mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Domestic Supplemental Appropriations (Executive Session)
Brian Schatz (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2024-4-10

it has been more than 5 months since the President submitted a domestic supplemental appropriations request to Congress. And, among other things, it called for funding recovery efforts in communities across the country struck by disasters, including Lahaina Maui. prgtoken Every one of these affected communities in Florida, in California, in Vermont, in Mississippi, in Alabama, in Arkansas, in Alaska, in South Dakota, in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee need help. Each one of them is in the middle of a long and difficult process of rebuilding and getting back on its feet. prgtoken Recovering from a disaster--whether natural or manmade--it is hard, it is time-intensive, and it is incredibly expensive; surveying the damage in the immediate hours and days following the event; undertaking the complex and often dangerous process of debris removal; rebuilding homes and roads and schools and other essential infrastructure that were destroyed; providing financial assistance to people, families, and small business owners who lost their jobs and livelihoods overnight. It takes months and years and tremendous effort from thousands of people to return these communities to anything close to normal. prgtoken Today, another community is, unfortunately, confronting the colossal task of rebuilding--this time in Baltimore in the wake of the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Our hearts go out to the families of the six men who were lost that day. They were fathers; they were husbands; they were brothers; immigrants who worked day and night to provide for their families. And their losses break our collective hearts. prgtoken As Baltimore recovers, we stand ready to support all of the communities and businesses that relied on that bridge and the Port of Baltimore every day to get around and move goods through. And as the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, I am committed to doing everything I can to help pass the necessary funding to rebuild. prgtoken As we do that, we also have a responsibility to support every other community that has been devastated by a disaster because we are all in this together. No State or county--big or small, red or blue, wealthy or not--can shoulder the burden alone. prgtoken When a disaster is so big, so catastrophic for any one State or locality to handle, it falls on the Federal Government to step up and help. It is central to the promise of the Federal Government. We can argue about the size and the scope of the Federal Government all we like--which programs to fund, what levels to fund them at--but even the most libertarian among us can agree that helping our fellow Americans when they are in crisis, when they have lost everything, when they are desperate for support--helping them is patriotic and essential to our roles in the Congress. It is why funding disaster recovery has historically been bipartisan--because people on both
Nomination of Ann Marie McIff Allen (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-4-10

today, the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Ann Marie Allen to the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. prgtoken Born in Richfield, UT, Judge Allen earned her B.A. from Brigham Young University and her J.D. from Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School. prgtoken After teaching at BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School and Utah Valley University, Judge Allen began working in private practice under a public defender contract with Beaver County, UT, handling indigent defense cases and Criminal Justice Act panel appointments in Federal criminal matters. prgtoken In 2007, Judge Allen became the deputy Iron County attorney and prosecuted a range of felonies and misdemeanors. She returned to private practice in 2013 while also serving part-time as the deputy Garfield County attorney. In 2016, Judge Allen was appointed by the president of Southern Utah University to serve as the university's special counsel and director of ethics and compliance. She became the university's first general counsel in 2018. In 2020, Judge Allen was appointed by then-Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert to the Utah State Fifth District Court. Over the course of her judicial career, she has presided over hundreds of civil cases and thousands of criminal cases resulting in plea bargains. prgtoken The American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge Allen as ``well qualified,'' and she has the strong support of Senators Lee and Romney. Her nomination was unanimously advanced by the Judiciary Committee. prgtoken Judge Allen's significant courtroom experience and dedication to service make her an excellent nominee to the District of Utah. I will vote in favor of her confirmation and encourage my colleagues to do the same.
MORNING BUSINESS
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2024-4-10

I rise today to recognize the contributions of economic development organizations and economic development professionals in Montana and across the Nation in honor of National Economic Development Week. prgtoken Every May, we recognize the valuable work these men and women do to create high-quality, good-paying jobs for folks across the country. Our economic developers are essential in building and strengthening many of the building blocks that our communities depend on and are critically important to achieving a thriving economy. prgtoken And it is not just about creating jobs. Our economic developers are a vital prgtoken piece of the puzzle for workforce development and talent attraction, small business development, infrastructure and broadband development, predisaster mitigation and postdisaster recovery, and much more. prgtoken This Economic Development Week, I want to thank all of our economic developers in Montana and across the country for the hard work you do to keep our communities strong, and I encourage all of my colleagues to celebrate alongside me. prgtoken Thank you, and happy Economic Development Week.
DYLAN JUDE HARRELL COMMUNITY CENTER
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2024-4-10

I stand before you today with immense pride to recognize DJH Kids, a remarkable nonprofit organization in my district. This exceptional group has successfully obtained a key permit for the proposed Dylan Jude Harrell Community Center in Ilwaco. prgtoken This community center honors the life of Dylan Jude Harrell, who was 4 years old when she was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a rare and incurable brain cancer, before passing away 20 months later. prgtoken This community center will strengthen the foundations of Ilwaco by addressing the childcare crisis working families are facing and bringing together folks for recreational activities and community-led events. prgtoken Community centers like this one are key at a time when the average cost of childcare in the U.S. has risen by 220 percent in the last 30 years. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the folks at DJH Kids and the entire team supporting the Dylan Jude Harrell Community Center. I am excited for what the future of Ilwaco has in store. Honoring Deputy Drew Kennison
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2024-4-10

I rise to honor COL William J. Cavanaugh, his contributions to the Air Force Research Lab at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH, and his distinguished 31-year service in the U.S. Army. Colonel Cavanaugh was instrumental in the design and architecture of the AFRL Bio Acoustics Lab anechoic chamber. Seventy years after its completion, the anechoic chamber is still used today and the research done works to save the lives of our servicemembers on the battlefield. The American Institute of Physics featured Colonel Cavanaugh in their oral history and highlighted Colonel Cavanaugh's far-reaching impacts on the scientific community. prgtoken In December of 2022, the Ohio Legislature's 134th Generally Assembly adopted HCR 32 to recognize ``Colonel William J. Cavanaugh for his contribution to the design and architecture of the United States Air Force Research Lab Bio Acoustics Laboratory, and for his outstanding and enduring service to our nation.'' prgtoken It is fitting to honor Colonel Cavanaugh for his lasting contributions that have saved the lives of our men and women in uniform. Sites from the National Veterans Memorial and Museum to the National Museum of the United States Air Force have all commemorated Colonel Cavanaugh and his work. As we expand and support the vital work that Ohioans continue to do at Wright-Patt and the Air Force Research Lab, it is important to ensure that future generations learn about past leaders, including Colonel Cavanaugh, and the difference they made for our State and our country. prgtoken Today, I join a grateful State and a grateful nation in thanking Colonel Cavanaugh for his dedication and service to Ohio and our Nation.
SUPPORTING ISRAEL
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-4-10

I am proud that the United States was the prgtoken first country to recognize the newly declared State of Israel nearly 76 years ago, merely 11 minutes after its creation. prgtoken I am also proud that, within 11 days of Hamas' barbaric attack on Israel that started this current war, President landed in Tel Aviv, sending two carrier strike groups and becoming the first U.S. President to ever visit Israel during a time of war. prgtoken On October 7, at approximately 6:30 a.m Hamas launched thousands of rockets at cities across Israel, sending millions of Israelis into bomb shelters and safe rooms while providing cover for a swarming army of Hamas terrorists who invaded the country and launched a genocidal attack, brutally murdering more than 1,200 people, wounding more than 3,000 others, and taking more than 250 hostages back into Gaza. prgtoken In the 6 months since Hamas started this war, Israel has been fighting for its existence on many fronts, facing attacks and threats from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran. prgtoken It is more than just the mortars, rockets, missiles, and drones threatening Israel. Israel's enemies have two key strategies in their campaign to destroy and delegitimize the Jewish state: One, distort the truth with canards and libelous accusations against Israel and the Jewish people; and two, isolate Israel in global forums and in the world of public opinion. prgtoken South Africa is perversely accusing Israel of genocide in the International Criminal Court of Justice. Of course, when you lift the veil of this grotesque distortion of the truth, you see that Iran is also behind South Africa's actions, just like Iran finances and fuels Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. prgtoken Meanwhile, in cities around the world as well as here in the United States, anti-Israel protests are replete with calls for the elimination of the Jewish state, most clearly manifest in the chant ``from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'' prgtoken And look no further than the rally just last Friday in Dearborn, Michigan, where the crowd chanted not only ``death to Israel,'' but ``death to America.'' prgtoken I am grateful for the leadership and moral clarity of the administration as well as the mayor of Dearborn when they roundly condemned this hateful rhetoric. prgtoken Israel's enemies, from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, to groups here in the United States like SJP, AMP, and JVP are doing everything they can to demonize, delegitimize, and ultimately destroy the only Jewish state on Earth. prgtoken But let's be clear: The war Hamas started on October 7 is not just a war against Israel. Iran's vision is not just the destruction of Israel, but the conquest of the entire Muslim world and the defeat of the West. The Houthis are not launching rockets at just Israeli ships in the Red Sea. They are targeting global commerce in general. In this war, Israel's allies must do everything we ca
FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE
C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2024-4-10

the first thing I want to tell the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Mfume) is that I represented Sparrows Point and the Key Bridge for over 20 years. We just had redistricting, and all of a sudden, the gentleman is the new person. He jumped in with both feet, and I appreciate the gentleman's leadership in pulling people together. prgtoken The funny thing is that the bridge is located in Baltimore City, but Baltimore County is right next to it. I grew up and went to school in the city, and the gentleman went to Turner Station, which is in Baltimore County. prgtoken It is really, I think, unique that the gentleman is here now to move forward and do whatever he needs to do. He is doing a great job, and I thank him for his leadership and all that he is doing. prgtoken , as I said before, I proudly represented the port for over 20 years until the recent redistricting, so I literally watched the port grow into one of Maryland's and our country's strongest economic engines. prgtoken Today, the port supports more than 51,000 direct, induced, and indirect jobs and another 346,000 related jobs. These are jobs associated with the cargo moving through the port, companies that export and import cargo through the port, as well as the end-stage businesses like manufacturers and auto dealers. prgtoken All of this activity generated $5 billion in personal wages and salaries for Marylanders last year alone and brought in $647 million in State and local tax revenues. In total, the economic value of the Port of Baltimore to the State of Maryland just in 2023 was more than $70 billion. Let me say that again: $70 billion. prgtoken Now, with the development of Tradepoint Atlantic in nearby Sparrows Point at the foot of what was once the Key Bridge, the opportunities for even more employment and economic growth are exponential and unlimited. We are anticipating a tremendous surge in manufacturing jobs as well as jobs in retail and hospitality. prgtoken That is why we have invested smartly and strategically in the port over the years at the local, State, and Federal levels. We added an impressive 50-foot berth and massive Neo-Panamax container cranes. We upgraded terminals. We are expanding the Howard Street Tunnel so it can handle double-stacked trains going to and from the port with cargo. prgtoken Last year, the Federal Government awarded the port $47 million for a new roll-on, roll-off pad, an offshore wind project, and other upgrades for the Key Bridge and Port Baltimore. prgtoken This, of course, was part of the massive investment that came out of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that this body wisely passed in 2021 to help us compete with ports around the world. prgtoken These investments are paying off in dividends. In fact, last year, while ports nationwide were returning to their prepandemic baselines, the Port of Baltimore was the only U.S. port to see a container volume increase. We handled record cargo. prgtoken Clearly, inves
Unanimous Consent Request--S. 4093 (Executive Session)
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2024-4-10

reserving the right to object, I agree with the Senator from North Carolina that our priority as a nation and as a Senate should be negotiating the release of the hostages that Hamas currently holds. But the surest way to guarantee that those hostages never get released is to pass this resolution. prgtoken I get it. We may not like the fact that we have to be negotiating with a terrorist organization. We may not like the fact that someone in the region has to be the conduit for those talks. But we don't live in a world of fantasy; we live in a world of reality. prgtoken And the reality is, without Qatar playing a role, as they historically have, to try to unwind crises in the Middle East more broadly and specifically between Israel and Hamas, there is no existing alternative. If you don't want the hostages released, then pass this resolution. prgtoken Further, with great respect for my colleague, I think this resolution is fundamentally dangerous when it comes to protecting broader U.S. interests in the region. prgtoken We have 10,000 Americans right now based in Qatar, mostly at Al Udeid Air Base. That airbase allows the United prgtoken States of America to project power and to protect our interests throughout the region. prgtoken It is naive to think that you can pass a resolution downgrading our status with Qatar without there being an impact on that base, our personnel there, and our ability to use that base as a means to protect our interests around the region. prgtoken Qatar is the third largest customer of U.S. defense systems in the world. There are a lot of American jobs at stake when it comes to our relationship with Qatar. And the Qataris, over and over again, respond when America is in crisis. They housed more than 70,000 Afghans during the evacuation of our forces and of Afghan allies. Almost nobody else in the world would do that. But the Qataris said yes because the United States asked them. prgtoken They are an imperfect ally. They are an imperfect ally. This is a repressive regime with a bad history on human rights and worker rights, but they are a critical ally. prgtoken But more to the point of the Senator's resolution, the Senator's main critique is that Qatar hosts Hamas, a terrorist organization. I can understand why some bristle at that notion of an ally of the United States playing host to Hamas. Qatar plays host to Hamas because they were requested to do so by the United States. Hamas established an office there because the United States asked them to do that in 2012 because we knew we needed an ability to talk to Hamas. prgtoken Qatar played a contributing role in Egypt-led negotiations to get a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in 2014, 2019, and 2021. Why? Because we were able to talk to Hamas through their presence in Qatar. prgtoken And yes, Qatar has been a conduit to send money to Hamas. A lot of people may bristle at that notion, as well--our ally Qatar sending money
FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE
Jamie Raskin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2024-4-10

I thank the gentleman, Mr. Mfume, for yielding me time. I am grateful to him for his extraordinary leadership through this catastrophe and for leading us through this Special Order hour this afternoon. prgtoken , I rise to speak about the devastating collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in our beloved home State of Maryland. prgtoken In times of catastrophe across the country, from earthquakes in California to hurricanes in Florida to flooding in Louisiana to wildfires in the West to terrorism in New York or Washington, D.C we come together as a country to help our communities recover and rebuild, and we cannot allow any of the political divisions in America today to interfere with this process of coming together to help a community struck by catastrophe in this way. prgtoken Disasters befall all of our States and all of our districts, and they are not partisan in character. We have to stick together to support all of our communities, and that is what we are going to do in Maryland, and we are going to do as a Nation to rebuild the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge. prgtoken I thank Governor Moore's administration, the Coast Guard, Secretary Buttigieg, the Army Corps of Engineers, first responders, the Maryland Transportation Authority, and everyone who is working overtime to address this disaster. The Unified Command convened by the Coast Guard has been hard at work in removing the bridge debris from the river and restoring access to the port, salvage and recovery operations are ongoing in a very difficult and complicated process. prgtoken The Dali vessel, weighing 213 million pounds, is the same size as the Eiffel Tower with pieces of bridge weighing as much as 4,000 tons laying on top of it. The water is frigid and murky, complicating the ongoing and heroic rescue efforts that began immediately. prgtoken I thank President and his administration for their exemplary leadership in the face of this catastrophe and its characteristic commitment to help the local community rebuild. prgtoken The President has directed his administration to move heaven and Earth to rebuild the bridge and to recover the port as rapidly as possible, and within hours of receiving Maryland's request, the DOT and FHA swiftly approved $60 million in initial aid. prgtoken , I also acknowledge the devastating loss of the six construction crew workers who were killed in this nightmare when they were working what seemed like a routine nighttime shift fixing potholes. Our thoughts continue to go out to their families and all of their loved ones. prgtoken We have a long road ahead of us to rebuild the bridge in Maryland, and our bipartisan Congressional delegation stands ready to do everything which needs to be done to restore full access to the port and rebuild the bridge. prgtoken , I again thank Mr. Mfume for his extraordinary leadership and thank all of our colleagues who have expressed their support and their sympathy for th
AUGUST FIRES ON MAUI
Jill N. Tokuda (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2024-4-10

after the fires last August struck the island of Maui, one of the first people to approach me in this Chamber was my colleague and now friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa. prgtoken Few districts have experienced the tragedy of wildfires like California's First, and prior to the Maui fires, the Camp fire held the record as the deadliest American wildfire of the last century. prgtoken This past recess, I participated in a bipartisan exchange with Congressman LaMalfa. I went to the town of Paradise. I learned of the challenges and opportunities in recovery. I saw the rebuilding of schools and homes that had burned, and I left feeling hopeful. prgtoken Congressman LaMalfa also joined me in Lahaina, attending the dedication of the new temporary school, even breaking in the new basketball court, playing ball with our Governor. I must add neither of them will be quitting their day jobs. prgtoken The gentleman walked with us through Lahaina, met with our community, and answered their many, many questions. There is a definite comfort knowing that, while the road ahead for our communities is long, we aren't on it alone. prgtoken , I am honored to have a trusted partner and friend in Congressman LaMalfa, and I look forward to the work we will do together.
HONORING REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM DELAHUNT
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2024-4-10

I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Representative William Delahunt who recently passed peacefully at his home in Quincy, Massachusetts. Representative Delahunt, born in that very same town, spent his life dedicated to its people. prgtoken Representative Delahunt was a lifelong public servant. He began his career as a Radioman for the Coast Guard, an honor he brought all the way to the House as co-chair of the Coast Guard Caucus. Representative Delahunt progressed through a life of Public Service. He served as a Quincy Town Councilor, State Representative, District Attorney, and finally House Representative, before his retirement in 2011. prgtoken Representative Delahunt always put the needs of his constituents first. When low-income residents in his home state struggled to pay their heating bills during the winter of 2006, he got little assistance from the administration. Instead of doing nothing, he famously brokered an international fuel sale for approximately 50,000 Massachusetts residents in dire need. His direct negotiation of this sale ensured even his most vulnerable constituents could keep the heat on that winter. prgtoken Well-respected for his lasting commitment to human rights, Representative Delahunt served as the chair of the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight in the 110th Congress. I had the distinct pleasure of serving with Representative Delahunt, and I still carry a deep respect for Representative Delahunt's strong principles and consistent defense of human rights. prgtoken Our thoughts and prayers are with his fiance, Julia Pagana, daughters Kirsten and Kara, and two grandchildren please join me in honoring the life of a great man of this chamber.