken The Rebbe was born in 1902 and lived through the darkest periods of history, the evils of Russian communism and the horrors of Nazi Germany. In 1941, the Rebbe and his wife Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka arrived safely on the shores of the United States. He volunteered at the Brooklyn Navy Yard using his engineering skills to assist our Nation during World War II and worked tirelessly to rebuild and guide after the Holocaust. prgtoken During those difficult years, the Rebbe established a program that arranged for rabbinical students to travel across the country to visit Jewish farmers, U.S. servicemembers, and others isolated from their families or communities. This included locations such as the 335th Army Air Force Base Unit in Sioux Falls, Ellsworth Air Force Base, and communities across South Dakota. This program still exists today, and these rabbinical students sent by the Rebbe are often the only connection many local Jews have with their faith. prgtoken Under the Rebbe's leadership, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement has become the world's largest Jewish educational organization with more than 3,500 permanent centers in all 50 States, including in my home State of South Dakota, and in 109 countries around the world. It is thanks to the Rebbe's vision that our State has its first rabbi in almost 40 years with the establishment of the Chabad Jewish Center of South Dakota. prgtoken The Rebbe extolled America's unique role as a superpower and had meaningful relationships with several of our Nation's leaders who saw him as the moral guide of so many. For the Rebbe, America was a beacon of light of historic proportions to be utilized in influencing the moral betterment of all humanity. He urged us all to become ambassadors for goodness and kindness and explained that education must not be limited to the tools needed for making a good living, but rather focus on the ethics, morals, and values that have always been the basis of any decent society. prgtoken For more than four decades, every U.S. President has declared the annual observance of Education and Sharing Day in honor of the anniversary of the Rebbe's birth, in recognition of his contributions to the betterment of education for all people. In 1995, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions toward education, morality, and acts of charity. prgtoken Education and Sharing Day represents an excellent opportunity for us to reflect on the Rebbe's vision and leadership and to embrace his teachings that starting with moral education, we each do our part to increase in goodness and kindness.
Amendment No. 35 Offered by Mr. Smith of New Jersey
Jefferson Van Drew (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2023-3-30

again, I thank the chairman for his help and his support. I thank the Congressman, Dr. Andy , for traveling the great distance to New Jersey to be at the hearing that we had in the field. I thank Congressman Chris Smith for his support and traveling, as well, and I thank Congressman Scott Perry. They were all there. prgtoken , I rise today in support of my amendment and to clear up the misconceptions that continue to float around amongst the mainstream media, this administration, and pro-wind advocacy groups, and highlight what is nothing less than an existential threat to our coastlines and the millions of people and communities who rely upon them. prgtoken Proponents of offshore wind claim that it is a necessary step in order to transition the United States to clean energy. Yet, oddly enough, BOEM's own environmental impact statement admits that offshore wind will have no impact of any substance on combating climate change and will, in fact, increase greenhouse gas emissions. prgtoken Proponents say that it will stimulate economic activity and create thousands of U.S. jobs. Yet, offshore wind turbines are being constructed in Europe and China and not in the United States, and offshore wind companies are attempting to circumvent the Jones Act so they can use cheaper foreign vessels and cheaper crews. prgtoken Plus, BOEM has admitted that commercial fisheries will have to--this is important--completely abandon their fishing grounds as a result of offshore wind. Destroying one job to create another is not job creation. prgtoken Let's talk about the offshore wind companies themselves. prgtoken Orsted, which is building offshore wind farms off of New Jersey's coast, is based in Denmark and used to go by the name Danish Oil and Natural Gas. prgtoken Equinor, which is building offshore wind farms off of New York, is based in Norway and is a self-described petroleum refining company. prgtoken British Petroleum, BP, which is building offshore wind farms off of New York and Massachusetts, is based in England. prgtoken Avangrid, which is building offshore wind farms off Connecticut, has its parent company based in Spain. prgtoken These are foreign-owned companies that have bought millions--not thousands, I am not exaggerating here--millions of acres of our ocean, our American ocean, in the Atlantic and intend to expand into the Gulf, Pacific Ocean, and our Great Lakes, as well. prgtoken Every great body of water this country is blessed with will now be at the mercy of foreign-owned energy companies, thanks to the administration. prgtoken More than 50 percent of our energy, if this plan were to go to fruition, would come from foreign countries. We would rely upon them, and they would not be under our control. That is shameful. prgtoken They say that the surveying and construction of these offshore wind farms are not resulting in marine mammal deaths. Well, , I have lived there, a
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2023-3-30

earlier this week, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. prgtoken Under Secretary Mayorkas's leadership over these last 2 years, we have seen more than 4.8 million migrants encountered at the southern border. We have seen deadly drugs pouring into our country, killing more than 108,000 Americans in a single year. There is no question but that the transnational criminal organizations, known as the cartels, are fueling the chaos and the destruction. prgtoken When Attorney General Merrick Garland testified before the Judiciary Committee just a few weeks earlier, I brought up the role that the cartels were playing in this ongoing crisis. I asked the Attorney General if he was familiar with the business model of the cartels: Flood the border with migrants, overwhelm law enforcement, and then allow the movement of the illegal drugs across the border and into the interior of the United States. prgtoken Attorney General Garland said, yes, he was aware--not only that, he highlighted actions that he had taken at the Department of Justice to crack down on these operations. prgtoken Earlier this week, when I posed the same question to Secretary Mayorkas--I asked if he was familiar with this tried-and-true strategy of the cartels, and he was clueless. He said: I am not aware of any such strategy. prgtoken I don't know how that could possibly be true. This is a well-known tactic that has been used throughout Secretary Mayorkas's tenure. One of the most notable examples was in 2021 when the small town of Del Rio, TX, all of a sudden was flooded with 15,000 migrants from Haiti. Thirty-five thousand people live in that small town, and they were overwhelmed by the huge volume of people from--I know it is hard to imagine but from Haiti. prgtoken To state the obvious, the Del Rio Border Patrol Sector doesn't have the capacity to process or care for that many individuals at one time. In an attempt to help, the administration moved agents from other checkpoints to the sector where the surge was happening. But, after all, that is exactly what the cartels had hoped for. As there was a surge of agents to Del Rio, that left other portions of the border unprotected. prgtoken Administration officials later told congressional staff that this massive surge of migrants was a coordinated effort by the cartels. They directed Haitian migrants to a single location so that other areas would be left uncovered and clear a path for their illicit trade. prgtoken Officials from the administration admitted that this surge was coordinated by the cartels, but yet the Secretary of Homeland Security is unaware? How could that possibly be? Secretary Mayorkas is either trying to deceive the Senate or he is completely unaware of the reality on the ground. I think both of those are fireable offenses. Either you are lying or you are completely oblivious to the threat to public
IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE MAYOR RALPH T. BROWN, JR.
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2023-4-3

I rise today to honor a dedicated father, loving son, inspiring brother, and purposeful public Servant, dutiful soldier, and friend of longstanding, Mayor Ralph T. Brown, Jr. Sadly, Mayor Brown passed from labor to reward on March 24, 2023. A funeral service to celebrate his remarkable life was held on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at the Josh Gibson Center in Buena Vista, Georgia. prgtoken The journey of Mayor Ralph Brown began on January 10, 1960, when he was born to the union of Marie Fudge Brown and the late Ralph T. Brown, Sr. in Buena Vista, Marion County, Georgia. He was educated in the Marion County School System, graduating in 1977 from Tri-County High School. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1980 and served honorably as an Administrative Specialist and Recruiter. prgtoken During his service, he received numerous awards and commendations including Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Advance Level, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbons, M16 Expert Qualification Badge Driver and Mechanic Badge, and Driver-W, U.S. Army, Gold Recruiter Badge. His duty stations included Ft. Knox, Kentucky, USARB Columbus, RC, and Overseas. He retired as Sergeant First Class with 21 years of service. prgtoken After retiring from the Army, Mayor Brown moved back to his beloved Buena Vista, eager to make a difference. He quickly became involved in the community, ultimately being elected Mayor. Mayor Brown served the citizens of Buena Vista with great distinction from 2000 to 2020, following in the footsteps of his mother who served on the City Council and as Mayor Pro Tem. Mayor Brown was a consensus builder during his time as Mayor. He prgtoken was always looking for common ground with his ultimate goal being the betterment of Buena Vista. He retired as Mayor in 2020 and passed the baton to his brother, Mayor Kevin Brown, continuing the family tradition of public service. Mayor Brown's propensity for service did not stop at the Mayor's Office. He was a community specialist with the West Central Georgia Community Action Council and a program coordinator with The Student Transition and Recovery Program (STAR) Program at the Macon County Board of Education. Mayor Brown was also a member of the American Legion Post 309 and the Mayor of Georgia Committee. The great agricultural chemist George Washington Carver once said that ``How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.'' Mayor Ralph Brown was concerned about the ``least of these'' during his life and made that passion his life's work. prgtoken But more than that, he was driven by his faith. God ordered the steps of his life. He was a dedicated member of the
RECOGNIZING THE SPRINGFIELD INTERNATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM
Richard E. Neal (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2023-4-3

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Springfield International Charter School Girls Basketball Team on winning the Division V Massachusetts State Championship. This milestone achievement deserves the highest praise for the hard work and dedication of these exemplary athletes and coaches. Despite the countless challenges posed by this unprecedented season, the perseverance and commitment to success demonstrated throughout the year led their team to victory on this major stage in high school basketball. prgtoken The 2022-23 MIAA High School Girls Basketball Division V Tournament brought 47 of the most elite high school basketball teams from across the state to compete for this year's State Championship. Members of the Springfield International Charter School Girls Basketball Team not only performed with exceptional mental and physical fortitude, but also displayed remarkable sportsmanship and character on their path to victory. They represented the First District of Massachusetts with great honor and distinction, and I am confident that the lessons learned during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will serve these young women well in their future endeavors. prgtoken The Springfield International Charter School Girls Basketball Team was led by their Head Coach, Tyrone Reid, who has provided crucial guidance and instrumental mentorship to his young athletes both on and off the hardwood. Coach Reid was assisted by Assistant Coaches Tom Campagna, Brandie Seymour, and Shyanne Wellington, and the victorious student athletes are Allanah Chambers, Dezmariah Collazo, Alexa Davis, Iyanna Hodge, Alicia Mitchell, Hailey Morin, Sara Pierce, Jaida Polk, Meiah Wise, Noelani Santiago, Jala Witherspoon, Olivia Dailey, Giavanna Mars, and Angel Stewart. prgtoken , I would like to once again acknowledge the Springfield International Charter School Girls Basketball Team for their superb achievement. I am proud of this group, and I wish them much continued success.
HONORING THE BIRTH DATE OF THE REBBE AND REMEMBERING HIS LIFE AND LEGACY
Dusty Johnson (Republican, SD) \u2014 2023-4-3

I rise today to recognize the life and leadership of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, a global spiritual leader known universally as the Rebbe, and head of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. prgtoken The Rebbe was born in 1902, and lived through the darkest periods of history, the evils of Russian communism, and the horrors of Nazi Germany. In 1941, the Rebbe and his wife Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, arrived safely on the shores of the United States, where he worked tirelessly to rebuild and guide a demoralized world Jewry after the Holocaust. prgtoken With brilliant Talmudic and Hasidic scholarship, deep insight into the human condition, and his love for all of God's creatures the Rebbe exemplified an ideal and value that we need today: give of ourselves selflessly for the betterment of those around us. prgtoken The Rebbe encouraged rabbinical students to travel across the country to visit Jewish farmers, U.S. servicemen, and those isolated from their families or larger communities. This includes Ellsworth Air Force Base, and cities and towns across South Dakota. The rabbinical students sent by the Rebbe are often the only Jewish connection locals have with their faith. prgtoken The Rebbe urged all people to become ambassadors for goodness and kindness and explained that education must not be limited to the academics needed for making a good living, but rather focus on the ethics, morals, and values that have always been the basis of decent societies. prgtoken One result of the Rebbe's leadership is the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which, by following his teachings and example, became the world's largest Jewish educational organization. Today, there are more than 3,500 permanent Chabad-Lubavitch centers providing educational, religious, and humanitarian programming in all 50 States and 109 countries around the world. It is thanks to the Rebbe's vision that our state has its first rabbi in almost forty years, with the establishment of the Chabad Jewish Center of South Dakota. prgtoken The Rebbe extolled America's unique role as a global superpower and had meaningful relationships with several of our nation's leaders who saw him as the moral guide of so many. For the Rebbe, America is a beacon of light to be utilized in influencing the betterment of all humanity, and he often pointed to the words in God we trust enshrined on our currency as a defining element of the great American story. prgtoken For more than four decades, every U.S. president declared the annual observance of Education and Sharing Day in honor of the anniversary of the Rebbe's birth, and in recognition of his contributions to the betterment of moral education for all people. It is to the eternal merit of our country and this august body that we honored the Rebbe's outstanding and enduring contributions toward world education, morality, and acts of charity by awarding him the Congressional Gold Medal. prgtoken Education and Sharing Day represents an excel