mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES RELATING TO ``MEDICARE AND MEDICAID...
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2022-3-2

I come to the floor today to talk about the war in Ukraine. One week ago, Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine by land, by sea, and by air. Now we know that thousands of people are dead. prgtoken Vladimir Putin prepared for this invasion, and he prepared over the course of at least 3 months. Month after month after month, he moved troops, he moved weapons, and he moved them to the border with Ukraine. Now, many of these troops are attacking the capital city of Kyiv. The Ukrainian people are fighting bravely. Their example is an inspiration to the world. They are outnumbered, they are outgunned, and yet they continue to fight for their freedom. prgtoken Make no mistake, Vladimir Putin has caused this war. He alone is responsible. He is responsible for the death and the destruction that the world is witnessing now. Yet, it is undeniable that the administration's so-called deterrence and diplomacy have failed. prgtoken ran for President on competence and on his foreign policy expertise. As a candidate for President, said Putin's days of tyranny would be over if he became President--Putin's days of tyranny would be over if were elected President. The opposite has occurred under this administration. prgtoken Vladimir Putin has become emboldened like never before. Putin is cunning, he is opportunistic, and he is aggressive. When he sees an opportunity, he takes it. He can smell weakness, and he views as weak and ineffective. Clearly that has become even more so after 's disgraceful and deadly surrender from Afghanistan. Enemies of ours around the world have become emboldened. prgtoken After Afghanistan fell, Vladimir Putin increased his weapons testing. prgtoken Just a few months later, Vladimir Putin put 100,000 troops on the border of Ukraine. How did the President of the United States, , respond? He lobbied this body, the Senate, against imposing sanctions on Vladimir Putin. prgtoken In January, this Senate voted on sanctions for Putin's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. I came to the floor; I argued that the Senate needed to act quickly. Almost every in this body had previously supported sanctions. Under pressure from the White House, the reversed course. They buckled to the demands of the President of the United States, who had a different view than this body in a broad, bipartisan consensus had had previously of sanctioning the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline between Russia and Germany. Senate blocked the sanctions. prgtoken Look, energy is the reason that Vladimir Putin is flush with cash. He has hit the jackpot. His energy revenues are up, and more than $1 out of every $3 that Vladimir Putin has in Russia's treasury is energy- related. High energy prices today that Americans are paying at the pump and people around world are paying are the reason why Putin can indefinitely--how he can afford this invasion. prgtoken So who is Putin
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2022-3-3

we are about to vote on an issue dealing with the national emergency here in the United States dealing with the pandemic. prgtoken There has been no great shock that we have functioned under a lot of additional authorities that are happening, but I want to provide a bit of clarity into this conversation as well. prgtoken The measure that we are dealing with right now dealing with COVID and the pandemic that is here, we also know there is a global pandemic; and improving the medical situation here doesn't necessarily mean improving the medical situation everywhere, nor should it change what is called title 42. prgtoken A quick explanation on this. The Surgeon General, the CDC, and HHS all work together with the President to be able to recommend that, based on the public health crisis that we are currently under, title 42 states this: Whenever the Surgeon General determines that by reason of the existence of any communicable disease in a foreign country there is a serious danger of the introduction of such disease in the United States, and that this danger is so increased by the introduction of persons or property from such country that a suspension of the right to introduce such persons and property is required in the interest of the public health, the Surgeon General, in accordance with the regulations approved by the President, shall have the power to prohibit . . . the introduction of persons and property from such countries or places [they] shall designate. prgtoken That is title 42. prgtoken Why that does matter to us? Because in the last 2 years, our country along our border has been managing much of the border based on title 42. Now, it is no secret to anyone in this room--I would assume everyone in this room knows--we had the highest number of border encounters--that is people illegally crossing our borders--last year in the history of our country. Over 2 million people illegally crossed our borders. What some may not know is, last year, 900,000 of those were brought into the system in the United States; 1.1 million of those were turned around at the border with title 42 authority; meaning, because of the pandemic, because of the risk and the crisis, the introduction of additional individuals who are likely to have COVID, they were turned around at the border. prgtoken The concern is--and I have raised this concern over and over with CBP--what is your plan postpandemic for the title 42 authority? prgtoken Now, I want everyone to think about last summer--last summer what was happening in Donna, TX, last summer what was happening in multiple places along the border where our facilities were overrun with people and not manageable. That was when we were introducing 900,000 people into the country. What does that look like this summer if there are 2 million people in that group coming across? prgtoken That is why I want to make i
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-3-3

I call on this body to support the people of Ukraine fighting for their lives right now, today. Our mandate to act is clear. prgtoken Here is a little bit of history for this body. In 1994, in the months following the end of the Cold War, Ukraine was very fragile, working through the challenges of establishing and sustaining democratic government, while sitting atop the world's third largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, arms abandoned in the final days of the Soviet Union. prgtoken The United States intervened. In exchange for protection by the greatest superpower in the history of the world, Ukraine dismantled and surrendered their nuclear armament entirely. That agreement made the world a safer place, but Vladimir Putin called the United States to the carpet on our agreement last week. He gambled that America would again abandon our partners, as we did in Afghanistan. Putin gambled that U.S. treaties and agreements are no more valuable than the paper they are written on. He didn't bet against the Ukrainians, where he has every military advantage in a head-to-head conflict. His criminal invasion-- now a bloody war of aggression against Ukraine--was a bet against American supremacy. prgtoken We cannot allow Putin to get away with it. The American people don't want us to either. Over 80 percent of Americans want us to do more to bring down Vladimir Putin, stand with Ukraine, and end this conflict. They are not just feeling the impacts of the invasion at the gas pump, the grocery store, and in their retirement accounts; they feel it in their hearts. prgtoken We are the greatest Nation on the face of the planet. We stand for freedom. But our greatness and our standing are only as strong as our world. The American people know it, and they are looking for us to act. prgtoken Unfortunately, the U.S. response to this point is at best incomplete. It is tepid. It is halfhearted and impassive to the Russian bear that is looking to clamp down on the free world. This President and his administration are allowing the Germans, the Canadians, the Latvians, the Dutch, and the Swiss to lead in arming Ukraine. prgtoken This body, my colleagues, I implore you, we can do more, and we can do it better. We have seen the classified reports. We all understand, all 100 of us, that the Ukrainians are in dire need of our aid right now--not tomorrow, not next week, now. We also know the volume of not just combat capability but logistics supplies, secure communications equipment, and medical kits that we have purchased and staged all around the world to secure our partners. prgtoken My amendment does not spend another dime of taxpayer money; it calls on the Secretary of Defense to mobilize existing equipment, including provisions meant for Afghanistan, to arm Ukraine. This equipment will never be used by U.S. forces, but it is simply sitting in warehouses across the world. It belongs at the Polish border and in the hands of
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-3-3

2 years ago this month, things started shutting down due to COVID. We shut down the American economy; basically, 22 million people, all of a sudden, were unemployed. I think we learned a lot in the last 2 years, and if we have another pandemic, I don't think we would do it that way again. I think we have learned a lot from mistakes, and a lot of bad mistakes resulted from that decision. prgtoken So, in March 2020, employees were furloughed or sent home to work from home; schools were closed; events were canceled. Everyone was told to stay home. prgtoken Now, 2 years later, a lot has changed in the fight against COVID. Tests and treatments have been developed. Anyone who wants a vaccine can get one. High-quality masks are available free for anyone who chooses to wear a mask. Those masks protect the one wearing it, regardless of the choices of others around them, whether they make a choice to wear a mask or not. Restaurants, theaters, and sports venues are filling back up again. Demand for air travel is above prepandemic levels. prgtoken Yet our Federal Government remains frozen in time, operating as if it were still the spring of 2020. Federal Agencies remain shuttered to the taxpayers who fund it. Expensive office buildings in downtown DC are sitting deserted. Fifty percent of the executive branch workforce is still working remotely, and most have no plans to return to the office. prgtoken Some Agencies, such as the Veterans' Administration, had previously announced efforts to return to in-person work. Those plans have been indefinitely postponed. The U.S. Capitol Building, where we are right now, is closed to the public, despite nearly every State capitol building in the country finding a way to reopen. prgtoken Federal employees are here, as we all know, to serve the taxpayers. Agencies like the Veterans' Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and Social Security Administration that are responsible for processing benefits and tax refunds need to be fully operational. It is pretty plain and simple. prgtoken The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service offices, located in every Iowa county and most counties in most States, are responsible for signing up farmers for the Conservation Reserve Program and for crop insurance. Right now, those county offices are the busiest as farmers prepare for the upcoming crop year. These county offices still require employees to work from home. The U.S. Department of Agriculture employees have to meet with farmers to go over detailed maps of their land, making it nearly impossible even with video calls. I have received letters from farmers and USDA employees alike who are frustrated that they can't have in-person meetings. prgtoken We all know that backlogs persist across the Federal Government and show no signs of abating. The National Personnel Records Center, responsible for providing service records to veterans seeking their benefits, has not been f
HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021
Pete Stauber (Republican, MN) \u2014 2022-3-3

I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 55. Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress Aguilar (Gomez) Amodei (Balderson) Babin (Duncan) Barragan (Gomez) Bass (Kelly (IL)) Blumenauer (Beyer) Brown (MD) (Connolly) Cardenas (Gomez) Cawthorn (Boebert) Cherfilus-McCormick (Beatty) Correa (Gomez) Costa (Takano) Cuellar (Connolly) DelBene (Kuster) Deutch (Rice (NY)) Doyle, Michael F. (Connolly) Dunn (Cammack) Evans (Mfume) Fallon (Van Duyne) Gohmert (Boebert) Gonzalez, Vicente (Gomez) Gosar (Greene (GA)) Grijalva (Garcia (IL)) Hudson (Murphy (NC)) Issa (Van Duyne) Jackson (Van Duyne) Johnson (SD) (Armstrong) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Kahele (Takano) Keating (Cicilline) Kelly (PA) (Keller) Lawson (FL) (Soto) Letlow (Garbarino) Lofgren (Jeffries) Manning (Beyer) Neal (Beyer) Nehls (Garbarino) Norman (Donalds) Payne (Pallone) Pocan (Garcia (IL)) Raskin (Cicilline) Reschenthaler (Armstrong) Roybal-Allard (Takano) Rush (Jeffries) Salazar (Cammack) Sewell (Kelly (IL)) Sires (Pallone) Speier (Escobar) Strickland (Jeffries) Suozzi (Beyer) Swalwell (Gomez) Trone (Connolly) Underwood (Jeffries) Van Drew (Burgess) Veasey (Beyer) Wagner (Walorski) Wilson (FL) (Cicilline) Amendment No. 23 Offered by Mr. Ryan
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2022-3-3

clearly, we have two different philosophies and strategies moving forward as we deal with the crisis that is unfolding in Europe and Ukraine. prgtoken We need more ``made in America'' energy. It is the Green New Deal, purely clean energy and not including an ``all of the above'' energy portfolio that I believe is a very dangerous direction to head, as we have seen exactly what Germany has encountered over the course of the last 10 years. prgtoken They marched down that path, and now, they find themselves in a very, very dangerous position. And they have had to reverse the course because they had the same kind of ideals that the Senator from Massachusetts was talking about. Now, they have had to wake up and look at the reality of the situation and change course. prgtoken By the way, it is not every inch. This bill simply says we need four lease sales. We are asking for a minimum of four lease sales. That is what we are asking for. prgtoken And when the President shuts down the Keystone Pipeline, shuts down oil and gas leasing in this country, combined with what we see going on with FERC being major impediments to building more pipelines, combined with nominees and those who have been appointed in the administration and who are very anti-oil and gas, it chills the capital markets. This is a long-term direction we have got to continue to go down. prgtoken Again, this bill also includes wind, solar, and geothermal priorities as part of it. So it is all of the above. prgtoken I just think it is very dangerous to say we are going to bet the Nation's future on only one segment of the energy economy and not also ensure we have oil and gas and coal as part of our broader portfolio. prgtoken Just ask the Germans if they thought that was a good idea when they went down this path 10 to 15 years ago. prgtoken Thank you.
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
Tim Scott (Republican, SC) \u2014 2022-3-3

this week President prgtoken 's State of the Union speech addressed an issue I have long worked on. It is the issue of police reform. After years--and I do mean years--of ' touting unpopular ``defund the police'' policies, they have finally seen the light--maybe it is the light on their sinking polling numbers--and are now voicing support for funding our men and women in uniform. prgtoken Crime is one of the top issues people across this country are facing. Homicides are up 44 percent in major cities since 2019, and minority communities that have been impacted the most are crying out for help. prgtoken Eighty-five percent--85 percent--is the number of the increase from 2019 to 2020 in the murders and the violent crimes in Black and Hispanic communities. In addition, last year was one of the most dangerous, deadliest years for law enforcement on record, with the most officers being shot in the line of duty since they began tracking the numbers. That is nearly a 70-percent increase in officers being shot while simply trying to do their duty, take care of the community, and return to their families. prgtoken So this is not an issue between law enforcement or the minority community; this is an issue of both. Today, 80 percent of African Americans all over the country want the same level of policing or higher levels of policing. They want their neighborhoods safe because they understand more than anyone else--with the 85-percent increase, they understand the importance of the presence of character-driven law enforcement officers patrolling our communities. prgtoken The numbers simply do not lie. prgtoken That is why we must increase funding for police departments so they can have the training and the equipment, the resources necessary to do their jobs, keeping themselves safe and the neighborhoods that they patrol safe at the exact same time. prgtoken In his speech this week, President named things I have been working on and supporting for years along with my colleagues. We have literally been supporting the issues he raised for the last 2 or 3 years. prgtoken My legislation, the JUSTICE Act, was filibustered on this very floor by Senate in 2020. It contained hundreds of millions of dollars for the very things President , under duress and in an election year for so many , is now advocating for. prgtoken In my bill, as an example, we funded training; we funded storage; and we funded the purchase of more body-worn cameras for our officers because the polling and the stats are undeniable. When violent crime against our officers goes down, violent crime against the community goes down. prgtoken We funded training on alternatives for the use of force. We funded deescalation training. We addressed the issues of behavioral health. We funded efforts to ensure law enforcement officers come from diverse backgrounds that reflect the communities that they serve,
IN HONOR OF L. ALLEN DOBSON, JR. MD FOR RECEIVING THE 2021 CABARRUS REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DUKE ENERGY CITIZENSHIP AND SERVICE AWARD
Richard Hudson (Republican, NC) \u2014 2022-3-3

. Madam , I rise today to honor and congratulate Dr. L. Allen Dobson, Jr. for receiving the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award. prgtoken Dr. Dobson has provided his community with excellent service through medical and economic initiatives he has pursued as a doctor and small business owner. He began his career by opening Cabarrus Family Medicine where he established a residency program to train doctors for work in rural settings. Additionally, he served as the chair of the Board of Managers of the Community Care Physicians prgtoken Network, LLC (CCPN) to create business and medical connections between more than 3,600 North Carolinian clinicians. He also helped found and served as the President and Executive Officer of Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) which currently offers primary care medical home services to over 1.5 million people across the state. His medical and management expertise is nationally renowned, and he serves as a steady consultant to the National Governor's Association, the White House, Congress, and the National Institutes of Medicine on account of the innovative success of the CCNC model. prgtoken In addition to his accomplishments in the medical field, Dr. Dobson's leadership has brought much economic growth and development to Cabarrus County. He founded 73 & Main in Mount Pleasant which remains one of the most popular restaurants in Cabarrus County. He also played a paramount role in establishing Southern Grace Distilleries at old Mount Pleasant Prison. These ventures affected great economic progress in the region by encouraging the development of many new small businesses. prgtoken Dr. Dobson's unmeasurable contributions to his community make him truly deserving of this award. His hard work and dedication to supporting those in need will serve as a model for all healthcare providers and entrepreneurs to emulate. I know I speak for our entire community in wishing him continued success and happiness as he continues to affect positive change through excellent leadership and service. prgtoken Madam , please join me today in congratulating Dr. L. Allen Dobson, Jr. on receiving the 2021 Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award.
RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON MARCH 13, 2020
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-3-3

. So I encourage my colleagues to join us in support of this legislation. Let's put the Postal Service in a position to succeed, and let's provide those essential services to the small businesses, veterans, the elderly, rural constituents, who rely on it so much--the prescription drugs we talked about, the Social Security checks, the rent checks, the utility checks, and the ballots. prgtoken I appreciate working with my colleague Senator Gary Peters on this, over time, to try to find a consensus, to try to find a way forward that was bipartisan, bicameral, where we could actually do something after years and years of talking about what bad shape the post office is in financially, to do something to right the ship, to ensure it will be there for the future. prgtoken Let's pass this bill, and let's do ensure that the post office is healthy for all the folks we represent going forward. prgtoken .
CLEARING BACKLOGGED VETERAN REQUESTS
Fred Keller (Republican, PA) \u2014 2022-3-3

. Madam , since November 2020, our team has pressured the National Personnel Records Center, the agency responsible for processing veterans' service records, to return to full staffing levels and expedite the requests of veterans, who in some cases have waited over a year for access to their benefits. prgtoken Most recently, the NPRC was operating at 25 percent capacity due to the pandemic, but it said it would fully reopen this month. However, the agency offered no plan on how it will tackle a backlog that has now grown to 600,000 records requests. That is 100,000 more added since June 2021. prgtoken The lack of transparency at the NPRC has made it clear that we must pass legislation, like the RECORDS Act, to direct the NPRC to fully reopen and report to Congress on its efforts to clear out the backlog of records requests. prgtoken Our veterans did not hesitate to sacrifice for America, and we must not hesitate in our duty to ensure they have a responsive government that is attentive to their needs.