mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Nomination of Dilawar Syed (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2023-6-7

every year, I come to the Senate floor around the anniversary of June 9 of 1772 to educate our pages--and anyone else listening--about an event that took place that night in Rhode Island as the United States moved towards its revolutionary conflict with Great Britain. prgtoken And the lead-up to this was that Rhode Island was a shipping and a trading State; and Newport, in particular, was an extremely wealthy and active trading community. And the British government very much wanted to tax all of that trading, and the Rhode Islanders very much wanted not to be taxed. prgtoken And so there was considerable back-and-forth between the colonists in Rhode Island and what was then the mother country. And when the obstreperousness of the Rhode Islanders reached a certain point, a new ship and a new captain were detailed to Rhode Island to do a better job of collecting taxes from the shipping traffic. prgtoken The captain was named Dudingston--Lieutenant Dudingston--of her majesty's royal Navy. And he came in with a rather very poor attitude about Rhode Island and behaved quite badly. He seized ships without much provocation. He would grab them and send them off to be sold for salvage. He would steal cargoes out of ships. prgtoken He made himself extremely unpopular to a point that the chief justice of Rhode Island said: Excuse me, you don't get to do this. Under Rhode Island law, under our colonial charter, if you want to operate Rhode Island waters, you actually have to declare yourself and show your commission to our Governor. prgtoken And the rather undiplomatic response of Lieutenant Dudingston was, if anybody tries to interfere with my operations, I will hang them. prgtoken So things were not all that great between Lieutenant Dudingston and Rhode Island. And his ship, which is this one, was called the Gaspee, as in the Gaspe Peninsula up in Canada. She was an armed revenue cutter of fairly good size. And it was her job to basically pull over ships, search their cargoes, seize their cargoes, demand taxes, if necessary, seize the vessel. prgtoken One of his early seizures was a boat called the Fortune, which was owned by Nathanael Greene, who had not been particularly active in revolutionary matters until he had his fortune seized by Lieutenant Dudingston. And after that, he became quite active in revolutionary matters to the point of becoming, essentially, the adjutant for George Washington and then being sent by George Washington down to run the southern campaign of the revolution where the commanding British general in the Revolutionary War said: That damn Greene is more dangerous than Washington, because he was so successful running the southern campaign, much of it provoked by this Lieutenant Dudingston and his seizure of Greene's boat, the Fortune. prgtoken On this occasion, June 9, 1772, a boat called the Hannah, captained by Benjamin Lindsey, was sailing up Narragansett Bay to deliver cargo to
SENATE PAGES
Cory A. Booker (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2023-6-8

I am grateful for the respect with which you said those two words, ``New Jersey.'' It is an extraordinary State, and I know you recognize and respect it, sir. prgtoken I want to stand at this moment, as we are about to close out the Senate, to recognize perhaps one of the most unrecognized elements of the functioning of the U.S. Senate. There are extraordinary people who work in this institution--people who have dedicated their careers to it and support not just Senators but really this incredible, august body. But, today, I want to mark that this is the last day of a class of pages that is serving today. They are the youngest people on the Senate floor--15, 16 years old--but they have served on the frontlines of history over the last months. prgtoken I have seen a lot of young people pass through here, and this class of pages is the least funny pages I have seen. (Laughter.) prgtoken I have asked them for jokes. They have given me things that could be called a joke, but they did not have their intended purpose. I am disappointed. I stand in judgment of them. (Laughter.) prgtoken But despite their lack of humor, what they did show was an abundance of commitment to country, to service, to patriotism. prgtoken Most of America doesn't realize what these pages go through to be here. They have an extraordinary challenging time. They actually wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning. They do their homework, they do their class work, and then they come and work a full-time job, often into the evening when the Senate goes on to 8 and 9, getting closer to 10. Ten is a wonderful, wonderful time because if they get past 10, they don't have to go to class in the morning. Is that it? They have no class. Now, I am not saying that they are classless people. I am not saying that if they go past 10 p.m they have no class. (Laughter.) prgtoken But think about this: They are waking up at 5 in the morning, they are going until 8 or 9, and they start it all over again. It is a difficult job, it is demanding, but yet they have done it with distinction. prgtoken Tomorrow, they will graduate, and they will go back to their lives all across the country. It is extraordinary. These young folks come from the North, the South, the East, the West, and they will go back, having had a unique experience. But although they leave this institution, they also leave their spirit, their energy, and their contributions. prgtoken I want to say to all of the pages--because I won't have a chance to say goodbye to them at the graduation--I want to say, on behalf of myself and also 99 others, it was an honor to serve with you in the U.S. Senate. prgtoken I hope as you continue your careers of service to country, of being the calling of a nation that needs its young people more than ever-- people full of hope, people full of dreams, people full of commitment-- that you consider coming back to this body. There are extraordinary people who serve he
Climate Change (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-6-8

as everyone knows, this week, the United States has suffered through some of the worst wildfire air pollution in the entire history of our country. prgtoken North of the border, over 400 wildfires continue blazing across Quebec and many parts of Eastern Canada, and winds are sending smoke and toxic air across the border and into our cities, into our communities, into our lungs. prgtoken To walk through New York City yesterday was to walk on another planet. The orange fog of wildfire smoke left our city unrecognizable. Sadly, New York City had the worst air quality of any major city in the world yesterday, even more than such cities as Delhi or Jakarta, which always rate at the top for the worst air quality. And even as New York City had the worst air quality, the pollution was even worse for Upstate New York. From Bayside to Brooklyn, from Buffalo to Binghamton, my home State looked like the scene of a scary movie. prgtoken Across the Northeast, schools canceled outdoor activities and afterschool programs. The Yankees, the Phillies, and the New York Liberty all postponed their games. People as far west as Indianapolis and as far south as South Carolina have been impacted. prgtoken I urge all people here in Washington and across the United States to listen to local health officials and take every precaution to stay safe. prgtoken The climate crisis is real, and it is here to stay. We must take action against the climate crisis, both short term and long term. prgtoken In the short term, this morning, I am calling on Secretary Tom Vilsack to double the number of Forest Service personnel deployed to fight these fires in Canada. I am calling on the Secretary of Agriculture to double the number of personnel to mitigate the risk in the air for millions of Americans. I am sending a letter to him, asking him to double the Forest Service personnel. prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the Record.
Remembering Edward Wrzesinski (Executive Session)
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2023-6-8

today, I want to honor the life and service of a distinguished Montanan and Vietnam war veteran who recently passed, Edward Merle Wrzesinski. prgtoken Ed was a native son of Montana. He was born on the October 27, 1945, in Roundup. He was raised on the Wrzesinski family homestead in the Snowy Mountains, where he spent his time breaking horses, reading books, and doodling the beautiful Eastern Montana landscape around him--a landscape that would continue to shape his life forever. prgtoken Never one to shy away from service or sacrifice, Ed left Montana to serve his country in the Navy during the Vietnam war. During the war, he served on the USS Ranger aircraft carrier from 1963 to 1966, where he worked in the print shop. prgtoken After being honorably discharged from the Navy, Ed moved to Seattle and entered the print business. Eventually, he took his printing career to San Francisco, where he opened up his own printing company, called Barbary Coast Press, and he met his wife Debra. prgtoken After a stint in Hawaii, Ed and Debra moved back to Montana, settling in Twin Bridges, where they started their family. Here they raised their daughters Tess and Beth and founded Tobacco Root Graphics, an iconic line of western watercolor greeting cards inspired by Ed's childhood in the Snowy Mountains in Eastern Montana. prgtoken Ed also went on to drive buses for the Twin Bridges school district and later for Bozeman's Streamline city bus services after they made their move to Bozeman. prgtoken Ed loved his family. He especially liked spending time with his daughters. Together, they would work on art projects, attend sporting events, and watch movies. prgtoken Ed also loved reading good books. He liked golf. And, as all good Montanans, he liked to trout fish. On a beautiful Montana summer evening, you could find him at the river with a fishing pole and a box of fried chicken. prgtoken Ed passed away on May 4, earlier this year. He had fought a long battle with prostate cancer, a condition directly related to his exposure to Agent Orange during his service in the Vietnam war. While he fought long and hard, I am grateful he was able to get the healthcare and the benefits he needed in the last years of his life through the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which we were able to get across the finish line here in the Senate for heroes like Ed. And we did that in 2019. prgtoken Today, it is my honor to commemorate his service and life as an outstanding Montanan. His legacy will live on through his family and his daughters. prgtoken I am especially honored to have his daughter Tess working on my Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee staff, where she serves veterans in Montana and across the Nation and was awarded the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans' Unsung Hero Award for her tireless work for veterans. prgtoken Beth is also following in his footsteps at the University of Montana, where she is studying digi
CLOTURE MOTION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2023-6-8

this week, the Senate will vote to confirm Molly Silfen to the Court of Federal Claims. Ms. Silfen is an experienced litigator and public servant who is highly qualified to serve as a judge on the Court of Federal Claims. She earned her B.S. from Yale College and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. After beginning her legal career in 2006 as an associate attorney at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett, and Dunner, she clerked for Judge Alan D. Lourie on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit from 2008 to 2010. prgtoken During her time in private practice, Ms. Silfen handled patent and trademark issues for both individual patent owners and major companies. She performed a significant amount of pro bono work as well, including representing a veteran seeking benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. prgtoken Ms. Silfen joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as an associate solicitor in 2013 and remains there today. In her work with the USPTO, she regularly briefs and argues appeals before the Federal Circuit and other Federal courts of appeals. She has argued 23 appeals before Federal courts of appeals and has served as counsel of record in five merits cases before the Supreme Court. prgtoken While with the USPTO, Ms. Silfen has also been detailed to the Civil Division of the Department of Justice and to the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of former Senator Leahy's staff on the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property. prgtoken Ms. Silfen's extensive experience at all levels of the Federal judicial system, along with her commitment to public service, will make her an exceptional addition to the Court of Federal Claims. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for her confirmation.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Alex Padilla (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-6-8

I rise to introduce the Clean Shipping Act of 2023. This legislation aims to reduce harmful emissions from ocean going vessels and improve air quality for the nearly 40 percent of Americans who live within 3 miles of a port. prgtoken Globally, maritime shipping is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, emitting an estimated 1 billion tons of GHG emissions per year and roughly 3 percent of total anthropogenic global-warming carbon-dioxide prgtoken emissions. According to the International Maritime Organization, global shipping emissions could more than double between 2018 and 2050. prgtoken That is why the United States signed two shipping declarations at COP26 to call for zero-emission fuels on international commercial vessels by 2030 and the establishment of zero-emission shipping routes by the middle of the 2020 decade. prgtoken This legislation would set a path to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from all oceangoing vessels that do business with the United States. prgtoken The Clean Shipping Act will help reduce emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, protect air quality and public health for near-port communities, reduce climate pollution emissions from large marine vessels that call on U.S. ports, and ensure that the global maritime sector reduces, while providing the EPA with the flexibility needed to ensure smooth implementation. prgtoken The bill would direct the EPA to set progressively tighter carbon intensity standards for fuels used by ships consistent with a 1.5 deg.C decarbonization pathway, and to eliminate in-port ship emissions by 2030 for all ships at-berth or at-anchor in U.S. ports. prgtoken Importantly, this legislation is supported by global industry leaders and environmental advocates and will ensure that the global maritime sector reducesemissions consistent with the Paris Agreement, while providing the EPA with the flexibility needed to ensure smooth implementation. prgtoken More than 90 percent of global trade is transported by oceangoing vessels, which produce an estimated 3 percent of global anthropogenic emissions, yet these emissions are unregulated in the United States. prgtoken The International Maritime Organization's Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships plans to meet at the end of the month. prgtoken This bill would send a strong signal of our commitment to our international partners, empower the EPA to set standards to reduce harmful pollution in accordance with our national and international climate goals, provide certainty to the global shipping industry, and catalyze research and development to transition oceangoing vessels that rely on diesel engines. prgtoken This bill enjoys the support of environmentalists and industry stakeholders alike who recognize the urgent need to reduce emissions from the shipping sector. prgtoken I would like to thank my co
Climate Change (Executive Session)
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2023-6-8

go outside. It is hard to breathe. The Sun is darkened. The air smells of ash and cinder. Children cannot go to school or even go outside. An unmasked deep breath outside is a risk. On the east coast, it is an ungodly dystopian landscape, the stuff of science fiction, movies set in Martian landscapes, except it is right now, and it is right here. prgtoken This week, other than 9/11, New York City registered the worst air quality in the world. Climate change means more heat in the atmosphere, with record high temperatures in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, and even Burlington, VT. These high temperatures get locked into place by record-setting high-pressure zones--making ``heat domes'' of sunny, hot weather that sits prgtoken on top of the landscape, drying it out like an oven. More heat, less water--that is fuel for fire. prgtoken And we have seen it coming. Climate change has made this pattern more frequent and more intense. And if you don't believe me, if you don't think that this is a new phenomenon prompted by climate change, then ask yourself, when was the last time that New York or Philadelphia experienced something of this magnitude? prgtoken It would be disturbing enough to call this the new normal, but it is not the new normal because every year, it is going to get worse until we tackle this problem head-on. prgtoken This isn't just a forest fire. This is a climate fire because our entire climate is on fire. These wildfires are not just an occurrence. They are a condition, and the condition is only getting worse. Over the past 20 years, the area of land consumed annually by wildfires has doubled. In some parts of the West, that area is expected to grow sixfold--six times the fires, six times the smoke--which means harmful and dangerous air quality days for our youngest and our oldest, for those with asthma and respiratory disease and other health conditions. prgtoken When trees die in a wildfire, they release the carbon that is stored within them into the atmosphere. In that sense, you could look at each burning tree as being a kind of a massive exhaust pipe, spewing carbon up into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming. These fires aren't just the product of climate change; these fires are producing climate change. Additionally, once a tree fully burns, that particular tree is gone for good and can no longer reclaim atmospheric carbon and sequester it safely. prgtoken Those of us who have been fighting the climate crisis for decades take no joy in being right. None of us can take a deep breath outside on the east coast right now and not be at risk. But if we ignore this moment, if we don't take advantage of the searing example right in front of us, then we ignore a duty to act. Our public health is at risk. Our very lungs are at risk. There might be a veil of smoke outside, but let's not veil our sight to the need for climate solutions. prgtoken There is no mystery here. When you s
Energy (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2023-6-8

summer is almost here and with it, summer driving season. With gas prices up 48 percent since President took office and inflation still a major problem, the cost of those family road trip miles is likely to be on the American people's minds. prgtoken It is not just the cost of gas that can be challenging in the summer; hot temperatures can bring a corresponding increase in electricity bills as families rely more on their air-conditioners. With electricity prices up 22 percent since President took office and, as I said, with inflation still a major problem, those bills can be a stress. prgtoken It is not just energy prices that are of concern this summer. A recent article in the Washington Post entitled ``Fresh blackout threats emerge as power grid faces a stressful summer'' noted: The nation's power grid is in precarious shape heading into what could be an especially hot summer . . . with much of the country at risk for outages if it experiences scorching weather scientists say looks increasingly likely. prgtoken Much of the country is at risk for outages. prgtoken The reliability of our Nation's electric grid is becoming a serious concern, and it is being driven in part by attempts to move our country off conventional energy before we have the necessary technology to rely mostly on renewables. prgtoken In February, the PJM Interconnection, which manages a substantial part of eastern America's electric grid, released a report warning that fossil fuel plants are being forced to retire at a faster rate than new renewables can be brought online, at a rate of roughly two to one. As the report underscored, that situation is being driven by anti- conventional energy policies. prgtoken The Wall Street Journal, which weighed in after the PJM report was released, noted that ``most projected power-plant retirements are `policy-driven,' the report says.'' In other words, powerplants aren't closing because they have reached the end of their operating life; they are closing because the policy is designed to discourage conventional energy. prgtoken I am a longtime supporter of renewable energy. In fact, I come from a State where 80-plus percent of the energy that is actually produced in my State is renewable. But the fact is, technology has simply not advanced to the point where our Nation can rely solely or even mostly on renewables, and attempting to move to zero-emission energy before we have the technology and resources to get us there is going to result not only in price increases but in serious deficiencies in our Nation's energy supply. prgtoken I say ``going to result in,'' but, as I have mentioned, premature attempts to move us to a Green New Deal future are already compromising the reliability of our electric grid, and the administration has been driving the problem with its anti-conventional energy policies. prgtoken While the President has made isolated positive
Farm Bill (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2023-6-8

as I outlined earlier this week, the Senate has a great deal of work to do to fulfill prgtoken our most basic responsibilities: keeping America safe, keeping America fed, and keeping the lights on. prgtoken Our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee intend to fund the Federal Government through regular order. The Armed Services Committee has an urgent responsibility to set the Senate's national security priorities so we can face growing threats and fund our Armed Forces accordingly. prgtoken And also this year, the Agriculture Committee has to pass the farm bill. This legislation is the cornerstone of the government's approach to helping growers feed America. It includes essential provisions that support farmers, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen rural communities. prgtoken In my home State of Kentucky, nearly 75,000 farms help keep dinner plates full and grocery stores stocked throughout the entire country. But thanks to endless redtape from unelected bureaucrats and partisan foot-dragging here in Washington, it is more difficult than ever to be a farmer in Kentucky. prgtoken Washington ' runaway inflation has bogged down small family farms. With production costs on the rise, the Department of Agriculture projects that net farm income will decline by--listen to this--20 percent in 2023. prgtoken Naturally, farm families are looking to Congress to deliver much needed help and stability. In Kentucky, farmers are stalling investments and taking on unforeseen risks as they wait for Washington to make up its mind. Farmers in Kentucky and across the country deserve certainty from Congress so they can plan for the future. prgtoken With less than 4 months to go until many current farm bill provisions expire, time is running out. That is why Congress needs to do its job and get this legislation across the finish line swiftly. prgtoken Last week, negotiations between a ic President and a allowed the Senate to take an important step toward fiscal sanity and avert economic catastrophe. In the coming months, we will need further collaboration to produce legislation that puts farmers first and secures our food supply. Senate s stand ready to do our part.