mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Inflation (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-3-29

' massive inflation is an inescapable, painful, daily reality for working families. These policy failures have hammered my home State of Kentucky. Last year, even as many Kentuckians earned raises, prices skyrocketed faster. Used car prices shot up 40 percent in the Commonwealth last year. In Louisville, the gas to drive those cars costs more than a dollar more per gallon today than a year ago. prgtoken In typical Bluegrass fashion, neighbors are helping one another as best they can. According to the owner of Parkette Drive-In in Lexington, even as prices for ingredients like chicken have nearly doubled, he has chosen to cut back as much as possible on his end to avoid raising prices for customers. prgtoken But as hard as Kentuckians try, ' reckless policies are coming home to roost. As one father of four who lost his job following the devastating Mayfield tornado in December put it, ``there's no stretching money at this point.'' prgtoken An outright majority of Americans say inflation is not at all under control. Seven in 10 say our economy is in bad shape, and by all accounts, they know exactly whom to blame for a year of painful challenges. prgtoken Sixty-three percent of Americans, nearly two-thirds, say they disapprove of how President is handling the economy, and that number just keeps rising. prgtoken But Washington do not appear to have gotten the message. The administration's new budget proposal leans even further into the policies that got us here in the first place. prgtoken Even as President has already presided over soaring prices for gas and home heating fuels, he wants massive new tax hikes on American- made fossil fuels. He wants to skyrocket discretionary domestic spending on a whole catalog of liberal wish-list items, and he wants to compound the pain on our economy by slapping the biggest tax hikes in American history right on top of all of it. prgtoken So the past year has taught us how painful Washington ' policies can be for hard-working Americans. The administration needs to stop trying to dig this hole any deeper.
Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar (Executive Calendar)
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2022-3-29

reserving the right to object. prgtoken I do think it is significant that the party that is now in the majority that was previously in the minority took a different position when it was not in the minority--when it was not in the majority and when a President of their political party was not in power. There was elaborate and, I believe, an excessive delay in the confirmation of a lot of nominees, even more so than what we are seeing now. prgtoken I do have concerns that are particular as to this particular nominee and not generalized. They are not concerns that could be dismissed simply as a result of basic partisan disagreements, but based on views that are considerably outside the mainstream and that are radical and harmful. prgtoken Let me explain. As vice president of the think tank Jobs for the Future, Ms. Loyd was responsible for overseeing that organization's workforce development efforts through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. prgtoken It is of great concern to me that this body of work produced reports that promulgated ideas aimed at furthering the divisive agenda of critical race theory and ESG scores. One of the most alarming of these reports is one that was published on September 8, 2020, which asserted that due to ``unconscious or implicit bias toward minorities,'' managers are limiting the advancement or promotion of minorities in the workforce. prgtoken These divisive, inflammatory assumptions are dangerous to the civil fabric of our society. Elevating individuals who espouse this dangerous and divisive ideology to key leadership positions within the Federal Government will only further divide Americans, pitting them one against another. prgtoken We should instead seek to elevate into positions of leadership those who aim to unify the American people and emphasize the importance of making sure that people are evaluated on the basis of the character of their heart, not the color of their skin. Her work has done the opposite of that. prgtoken In good conscience, I cannot and will not support the nomination of Ms. Loyd; and on that basis, I object.
DON YOUNG COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2022
Troy Balderson (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-3-29

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken I rise in support of the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act, which ensures that the dedicated men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard are adequately trained and equipped to fulfill their critical mission of securing America's coastlines. prgtoken It has been an honor for me, as a 3-year Member of Congress, to serve alongside Don Young and always sit behind him and hear him.
Nomination of Lisa DeNell Cook (Executive Session)
Patrick J. Toomey (Republican, PA) \u2014 2022-3-29

I rise today to speak on the nomination of Professor Lisa Cook to serve as a Governor of the Federal Reserve Board. prgtoken At stake with Professor Cook's nomination is really how the Fed will respond to one of the most pressing challenges facing Pennsylvania and the Nation. prgtoken Earlier this month, we learned that inflation hit a four-decade high of almost 8 percent. Prices are skyrocketing for just about everything: gasoline, food, rent. The amount of money Americans have to pay for basic goods and services that they need every week are going up, and they are going up much faster than their wages. That means working Americans are falling further and further behind. prgtoken Under the guise of fighting this inflation, my colleagues across the aisle on the Senate Banking Committee have urged the swift confirmation of President 's slate of nominees to the Federal Reserve Board. The chairman of the committee said that President 's nominees are ``ready to get to work fighting inflation.'' And yet we could have confirmed nominees many weeks ago. prgtoken We still haven't voted on two of the nominees who have unanimous support and near-unanimous ic support, which makes you wonder about our colleagues' commitment to this urgency. Maybe it is because our ic colleagues know that even if we don't confirm these nominees, the Fed has 9 out of 12 voting members on the FOMC in place. That is more than enough to raise rates if they decide they should raise rates to fight inflation. prgtoken How do we know for sure that that is more than enough? Well, at their last meeting just 2 weeks ago, the Fed did, in fact, raise interest rates. So it was never the case that the Fed is somehow unable to fight inflation until the nominees are confirmed. prgtoken What we really should be asking ourselves is, Are these nominees going to be the inflation fighters that we need that the White House claims they are? In my view, one of these nominees in particular, Professor Lisa Cook, dramatically fails this test. prgtoken First of all, Professor Cook has nearly zero experience in monetary policy. Now, she does have a Ph.D. in economics, but not a single one of her publications concerns monetary economics. prgtoken The White House cites as her main qualification on U.S. monetary policy her appointment as a Chicago Fed director. That appointment was made in January of this year, 2 weeks before President announced Professor Cook's nomination to be a Fed Governor. prgtoken And Professor Cook made very clear in her conversation with me that she had not participated in any policy or decisionmaking so far in her term at the Chicago Fed. In fact, she described her role as limited to ``filling out paperwork''--that is her quote--for her new position, which is understandable. She had been there for 2 weeks before she was nominated to the Fed governorship. So that appointment to the regional F
SECURING A STRONG RETIREMENT ACT OF 2022
Gregory F. Murphy (Republican, NC) \u2014 2022-3-29

. Madam , I rise today in support of SECURE Act 2.0. prgtoken When our military members pledge a commitment to the United States, we promise, in return, to care for them and their families. As the proud Representative of close to 90,000 veterans in North Carolina, I am committed to supporting strong legislation that improves the lives of our veterans and their families. prgtoken When servicemembers change base assignments, their spouses often relocate with them, putting their own careers at stake and on hold. The SECURE Act prioritizes military family retirements by providing a tax credit for small employers that make more benefit plans available for military spouses. prgtoken Incentivizing job creators to hire and retain military spouses is an important step to strengthening military family retirement savings. prgtoken I am proud of the bipartisan effort by the Ways and Means Committee to lead the charge to support our military families, who so often face many uphill challenges in attaining retirement security. We must always fight for those who have given us so much to keep our safety.
Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar (Executive Calendar)
Josh Hawley (Republican, MO) \u2014 2022-3-29

reserving the right to object, from Virginia for accommodating me here and allowing me to come to the floor, and I thank him for his remarks. I only got to hear the second half of his remarks, but I thank him for his remarks and am sure that he is in earnest about this nomination. prgtoken Let me tell you why I am here, and I will be brief. I know we have a vote that is about to kick off. But let me tell you what I am in earnest about. prgtoken The crisis in Afghanistan--the attack at Abbey Gate this past August that cost 13 American servicemembers, including 1 from my home State, from the State of Missouri, their lives--is a catastrophe unparalleled in our foreign policy in my lifetime. It is my firm conviction and it is also a promise that I made to the family of the fallen marine from my State that we should do--this Senate should perform its oversight functions related to the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan and in particular the events leading up to that attack at Abbey Gate that resulted in the deaths of those servicemembers and the deaths of hundreds, I am afraid--hundreds--of civilians and many hundreds of other Americans left behind. prgtoken I have come to this floor before many times now to ask the Senate to hold accountable those who planned and led or failed to lead, in some instances, this operation leading to the attack at Abbey Gate, leading to that catastrophic loss of life, and leading, I am afraid, to the disastrous turn in our foreign policy, the effects of which we continue to feel. prgtoken So it is my humble but earnest request that the Senate perform its basic oversight functions, and, very briefly, let me mention one. prgtoken U.S. Central Command ordered a report of the events leading up to the Abbey Gate attack that we learned of in February. February 8, I believe, we learned that that report had been completed. It is several thousand pages long. I have the barest summary of it here. prgtoken My staff and I have been through all of it, the thousands of pages. They had over 169 interviews that U.S. Central Command conducted, again, to try to understand how we got to this crisis point leading up to and including Abbey Gate. prgtoken We have not had a single hearing in the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on this report. Now, I applaud Central Command for carrying out the report, for ordering it, for putting it together, but we should be learning what we can and holding accountable those who need to be held accountable. Who has been fired? No one. Who has been relieved of duty? No one. And if you read the report--and I commend it to my colleagues. If you read the report, you will see individual after individual, commanders on the ground warning that we are not prepared, that the administration was not prepared to get civilians to safety in Kabul; warning that the planning was not adequate; warning that there were dangers. prgtoken So, Mr. Pr
REMEMBERING JERRY MARSHALL GILL
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2022-3-29

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the life of a valued member of the Savannah community, Jerry Marshall Gill. prgtoken Jerry was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana, in 1931. He and his family moved to Savannah when he was at the young age of 5. prgtoken Once in Savannah, Jerry attended Commercial High School, where he stood out immediately as a gifted basketball player. prgtoken From Commercial High, Jerry proceeded to Armstrong Junior College before answering the call to join the United States Marine Corps. Jerry was called to Active Duty in 1950 and served in the Korean war. prgtoken Back home, he was a volunteer for the Georgia Affiliates Federal Credit Unions for over 42 years, where he received ``Volunteer of the Year,'' the ``Lifetime Achievement Award,'' and the ``Credit Union House Hall of Leaders Award,'' which is displayed here in D.C. in the D.C. Credit Union House. prgtoken After retirement, Jerry worked with the Georgia Affiliates Credit Union for another 12 years. prgtoken Jerry's life of service was further demonstrated in his commitment to his fellow veterans. He volunteered with the USO and was a member of the Veterans Council League for many years. prgtoken We will all dearly miss Jerry, his wisdom, and his service.
THANKING HEIDI GALLEGOS
Young Kim (Republican, CA) \u2014 2022-3-29

I rise today to thank Brea Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Heidi Gallegos for her dedicated service to our community. prgtoken Heidi served in the Los Angeles Police Department for 11 years and on the Board of Trustees for Rowland Unified School District for 12 years. Most recently, she guided the Brea Chamber of Commerce through the Great Recession and the COVID-19 lockdowns. Despite unprecedented economic challenges, Heidi led the chamber to build reserves and remain successful. prgtoken She consistently operates with integrity, energy, and compassion and has established a reputation for strong, trusted leadership. prgtoken I thank Heidi for all that she has done for our community. I am proud to call her a friend, and I wish her a joyful retirement.
PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE DONALD EDWIN YOUNG
Garret Graves (Republican, LA) \u2014 2022-3-29

. Madam , I thank the gentleman from Maryland for his remarks. prgtoken Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , Don Young served in this Chamber for nearly five decades, for nearly 50 years. Prior to that, he was a teacher, a trapper, a gold miner, a boat captain, a legislator--an incredible background for somebody to serve in this Chamber, such a diverse background and diverse experiences. prgtoken I was in a meeting with him last year at the White House, and he stood up and said to President : I need a picture with you. I have had a picture with nine other Presidents, and I need one with you. prgtoken I mean, just think about that, with nine other Presidents that he worked with, that he served with. The history there is unbelievable. prgtoken Everybody in this Chamber has a Don Young story. Everybody has an interaction that is incredibly memorable. prgtoken One of them that I won't forget is when we were at the White House and a bill was being signed into law that opened up the energy production in Alaska in an area--I think he told me he had been working on this for 30 years. He was so excited about it, and he turned around, looks back, and says: What I lack in intelligence, I make up for in perseverance. prgtoken Thirty years to get something done, but he wasn't going to stop. prgtoken There are so many stories about Don Young and that famous knife. That knife has been pulled out and involved in so many stories across that 50 years. I will bet that everybody in this Chamber has a story about that knife. prgtoken I believe there have been over 2,170 Members of the House who served with Don Young, and I think that all of them have a story of the knife. prgtoken I was standing in the back of the Cannon Caucus Room during a Conference meeting where there was a heated discussion about changes in indirect spending, and Don Young took it to the back of the room with the then- of the House, John Boehner. Don is right up in Boehner's face. I think that this is covered in Boehner's book. He got right up in his face, and he is yelling at him. Don takes that knife out--and to be clear, it was not open--but he had that knife right at the 's neck. The 's security detail starts walking in, and Boehner looks at them, and he is like, no, he is harmless. prgtoken There are so many stories, and they are all true--so many more. But I also want to say that while many people view this and believe this is the Don Young, the Don Young with the scowl that is portrayed in the media, I think this is the Don Young that so many of us actually know. prgtoken Don Young would swear. He would scream. He would yell. He would have his growls and his scowl. But this is the Don Young that we knew. He was a grizzly bear on the outside, but Don Young was a teddy bear on the inside. prgtoken I have been subjected to the yelling and the screaming and cursing and everything else, and I finally realized after years tha
NOMINATION OF C.S. ELIOT KANG (Executive Calendar)
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2022-3-29

I rise today to express my support for the nomination of Dr. Eliot Kang to be Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation, ISN. prgtoken At a time of increasing concern about the potential use of chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine by Russia, it is vital the United States have a Senate-confirmed official in place to counter these dangers, as well as other nuclear threats. ISN leads the State Department's efforts to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction--nuclear, chemical, and biological--as well as the means to deliver them. We need a Senate-confirmed expert at the helm to coordinate prevention and response with the Ukrainian Government, our allies, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. prgtoken Dr. Kang is eminently qualified to do just that. He has the substantive expertise to lead ISN and advance U.S. national security interests. During his 18-year career at the State Department, Dr. Kang has worked on a wide variety of nonproliferation issues. This includes the denuclearization of North Korea, international efforts to halt the spread of chemical weapons, and nuclear safety. He has held senior positions in ISN, where he currently serves as Acting Assistant Secretary, and served as the Department's most senior official for Arms Control and International Security. prgtoken But because of delays he has not yet been confirmed, despite the fact that he was first nominated 341 days ago. Think about that--that was nearly a year ago--and he has not yet been confirmed. prgtoken The delays and obstacles facing nominees on the Senate floor and in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are hampering our national security. Each day that goes by without critical national security posts being filled does a disserving to our country and our national security interests. Dr. Kang could have and should have been confirmed long ago. prgtoken I strongly support confirming Dr. Kang, and I respectfully urge my colleagues to join me in advancing his nomination, along with all of the foreign affairs nominations pending before this body.
SECURING A STRONG RETIREMENT ACT OF 2022
Suzanne Bonamici (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2022-3-29

. Madam , I thank Chairman Scott for yielding, and I thank him for his leadership on this and so many important issues in the Education and Labor Committee. prgtoken I rise in strong support of the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2022 or SECURE 2.0, which makes important and bipartisan improvements that will improve enrollment in and access to retirement savings plans. prgtoken As employers have shifted from pension plans to retirement plans such as 401(k)'s, workers have increasingly become responsible for tracking, managing, and consolidating their retirement accounts when they change jobs. prgtoken There is no standard way for workers to consolidate their accounts, and many workers actually lose track of their hard-earned investments. prgtoken According to a Government Accountability Office report, about 25 million people changed jobs between 2004 and 2014 and left one or more retirement accounts behind. This problem is only expected to grow as young workers transition between jobs at greater rates than previous generations. prgtoken The SECURE Act 2.0 includes provisions from my Retirement Savings Lost and Found Act which will help address the challenge of tracking retirement savings. My bill creates a national lost-and-found registry for retirement accounts housed at the Department of Labor. prgtoken The lost-and-found registry will provide workers with a centralized way to track their retirement accounts, and it will also help workers claim their hard-earned retirement funds regardless of how often they transition from job to job. prgtoken I strongly support the commonsense improvements in the SECURE Act 2.0, including the creation of a retirement savings lost-and-found registry which will help working families retire with dignity. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of passage of this important legislation.