mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING AND CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF REPRESENTATIVE JACKIE WALORSKI
Todd Young (Republican, IN) \u2014 2022-8-6

. 10 minutes from the bill time. prgtoken , I rise today to honor the lives of four Hoosiers who were lost tragically in a car accident this week, Edith Schmucker, Zachary Potts, Emma Thomson, and Representative Jackie Walorski. We grieve them all, and we pray for their families and friends. prgtoken This is, of course, a profoundly difficult time for those of us who knew one or more of these Hoosiers. It is such a difficult time for their families and their friends, and all of us, I know, we commit to do whatever it is in our power to comfort their loved ones in the difficult days ahead. prgtoken Like everyone here and back home in Indiana, I am absolutely heartbroken. I think one thing that hit everyone particularly hard was the loss of two young congressional staff members. prgtoken Whether you knew Zach or Emma personally or not, you certainly know their type if you are watching these proceedings on Capitol Hill. You know the type of hard-working, smart, committed, young person that comes to work on a congressional staff. They dedicate so much of their time and their talents. Other opportunities are given up in order to serve their country and to work toward the betterment of their Nation. prgtoken We should celebrate their accomplishments while we grieve their loss. It is a reminder, I think, for all of us to thank the many congressional staff members who do much more than the public will ever know. prgtoken I want to take a few minutes today to pay tribute to our colleague right here in the Halls of Congress, Jackie Walorski. prgtoken Jackie and I came to Congress at roughly the same time--she, 2 years after me--and I will never forget when she arrived here at the U.S. Capitol. Jackie didn't need time to get her ``sea legs.'' No, Jackie knew that she belonged here. Jackie understood that this was her calling. She didn't need people to tell her that she belonged. She got right to work because she had some things to accomplish. prgtoken I have to say that her confidence was infectious. Everyone saw it. Everyone was impressed by it. People loved being around her, including me. prgtoken Jackie had so many other amazing qualities, and I would like to highlight a number of those today. She was always so full of energy. It was a positive energy. She was a lightning bolt. She could light up a room like no other. prgtoken In fact, in my observation, she only had two speeds, it was full-bore on and off. She was high-spirited and full of fire. prgtoken Jackie also had a really big heart. In fact, her heart was as big as it was good. She wore it on her sleeve every day, every moment of the day. prgtoken She didn't hide her convictions. In fact, she made sure that they were expressed in the boldest, most colorful fashion. Her convictions were deeply held. She was proud of them. It is what made Jackie ``Jackie.'' She was of deep convictions, clearly, not just with her politics. No, it came from a deep
PRAYER
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2022-8-6

right now, Chinese owners control more than 194,000 acres of farm and forestry land valued at $1.9 billion, as of the last accounting, right here in the United States. Now, much of this farmland is located in close proximity to our military institutions, and a lot of this farmland is being used so that Chinese- owned farm operations can compete with U.S. farmers. prgtoken My amendment would stop funds from this bill from ending up in the hands of agents of the Chinese Government and their businesses. This is a commonsense motion to commit.
PRAYER
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2022-8-6

we have a true crisis--a humanitarian crisis, a national security crisis--right now on our southern border. prgtoken It is a huge tragedy that my ic colleagues want to ignore, and that tragedy has spread across our Nation--crime; victims of human trafficking, many of them children; a fentanyl epidemic killing our young people; chaos--all fueled by a lawless border. prgtoken Secure borders work. Walls work. Just ask the administration, as they are quietly building sections of the wall in Arizona right now. prgtoken The ' partisan reconciliation bill does nothing--nothing--to address this crisis. prgtoken Instead, it gives DHS $500 million for sustainability and environmental programs when our kids are dying from drugs streaming in from the border, when our communities are under siege. This should not be the priority for DHS. prgtoken My amendment would take this half a billion dollars and recommit it-- this DHS money--to building the wall and securing our border, which is DHS's primary mission, not environmental programs. prgtoken I ask that all my colleagues vote yes on this commonsense amendment.
PRAYER
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-8-6

this is a really easy one. Let's trade bureaucracy and more funding in this bill for bureaucracy at the Department of Homeland Security for desperately needed technology along the southern border to stop deadly fentanyl from coming into our communities. prgtoken Tragically, over 100,000 Americans were killed last year, which is a record, from drug overdoses. Two-thirds of those overdoses were from these synthetic opioids, like fentanyl. prgtoken We know that the vast majority of that fentanyl originates with drug cartels in Mexico now, and there is a surge of these deadly drugs coming across our southern border. prgtoken This amendment increases funding for Customs and Border Protection by $500 million for badly needed technology to detect fentanyl and other drugs. If you can believe it, right now, only 2 percent of cars--2 percent--and 14, 15, 16 percent, maybe, of commercial vehicles are being screened. Both GAO and the Department of Homeland Security IG have done reports saying we badly need this technology, and it is available. We need the funding. prgtoken The funding is more than offset by reducing huge funding increases in this bill for this Office of Chief Readiness at the Department of Homeland Security. So this money stays at DHS. prgtoken Let's make it a higher priority to stop and detect these deadly poisons coming into our communities.
HONORING THE DEDICATION OF THE BALL FAMILY
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2022-8-6

my amendment requires that the Secretary of the Interior--requires that he complete, or she, pending coal lease applications under the Bureau of Land Management. prgtoken I believe we cannot allow the administration to block the mining of our own essential energy resources and building materials. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support our coal miners and vote ``yes'' on this amendment. prgtoken Basically, the amendment would require that the Secretary of the Interior to complete pending coal lease processes for both metallurgical and thermal coal. prgtoken Currently, the administration has paused the Lease by Application program for Federal coal leases at the Bureau of Land Management and so forth. prgtoken It does not change the law. It simply seeks to raise revenue by accelerating and ensuring approval of leases that are currently paused by the Department of the Interior. prgtoken It makes a lot of sense to the American people, and it will put a lot of people back to work. prgtoken I urge adoption. Amen.
HONORING THE DEDICATION OF THE BALL FAMILY
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-8-6

this is a reckless inflation bill that will increase drug prices. Yes, you can write that down. Just like the ACA has driven up healthcare costs, this bill will increase drug prices. prgtoken With a limited window to recoup R&D, manufacturers will have to increase their launch prices. It will also eliminate incentives for generics to come to market and gain market share by pricing lower than the branded product. prgtoken Perhaps even worse, this bill will delay, if not eliminate, new innovative drugs for life-threatening illnesses, like Alzheimer's and cancers. This is why our amendment excludes two categories of drugs from price controls: Medicare Part D's six protected classes and the FDA's breakthrough therapy designation drugs. prgtoken By voting ``yes,'' you will be protecting patients with mental illness, organ transplants, Alzheimer's, cancers, and HIV. A ``no'' vote is a vote to never see a cure for Alzheimer's. prgtoken Rather than a healthcare system that offers Americans breakthrough medicines, this reckless tax-and-spend bill will force Americans to settle for end-of-life care, and that is just wrong. prgtoken .
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OF 2022
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-8-6

we are somehow continuing to consider the ' grab bag of bad ideas, otherwise known--I would say, misleadingly--as the Inflation Reduction Act. prgtoken Let's start with the bill's title. It gets you feeling somewhat hopeful, doesn't it? The Inflation Reduction Act sounds like a bill that is going to address perhaps the No. 1 problem facing our Nation-- inflation. Then you actually look at the bill's contents and discover that the bill will do nothing to reduce inflation--nothing. prgtoken And you don't have to take my word for it. Here is what the nonpartisan Penn Wharton Budget Model had to say about the bill's impact on inflation: ``The impact on inflation is statistically indistinguishable from zero''--``statistically indistinguishable from zero.'' prgtoken The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office also found that the bill would do nothing to address our current inflation crisis. So did the Tax Foundation. prgtoken So much for inflation reduction. prgtoken So what about the deficit reduction the are touting? Well, unfortunately, there is a good chance there won't be much of that either. rely on some very shady accounting to reach their supposed deficit reduction number--most notably from the repeal of a rule that has never been implemented and, at this point, was never expected to be. prgtoken No matter what this rule was predicted to cost, if it was never going to be implemented, its cost was effectively zero. So repealing this rule leaves you with exactly zero--zero dollars to spend, not $120 billion. prgtoken Then there is the question of the bill's expanded Care subsidies. The ' bill extends the expanded Care subsidies by 3 years. But it is common knowledge that the want to extend them permanently, as the President explicitly said in his State of the Union Address. And when you figure in the cost of extending them permanently, most of the purported cost savings in the bill, which the claim will go toward deficit reduction, dwindle away. prgtoken So no deficit reduction, an extremely doubtful amount of deficit reduction--what else? Well, there are the hundreds of billions of dollars in tax hikes. Yes, hundreds of billions of dollars in tax hikes. Our economy has posted two consecutive quarters of negative growth. In fact, by any common definition, we are now in a recession. And think now is a good time to hike taxes on businesses-- businesses that are already struggling with 40-year high inflation? prgtoken The ' book minimum tax, as proposed last week, would be a $313 billion tax hike, with roughly half of the increase falling on American manufacturers. prgtoken I don't think I need to tell anyone what happens when you raise taxes on businesses, particularly when the economy is shrinking. You get less growth, lower wages, and fewer jobs. prgtoken According to an analysis from the National Association of Man
PRAYER
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2022-8-6

my ic colleagues say wealthy Americans should pay their fair share. Yet they want to expand the electric vehicle tax credit for the rich once again. prgtoken In this bill, there are two separate EV tax credits: one for people who want to buy new $80,000 vehicles and one for those who want to buy used EVs. prgtoken Why two separate credits? The tax credit for new EVs is available to the wealthy, while the credit for the new EVs is limited to the folks with lower incomes. Why do my colleagues from the other side keep giving bigger tax breaks to their rich donors? prgtoken My change would at least prevent taxpayer dollars from subsidizing the wealthy. prgtoken .
HONORING THE DEDICATION OF THE BALL FAMILY
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2022-8-6

my amendment, which I also offer on behalf of many of my colleagues, would substantially and dramatically lower the cost of insulin for millions of Americans. prgtoken As you know, we have 1,403 federally qualified healthcare centers in America, sometimes called community health centers. They have 16,000 sites of service. prgtoken My amendment would reimplement a rule that President repealed. My amendment would make insulin available at federally qualified health centers for pennies on the dollar, and it would pay for itself by redirecting existing money from the Care Public Health and Prevention Fund.
HONORING THE DEDICATION OF THE BALL FAMILY
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2022-8-6

across the Nation, local governments are struggling to support their constituents. These frontline public servants provide for the safety and well-being of their friends and neighbors, typically using funds derived from local property taxes. prgtoken However, in many counties, these Federal neighbors of sorts don't pay property taxes, but they draw heavily on the resources made available by these local governments. Rescuing hikers, paving roads, addressing forest fires--these are just a few of the vital services that these communities honorably provide even though they receive little to no compensation for them. prgtoken My amendment would institute a supplemental PILT Program--payment in lieu of taxes--an additional PILT payment increasing funds by nearly 10 percent. It would not make these communities completely whole by providing true tax equivalency, but it would make a huge difference. If Americans want to continue to safely enjoy our national parks, monuments, forests, and general landscape, we must ensure this program, PILT, continues to serve as a reliable source of income as property taxes would were Federal lands subject to property tax. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
PRAYER
Bill Hagerty (Republican, TN) \u2014 2022-8-6

in fiscal year 2021, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 12,000 illegal aliens with aggravated felony convictions. An alltime record number of illegal border crossers entered our country last year. This is an unprecedented national security crisis. prgtoken Before we spend billions of dollars on Green New Deal programs, the Department should first do its core job of securing the homeland. prgtoken This same policy was adopted 53 to 46 during the budget resolution process last August, with four of my ic colleagues joining me. Now, 1 year later, we have a worse crisis and an opportunity to provide real funding to protect our citizens from individuals who endanger our communities. prgtoken I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will maintain their previous support for this commonsense approach to fund law enforcement and put public safety and national security over partisan politics. We have a chance to address this in a real manner right now. Solving a major crisis like this is worth taking a little more time. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this motion.
HONORING THE DEDICATION OF THE BALL FAMILY
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2022-8-6

Senator Sanders is right. The child tax credit is one of the most important things this body did. It brought down the child poverty rate by 40 percent almost immediately. We passed it in March. The Secretary of the Treasury had it up and running by July. It made a huge difference in people's lives. prgtoken I appreciate especially the work that Senator Bennet and also Senator Booker and Senator Warnock have done on this. But I ask my colleagues to vote no because this will bring the bill down--a very good bill. We will continue to work hard on this every step of the way. prgtoken I yield to Senator Bennet.
HONORING THE DEDICATION OF THE BALL FAMILY
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2022-8-6

last year, we demonstrated to the American people that we don't have to accept this outrageous, shameful level of childhood poverty in our Nation. prgtoken We have 38 out of 41 industrialized countries in the world in terms of childhood poverty. The poorest people in our country are our children. And because we passed this bill last year, we demonstrated that doesn't have to be a permanent feature of our economy or our democracy. prgtoken We have to fight to make this enhanced child tax credit permanent, and that is what I will do with people on both sides of the aisle. But this does not advance that cause because we prgtoken could lose the underlying bill. Therefore, we should vote against the amendment.
HONORING THE DEDICATION OF THE BALL FAMILY
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2022-8-6

I rise to engage in a colloquy with my colleague, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Wyden. prgtoken In the corporate alternative minimum tax, there is some question as to whether companies that operate in foreign countries with standard tax years that are different from the U.S. could lose foreign tax credits strictly because of these non-conforming years. This may especially be an issue in the very first year of the corporate alternative minimum tax's application. prgtoken Does Treasury have authority to issue regulations dealing with potential issues with foreign income taxes relating to nonconforming foreign tax years and how that impacts foreign tax credits in the corporate alternative minimum tax? This would include fair rules for the utilization of foreign tax credits in the law's first year.
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OF 2022
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2022-8-6

I am so proud to be here today to speak in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act, which hopefully we are on the cusp of passing. prgtoken It is historic. We will save lives, save money, save taxpayers. It will lower costs for all Americans in healthcare, particularly prescription drugs. It is the most important action to cut medicine costs in our history--certainly, in recent history. It is the most significant tax fairness measure in recent history, and it is the largest investment and most important action to fight climate change in our history. So it is a big deal, and it will be measurable for all Americans in what they pay to keep themselves healthy, to keep the planet inhabitable, to keep the highest income people from avoiding or evading taxes, and, in so many ways, it will make a difference in people's lives. prgtoken But it is a compromise, like many measures that we have passed that have accomplished very significant improvements in people's lives. It is an agreement where some people get some of what they want and others don't get what they want. And one point where I think a number of us wanted to advance was the cause of childcare, and we see an absence. prgtoken But listening to Senator Schumer, especially, I am more confident than ever that we will fight and win more aid for childcare, and Senator Murray and Senator Kaine have spoken so eloquently. I will simply say to what they said that I agree whole-heartedly because childcare is critical to kids. It is essential to early development, education, and physical and mental well-being. prgtoken It is essential for families because they need it to go back to work, particularly moms who have been out of the workforce. It is essential to our economy because employers--big, small--all need more workers, and they need to train those workers, and the way to find those workers and give them the skills they need to fill those jobs is to enable them to be secure in knowing their children have good childcare. prgtoken It is important to the men and women who form the childcare workforce. I have been all around the State prgtoken of Connecticut--to Torrington, Hartford, Bristol. In fact, I accompanied the President of the United States to visit one of Connecticut's childcare facilities. They do great work. They have been doing great work during the pandemic, reporting for duty, taking care of children, even as their industry was impacted by smaller amounts of children being able to go there because parents had smaller amounts of income to afford it. And the fact of the matter is, in Connecticut, the yearly cost of childcare is about $20,000. We have lost a major part of our childcare workforce, and this measure is essential to those men and women who take care of kids in those childcare facilities with their courage and diligence and strength that befits the enormous responsibility that they have. prgtoken We are determined to make childcare a
HONORING THE DEDICATION OF THE BALL FAMILY
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2022-8-6

this amendment is actually quite simple. It is to make sure that we have a comprehensive plan in place before title 42 is lifted. Very straightforward. This is not whether title 42 should ever be lifted or not; rather, it is about making sure that we are doing the right thing at the right time, which I believe is when the COVID-19 national emergency is lifted and when we have a plan in place. prgtoken I would urge a ``yea'' vote.
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OF 2022
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2022-8-6

I rise this afternoon to speak in support of the historic legislation we are considering today, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. prgtoken A little over a week ago, when I heard the news that there was an agreement reached to move forward on this legislation, I could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief and of joy, and I am not alone in feeling that way. I felt relief in knowing that, after months of negotiations and years of hard work from volunteers, from activists, from policy experts, from leaders at all levels of government and industry, and from so many others, we had finally broken the logjam on major climate and clean energy legislation. I felt joy in knowing that we were one step closer to delivering a major victory for the American people, one that will help reduce inflation and create good-paying jobs at the same time. My belief is that this legislation is an answer to our prayers for a brighter future for our Nation and for our planet. prgtoken I might say to all of these young people who are sitting up here--we have a bunch of our pages who are here from all over the country; they are, for the most part, rising juniors and seniors--that they remind me a lot of our grandchildren, frankly, in my family and, for folks, of a lot of their children. prgtoken This is for you. This is for your generation. prgtoken This is for our kids, our grandchildren, our nieces, our nephews. prgtoken This is for you. prgtoken After enduring a deadly global pandemic for the last 2 years and the resulting political and economic turbulence flowing from it, the truth is that far too many Americans are struggling. They are hurting from the high cost of healthcare; they are hurting from rising living expenses and energy bills; and they are hurting from extreme weather that is costing us in terms of dollars and of lives. prgtoken I know this because that is what I hear when I travel home to Delaware almost every night. I don't live here; I live in Delaware. I go back and forth on a train--a lot like a guy named used to do when he was a mere Senator, along with Senator Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Congresswoman. Whether it is a senior on a fixed income who is struggling with the cost of lifesaving prescription drugs or a young person who is living in a community that is prone to flooding from rising sea levels, many Delawareans of all ages are anxious about their futures, and they are pleading with us to do something about it. prgtoken Scientists are also pleading with us for action, too, before it is too late. For years, they have warned us that time is running out, that we must shift away from fossil fuels to avoid a future of unrelenting extreme weather. Now scientists are telling us it is code red for humanity and for our planet. prgtoken We are already experiencing a climate crisis, and Americans from communities large and small are feeling its impact, most notably in the for