mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SERVICEMEMBER QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT AND NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
John James (Republican, MI) \u2014 2024-6-14

. Mr. Chair, this amendment revises section 1725 of the base text to strengthen the current reporting language regarding South Africa by including my legislation, H.R. 7256, the U.S.-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act, that passed a House Foreign Affairs Committee markup with strong bipartisan support back in March. prgtoken This legislation would simply require the administration to make a determination on whether South Africa's actions are undermining the United States' national security or foreign policy interests and conduct a full review of the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and South Africa. prgtoken The only way that this would be threatening is if the ANC is actually undermining the United States and our partnership with the South African people. It is important to show the South African people that the United States is aware of its plight, and it is important to show the American people that we will no longer be played for fools. prgtoken Mr. Chair, on March 20, 2024, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee reminded us that a year and a half ago, the administration put out a U.S. strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa. How is that going? In the last year and a half, in Sudan, there have been 10 million displaced, 15,000 fatalities, and 5 million on the brink of starvation. prgtoken The world's largest humanitarian crisis rages while external actors fuel the fight without repercussion. prgtoken In the last year and a half, across the Sahel, the epidemic of coups has resulted in severe democratic retreating with the forced withdrawal of U.S. military personnel from Niger being the latest example. prgtoken In the last year and a half, in Central Africa, the conflict in eastern DRC threatens to escalate and destabilize the entire region. prgtoken In the last year and a half, in Ethiopia, 15,000 to 30,000 have already died; 8 million have fled their homes; and 25 million people, including 14 million children, are in desperate need of food, water, and medicine. prgtoken Mr. Chair, in the past year and a half, the situation on the Continent of Africa has gotten even more bleak. Are we so naive to believe that the same U.S. strategy that got it so wrong throughout the rest of sub-Saharan Africa somehow got it right in South Africa? prgtoken As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, I am acutely aware of South Africa's important role on the African Continent, and I am proud that the United States has held cordial relationships with South Africa for nearly my entire life--over $8 billion in the very important PEPFAR assistance program since 2003, and growth in trade from $13.9 billion to $21 billion in 2021. prgtoken In fact, South Africa has been the United States' largest trading partner in Africa since 2014 and is home to over 600 American businesses. However, it is clear to me that the ANC of today is no longer the party of Mandela. prgtoken The ANC continuously move
WELCOMING BHAI MOHAN SINGH
Dan Newhouse (Republican, WA) \u2014 2024-6-14

today I rise to honor my guest Chaplain, Bhai Mohan Singh. prgtoken Mohan Singh was the head granthi, or the head priest, at a Gurdwara in Yakima, Washington, and now travels the Nation spreading the teachings of Sikhism. prgtoken Sikhism is the world's fifth largest religion with nearly 30 million followers worldwide, and roughly 1 million of those are located within the United States of America. It was founded by Guru Nanak in west Punjab in 1469 and is based on three cardinal principles: Meditate on God, earn a living by honest means, and share with the less fortunate. prgtoken Mohan Singh is a dedicated preacher with an extensive educational background in Sikhism, with experience in both teaching and leading religious services. His career spans over two decades of service in both India and the United States, and we are very fortunate to have him here today with us to lead the opening prayer and to represent the good people of central Washington.
REMEMBERING REIS GRAMS AND JESSE HAUGEN
Tom Emmer (Republican, MN) \u2014 2024-6-14

I rise today to remember Reis Grams and Jesse Haugen, two outdoorsmen who passed away while canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. prgtoken Reis was a beloved husband to his wife, Angie, and a devoted father to his sons, August and Teddy. He grew up in Blaine and was a man of many talents, from his love of the outdoors to becoming a skilled carpenter and businessowner. He was a lifelong learner, a caring family man, and a man of deep faith. prgtoken Jesse grew up in Blaine and served our Nation honorably in the U.S. Army. After his military service, Jesse served as a youth leader at his church. A proud father and husband, he owned and operated a business with his wife, Bethany, and cherished every moment spent with their son, Isaac. prgtoken Last month, Reis and Jesse's canoes went over the Curtain Falls, leading to their tragic passing. prgtoken We are praying for strength and comfort for their families, friends, and all who knew them during this difficult time.
CELEBRATING PAUL WOJAHN ON HIS 103RD BIRTHDAY
Brad Finstad (Republican, MN) \u2014 2024-6-14

today, I rise to celebrate Paul Wojahn. Paul is a World War II veteran, beloved New Ulm community member, veteran advocate, neighbor, relative, and friend who will celebrate his 103rd birthday next week on June 19. prgtoken Paul grew up on a farm near Comfrey, Minnesota, and when he turned 21, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, answering the call to serve his country like many in his family and like so many in the Greatest Generation. prgtoken After completing basic training in San Diego, Paul served aboard the USS Mount Vernon and was stationed in various locations throughout the Pacific theater, including Okinawa. prgtoken When he returned home from the war, Paul worked as a farmer and an excavator and went on to serve as a conservation officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for 25 years before retiring in 1983. prgtoken Today, Paul is actively involved in several veterans' groups and community organizations. He volunteers with The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and VFW, as well as the Salvation Army and Lion's Club. prgtoken Even at 103 years old, Paul continues to live each day to the fullest and finds time to enjoy the little things like a quiet morning catching crappies. prgtoken , I thank Paul for the many ways he has made southern Minnesota a better place for all of us to call home. We wish him the happiest of birthdays and many more to come.
SERVICEMEMBER QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT AND NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
Mike Rogers (Republican, AL) \u2014 2024-6-14

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I wholeheartedly agree with the gentleman's desire to ensure the Department obtains fair and reasonable prices. The committee has done a lot to reform that process and crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse over the last few years. prgtoken However, I believe I speak for both sides when I say we have some concerns that this amendment may be redundant to ongoing efforts as well as efforts we required the inspector general to undertake in last year's NDAA. We also have some questions about how the amendment would be executed. prgtoken However, if the gentleman would agree to work with us to address these concerns as the bill moves forward, I would be prepared to accept this amendment at this time. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
CONGRATULATING T.C. ROBERSON RAMS BASEBALL TEAM
Chuck Edwards (Republican, NC) \u2014 2024-6-14

we witnessed this week a remarkable baseball contest. In the Congressional Baseball Game, the s defeated the 31-10, but, , I rise today to congratulate and recognize some real baseball talent. prgtoken I rise today to congratulate the T.C. Roberson Rams baseball team for winning North Carolina's High School Athletic Association's 4A State title for the second year in a row. The Rams finished the season with a 14-game winning streak, and the team won a decisive 8-1 shutout victory. prgtoken The Rams are now the third 4A school in North Carolina to win back- to-back championships and the first to do so in two decades. Coach Eric Filipek has mentored this group of young men for more than 13 years, and his dedication has guided them to be better players and better leaders. prgtoken Hopefully, one day, some of these great athletes will also join our congressional baseball team. I congratulate the Rams for, again, making western North Carolina proud.
IN RECOGNITION OF THE DEDICATION OF THE ST. LOUIS COUNTY RESCUE SQUAD AND SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Pete Stauber (Republican, MN) \u2014 2024-6-14

I rise to express my appreciation to the St. Louis County Rescue Squad and Sheriff's Office for their dedication to responding to emergency situations and to mourn the loss of two Minnesotans. prgtoken Recently, they responded to a tragic accident where a party of four canoeists went over a waterfall in the Boundary Waters, and two went missing. prgtoken One of the missing canoeists, Jesse Haugen of Cambridge, was a constituent of mine. Jesse heroically attempted to save his fellow canoeists before going under himself. Jesse's bravery was no surprise to anyone who knew him, especially given his military background. prgtoken , the Boundary Waters are remote, making any rescue attempt complex. During this time of the year, high water levels and fast currents made these efforts even more difficult. prgtoken Jesse Haugen and Reis Grams both tragically died, but I am grateful to the St. Louis County Rescue Squad and Sheriff's Office for staying on the scene for 2 weeks until both men were located. prgtoken Thanks to their determination and professionalism, the families of Jesse and Reis can now have closure, and I will continue to pray for them and our St. Louis County Sheriff's Rescue Squad.
COMMEMORATING THE ST. CLAIR ROTARY CLUB'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY
Lisa C. McClain (Republican, MI) \u2014 2024-6-14

I rise today to honor St. Clair Rotary Club and the occasion of their 100th anniversary. Since its founding on April 22, 1924, the St. Clair Rotary Club has served as an emblematic example of the Rotary's motto, ``Service Above Self.'' prgtoken Throughout the last century, the St. Clair Rotary Club has focused on a lot of community projects benefitting the St. Clair community. Notably, during the 1930s, the club began a student assistance program, helping high school graduates work towards higher education. In 1964, the club started the ``Preparation for Employment'' program with St. Clair High School and soon after in 1965, the ``Seminars for Tomorrows Leaders'' which continues to this day. prgtoken The club has managed to preserve their accomplishments and history at the St. Clair Historical Museum, dating back to its founding in 1924. Their team has a remarkable devotion not only to the improvement of the St. Clair Community, but the preservation of the club's rich history. More recently, the club has also notably raised over $150,000 for the St. Clair Little League Park, donated 32 Chromebooks to the St. Clair High School, and led efforts for community spaces throughout St. Clair. As the club celebrates its centennial, it continues to make a difference through projects like the Storybook Walk in Klecha Park and the renovation of Rotary's Wildlife Landing. prgtoken , I have no doubt that the St. Clair Rotary Club will continue to be a significant benefactor to the wider St. Clair Community for many years to come. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the club and its members for reaching this incredible milestone.
HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF PEORIA RADIO PERSONALITY SCOTT WHEELER
Darin LaHood (Republican, IL) \u2014 2024-6-14

I would like to honor and congratulate Scott Wheeler on his retirement from Midwest Communications' Peoria stations after 46 years in the industry. prgtoken Scott Wheeler was hired as a radio personality and promotions director by the Top-40 radio station KZ93-FM in 1987. During his career, he worked as a director of production, promotions, programming, and operations. Wheeler also held the positions of Morning Show Host, Brand Manager, and Air Personality. In 1997, he launched Big Oldies 93.3 which received the top ratings throughout its 10-year duration. prgtoken During his time as a radio personality, Scott Wheeler has been recognized with numerous accolades for his exemplary professional performance. He was recognized as one of Radio Ink Magazine's ``Top Ten Best Small Market Program Directors in America'' from 1999 until 2003. Wheeler was known for his tremendous contributions to the radio community, as well as his success at CHR KZ93 and Big Oldies 93.3. prgtoken Scott Wheeler has always been committed to his work and his community. It is my privilege to congratulate him on his accomplished career as a radio personality. We have all been blessed to have Scott Wheeler on our radio. The City of Peoria is a better place because of his airtime presence.
SECURE OUR BORDER NOW
Tracey Mann (Republican, KS) \u2014 2024-6-14

last week President stated that the border should not be a political issue to be weaponized. I agree that Americans don't have time for games in Washington, but I think the President should take his own advice. prgtoken Since day one of his Presidency, President has been laser focused on rolling back President 's policies that were effective in lowering illegal immigration. As a result, we have had nearly 12 million illegal encounters at our border since January of 2021, with this past April being the 38th straight month that encounters at the border have been higher than even the highest month under President . prgtoken For 3 years, House s have passed good legislation that would actually secure the southern border and have urged President to work with us on the border crisis, and we have been met with silence. President needs to wake up. prgtoken Just this week, CBP and the FBI arrested eight men with ISIS ties in New York, L.A and Philadelphia who all entered the country through 's wide-open southern border. We can't keep pretending this is normal. We need to secure our border now.
SERVICEMEMBER QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT AND NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
Tim Walberg (Republican, MI) \u2014 2024-6-14

. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for including these amendments en bloc. prgtoken I rise today in support of the en bloc, which contains two of my amendments. prgtoken The first amendment would help identify the national security risk of autonomous vehicles from foreign adversary countries operating in the U.S. AVs will transform the future of transportation and increase safety on roads, but we must ensure our adversaries are not deploying data-collecting vehicles across our country, giving the likes of the CCP an unprecedented vantage point in the United States. prgtoken The next amendment would help ensure our Department of Defense schools prgtoken are not using TikTok for instructional purposes. As we know, ByteDance is beholden to the CCP, and we cannot allow our military installations or the schools operated by the DOD to become spy cells for the Chinese Communist Party. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of the en bloc and the underlying bill.
COMMEMORATING THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF CONTINENTAL LINEN SERVICE
Bill Huizenga (Republican, MI) \u2014 2024-6-14

I rise today to recognize and congratulate Continental Linen Service (CLS) on its 125th Anniversary. prgtoken Founded in 1899, CLS originally operated as Kalamazoo Laundry Company before Ted Vander Meer purchased the company in 1966 and changed the name to what we know today. This fourth-generation family-owned business now employs over 200 team members covering six locations across Michigan. prgtoken Today, CLS serves over 7,000 customers spanning food service, hospitality, medical, and industrial accounts across the state. In 2023 alone, they processed over 24 million pounds of uniforms, linen, and other materials. Recently, they completed a $7 million, 11,000 square foot expansion to their processing facility to improve their capacity for growth. prgtoken , please join me in thanking the team at Continental Linen Service for their commitment to the community and years of dedicated service to Michigan. I wish them all the best as they continue to grow in Kalamazoo County and beyond.
SERVICEMEMBER QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT AND NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
Scott Perry (Republican, PA) \u2014 2024-6-14

let me start out by saying happy birthday to the United States Army. I spent a fair amount of time in my life in uniform in the Army. It is a defining thing in anybody's life who has spent time in uniform, and it has been a wonderful institution for many, many Americans over a long period of time. prgtoken I also thank the chairman for the work on this bill. I know that while we are debating it here today and we are going to vote later today, that the work for next year's bill will start tomorrow. I thank him for his hard work. prgtoken This amendment is pretty straightforward. It just requires the Secretary of Defense to report on the use of taxpayer-funded union time by DOD employees. We are not saying it is bad. We are not saying it is good. We are not saying it is too much. It is too little. We just want to know what it is. We just want to know. prgtoken For those who may be unfamiliar, Congress granted certain employees the ability to perform certain tasks for labor unions while on duty. To be clear, that means that these employees are being paid by our constituents to work for union activities instead of doing the job that they were hired to perform. prgtoken I think maybe it would be fine if we said in the job description that your job is to do organized labor activities, but that is not what is in the job description. The job description is what is needed for the country for the Department of Defense; but instead of doing that work, you are doing other work. Unacceptably, the statistics on the use of official time are very few and far between. prgtoken Take a GAO report from January of 2017, so we are a few years beyond that now, which is telling in itself. According to the data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 346 employees spent 100 percent of their time on official union activities instead of taking care of our Nation's veterans. prgtoken Now, the administration took some steps to improve transparency, including actually reporting the use and the cost of official time by agencies. prgtoken A VA press release dated November 8, 2018, cites a particularly egregious example. A VA registered nurse, who was elected as a local union official, spent 100 percent of her time doing organized labor activities. That might be fine if the job description was organized labor activities, but the job description is registered nurse. How much time taking care of veterans as a nurse was this person spending? Well, zero, that is how much time. prgtoken To use examples from the Department of Defense, the most recent available data or estimates of the data from the administration's final report was that 3,235 DOD employees used official time in FY19 for a total of 526,990 hours at a cost of millions upon tens of millions of dollars, not to mention the equipment. prgtoken We are here debating the National Defense Authorization Act. prgtoken There are very serious threats around the world. While
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Adrian Smith (Republican, NE) \u2014 2024-6-14

earlier this year I was unable to be present for votes due to a family funeral. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 153; YEA on Roll Call No. 154; YEA on Roll Call No. 155; YEA on Roll Call No. 156; YEA on Roll Call No. 157; YEA on Roll Call No. 158; YEA on Roll Call No. 159; YEA on Roll Call No. 160; YEA on Roll Call No. 161; YEA on Roll Call No. 162; YEA on Roll Call No. 163; NAY on Roll Call No. 164; YEA on Roll Call No. 165; NAY on Roll Call No. 166; YEA on Roll Call No. 167; NAY on Roll Call No. 168; YEA on Roll Call No. 169; NAY on Roll Call No. 170; and YEA on Roll Call No. 171.
SERVICEMEMBER QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT AND NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
Zachary Nunn (Republican, IA) \u2014 2024-6-14

. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Rogers for his leadership on the National Defense Authorization Act. prgtoken I rise in support of four amendments today included in this en bloc. prgtoken I offer my first amendment in memory of Corporal Adam Lambert, a proud marine from Adel, Iowa. He returned home and, unfortunately, lost his life to suicide shortly after his combat tour of duty. prgtoken Today, America loses 22 of its veterans to suicide every single day. We must do more to stop this silent epidemic. Amendment No. 980 aims to reduce the number of veteran suicides by improving our Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, and the Solid Start program to alert transitioning veterans of the mental health services available to them today through the VA. prgtoken Second, fighting Communist China requires America be a leader in cybersecurity. My amendment No. 1012 bans the Department of Defense from acquiring, procuring, or utilizing blockchain technology created by our foreign adversaries. prgtoken The CCP is developing new technology to manipulate America and infiltrate our national security by rewiring our hard infrastructure. prgtoken America is investing heavily in blockchain technology today, developing cloud storage technology. This technology is the future of data management, with worldwide adoption expected in the next decade. prgtoken Let me be clear: Failure for America to be able to act or for the Department of Defense to become a subsidiary of a Chinese blockchain is a thousand times worse than anything even TikTok could present today. prgtoken This is a critical step to stop this crisis before it is too late, Mr. Chair, and protect Americans. prgtoken Last, innovation in America's defense demands a public-private partnership, particularly with our most strategic allies. Amendment Nos. 1038 and 1055 will counter near-peer adversaries in the Middle East and tackle the tech advances that Communist China has made. prgtoken As Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah rain down terror on Israel, we must support our strongest ally in the Middle East as she defends herself. prgtoken With these strategic partnerships, we can support not only our allies but also learn from the innovations being created by our allies, create new pathways and new markets for our defense tech startups, and continue to leverage America's dominance and spirit of innovation to shape a safer world. prgtoken These amendments will establish a key strategic partnership between the Defense Innovation Unit, where I have worked, with our allies in Israel and Taiwan. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this en bloc in a bipartisan way across both sides of the aisle, and I thank the chairman for including this in his overall package.