mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
POSTAL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 2022--Continued
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2022-3-8

I come to the floor first to associate myself with the remarks of the distinguished senior Senator from Texas, and I agree completely with his comments regarding what is happening right now in Ukraine on the ground and what is happening with energy in America and our need to become energy independent again. To go from this current position of what had previously been energy dominance to now energy dependence--we need to return to the days of energy dominance for the United States because it is not just about our national security, it is about security for our friends and allies around the world so they don't have to be dependent on the likes of the killer and the thug Vladimir Putin. prgtoken So I come to the floor today to talk about what is going on in Ukraine and the war in Ukraine and the global implications thereof. prgtoken Right now, the world is watching in horror as Vladimir Putin continues prgtoken with his onslaught. Russia has now shelled two nuclear facilities. Russia continues to attack civilian targets. Russia has allegedly used cluster bombs near schools and hospitals. We know that dozens of children have been killed. Russian troops have even attacked an orphanage and a kindergarten. It is heartbreaking, and it is also barbarism straight out of Hell. prgtoken The world is right to be outraged by these vicious attacks, and we know how these attacks have been paid for. We know how Vladimir Putin has funded his aggression. These atrocities were all paid for through Russian energy. Energy is the reason that Vladimir Putin can afford to invade Ukraine. It is the cash cow that drives his military--oil and gas from Russia. Half of Russia's economy is based on energy, and nearly half of Europe's imports of energy come from Russia. So, as I said, energy is the cash cow that has funded the war. prgtoken Russia is the No. 2 producer of crude oil in the world, and Putin is the No. 1 rival to the United States in terms of energy production. Well, under as President, there has been a lot less competition for Vladimir Putin. It is not for lack of American energy resources, and it certainly is not for lack of American energy workers. No, it is because of the reckless policies of President and this administration. prgtoken On Friday last week, I was in Cheyenne, WY, at the State capital, where I spent 5 years as a State senator prior to coming to the U.S. Senate. Every member of the Wyoming Legislature, and alike, understands fully that the resources we need to power our country are here in the United States. We have the energy in the ground. Yet this administration is not allowing us to use it. We have the workers ready to go, plenty in Wyoming and around the country. The administration continues to block us from producing more American energy. prgtoken Those legislators I talked to on Friday--they know. Every one of them knows that on 's
POSTAL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 2022--Continued
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-3-8

I rise in support of the Postal Service bill before us. It is important reform. People know this needs to be done. The vote in the House of Representatives was 342 to 92. It has to be done because the Postal Service's business model just doesn't work-- having to deliver more and more packages and fewer and fewer more profitable first-class mail pieces to more and more addresses. So we have got to do something to reform it. prgtoken Let me tell you what this bill does do and what it doesn't do--first of all, what it does not do. It is not an appropriation, so there is no money here going into the Postal Service from the taxpayer. It does not change the accounting or the cost structure for packages and letters. That way, it does not disadvantage the private sector carriers some were worried about. It also does not allow the Postal Service to enter into new commercial services like postal banking that we are against. Contrary to claims of some of the opponents, it actually does not impact the solvency of the trust fund. So the Medicare hospital trust fund we all worry about, predicted to expire in about 2026, this does not affect it at all. Postal Service employees are already in Part A. And it does not increase the Part B or the Part D premiums. prgtoken What this does do is it saves the post office, which is incredibly important to all of our constituents--to our veterans who get their prescription drugs through the mail, to people who are voting by mail, and to people who are relying on the Postal Service to provide them with what they need to be able to survive. prgtoken This is an important bill that has been worked on for 15 years. Senator Peters from Michigan for working on a bipartisan basis on this. prgtoken Let's get it done tonight.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-3-8

it took several months and the worst inflation in 40 years, but finally--finally-- are acknowledging that we have an inflation problem. prgtoken The President actually acknowledged inflation in the State of the Union last week. But, unfortunately, while may finally be talking about inflation, they still don't seem to understand how we got here, and they are continuing to push a whole raft of terrible proposals that would hurt working families and make our inflation crisis even worse. prgtoken So how did we get here? Why are Americans currently struggling with huge grocery bills and big price increases on essential goods? It is true that supply chain issues and the reopening of economies after COVID shutdowns created certain inflationary pressure, but a big part of the reason things are so bad in the United States right now is because of the American Rescue Plan spending spree the passed last March. prgtoken When took office last January, inflation was at 1.4 percent, well within the Fed's target inflation rate of 2 percent. And it might have stayed there had not decided that they needed to pass a massive partisan $1.9 trillion spending spree under the guise of COVID relief--mere weeks, I might add--after Congress had already passed a major COVID bill. That is right. President and congressional took office right after Congress had approved a fifth--fifth--bipartisan COVID relief bill, and it was abundantly clear that we were not in immediate need of trillions more in government spending. prgtoken But that didn't matter to . Now that they were in control of Congress and the White House, they wanted to take advantage of the COVID crisis. So in the name of COVID relief, they pushed through a massive partisan piece of legislation filled with unnecessary spending and handouts to ic interest groups. prgtoken And, of course, the results were predictable. The bill flooded the economy with unnecessary government spending, and the economy overheated as a result. In the words of Jason Furman in a January New York Times article, `` `The United States has had much more inflation than almost any other advanced economy in the world,' said Jason Furman, an economist at Harvard University and former administration economic adviser. The difference, he said, comes because `the United States' stimulus is in a category of its own.' '' prgtoken Unfortunately, seem unable--or unwilling--to recognize that it was their policies that helped push us into our current inflation crisis. In fact, the President used his State of the Union Address to push for even more--more--excessive government spending, a sure way of making our inflation crisis even worse--and not just increased in spending but major new entitlements. prgtoken Yes, our Nation is massively in debt, inflation is soaring, and think now is a good time to cr
CALLING ATTENTION TO THE ENERGY CRISIS
Stephanie I. Bice (Republican, OK) \u2014 2022-3-8

. Madam , the anti-energy policies of the administration have targeted oil and gas production and eliminated American energy independence. Since day one, the administration has embarked on an agenda of regulatory overreach. prgtoken Something you might have heard from the White House press secretary recently is that there are 9,000 untapped drilling permits that companies are not using. While this is in part true, they are being dishonest and purposefully leaving out crucial context and factors that cause companies to wait to drill those wells. prgtoken For starters, many of the wells produced predominantly natural gas, not oil. In addition, drilling can't begin overnight as leases can take months or years before companies actively drill. prgtoken Furthermore, the Federal permit to drill is not the only government approval required. Rights-of-way can take years to acquire before companies can access leases. Most companies cannot drill before pipelines are in place, and the delayed approvals have resulted in companies developing drilling access at much slower rates. prgtoken This administration is taking up to three times the amount of time to approve Federal permits than the administration, and that is if they approve them at all. The American people are tired of the ' blame-shifting while they ignore the real causes of crushing gas prices. prgtoken We must unleash American energy and lower gas prices domestically. In addition, restoring American production will remove Putin's control of the energy market and end his leverage over Europe. prgtoken To solve the crisis, President must immediately end the Federal freeze on all new oil and gas projects, fast-track pending LNG export permits, expedite approval of all pipeline and energy development, and stop the regulatory assault on American energy development and financing.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-3-8

as I mentioned yesterday, Senators had the chance to hear directly from Ukraine's President Zelenskyy over the weekend. He and his constituents--the brave people of Ukraine--have won the hearts and minds of all of us all across the world. prgtoken Their pain, of course, is Putin's fault, but as I and others warned for weeks before the invasion, that pain has been compounded by the West's hesitation and sluggishness in helping Ukraine prepare for this onslaught, which we could all see coming. This crisis was not only foreseeable; it was, in fact, foreseen. prgtoken s spent months urging President to put more lethal aid in Ukrainian hands before Russian invasion made those deliveries much more difficult. We urged the administration to reinforce our eastern flank NATO partners before Putin escalated his war against Ukraine rather than playing catchup. We called for heavier sanctions before Putin had fully committed his forces and his pride. We warned repeatedly that the administration must not let these actions be slowed down to the speed of bureaucracy. But that is, of course, what happened. prgtoken As President Zelenskyy himself said publicly last week, while he appreciates all the Western help, much of it is ultimately arriving ``too late.'' prgtoken The administration is now finally doing many of the things they slow-walked months ago as too provocative or too escalatory: providing Stingers, sharing intelligence, deploying more forces to NATO's eastern flank, finally, getting out of the way of sanctioning Nord Stream 2. prgtoken Now, as supplies dwindle and safe resupply and transit corridors narrow, friends of Ukraine will have to work even harder to help the citizens and their government stay in the fight. prgtoken It has been obvious for some time that Ukraine would benefit from receiving Soviet-era aircraft and air defense systems from our eastern flank NATO partners that still maintain inventories of such weapons. The United States can help these allies worried about giving up such capabilities by helping to backfill with American-made and NATO- standard weapons. I understand the administration may be finally coming around to support this but, again, at the stately pace of bureaucracy. This needs to get done and get done yesterday. (Mr. PADILLA assumed the Chair.) prgtoken Meanwhile, the Congress is acting; that includes additional security assistance funding for Ukraine and for our eastern flank NATO allies in the supplemental appropriations bill, along with funding for loan guarantees to help eastern flank countries buy American weapons to shore up our collective defenses. prgtoken I appreciate the ic leader working in good faith to accommodate my request that the funding bill significantly increase the security assistance drawdown fund available to the President and to backfill our DOD stockpiles that are helping our friends in harm's way. I hope we
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Bill Hagerty (Republican, TN) \u2014 2022-3-8

much of the news media today is focused on Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine--and rightfully so--but not enough attention is being paid to negotiations that are happening today and have been happening in Vienna. prgtoken The administration seems dead set on reviving, at any cost, the Iran nuclear deal. Worse, President 's chief negotiator Rob Malley--who, I observe, is not a Senate-confirmed official--outsourced our negotiations for reviving this flawed Iran deal to the Russians. This is outrageous. prgtoken Let me get this straight. We are working hand in glove with Vladimir Putin to reach a deal that will help Russia evade sanctions being imposed for its aggression in Ukraine and work with its ally Iran. prgtoken This is not the way to protect the safety and the interest of the American people. prgtoken This is what Russia's chief negotiator to the Iran talks had to say about what he has accomplished for the administration: I am absolutely sincere in this regard when I say that Iran got much more than it could expect, much more. prgtoken He recently told reporters, adding: Realistically speaking, Iran got more than, frankly, I expected or others expected. This is a matter of fact. prgtoken Again, this is Russia's chief negotiator making this statement. prgtoken Most alarmingly, this revived deal would pave Iran's path to a nuclear weapon. News reports also suggest that the revived deal would quickly unleash $90 billion in frozen funds to Iran--again, the world's biggest state-sponsor of terrorism. Moreover, Iran can expect to earn roughly $50 billion annually in renewed oil exports. prgtoken It is unconscionable that the administration appears more eager to unleash the energy production in Venezuela and Iran than right here in America. The administration is so stubborn and blinded by its ideological green energy fantasies that it would rather work with terrorists and dictators--folks with some of the worst human rights records in history--than admit it was a mistake to abandon America's energy independence. This administration would rather work with killers than with American drillers. prgtoken As before, the Iranian regime will use this massive windfall of sanctions relief to fund terrorism and aggression against our ally Israel, against our Arab partners, and against Americans serving in the Middle East. prgtoken Let me be clear. The administration was right to withdraw us from the Iran nuclear deal in May of 2018. But I am not here today to debate the pros and cons of resurrecting the Iran deal. We will likely have that debate in the days to come, probably sooner than most people think. prgtoken Rather, I am here today to argue for preserving the role that Congress--amid concerns that the administration will not submit their new Iran nuclear deal for review and for an up-or-down vote--that Congress must maintain its role as r
TAKING PUTIN'S WORDS AND DEEDS SERIOUSLY
Chip Roy (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-3-8

. You are exactly right. And tomorrow, we are going to be voting on a number of things. I got to be honest with you. I am sickened at what we are doing in this body. Instead of debating and voting here and having a serious discussion about how we should spend our assets to support Ukraine but be sensible about what we are doing in policies here, we are going to have a vote on banning Russian oil. prgtoken What good does it do to ban Russian oil if you are going to buy it from Venezuela or Iran? prgtoken Why don't we produce it here in the United States? It is cleaner and it is better. We should be doing that right here. Instead, we are not going to do that. prgtoken I am going to turn it back over because I think it is about time to close.
CONDEMNING THREATS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-3-8

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , as a member of the Education and Labor Committee, I have learned about the ways in which HBCUs serve our country's students and postsecondary education community. For decades, HBCUs have provided countless opportunities for men and women to achieve their goals, whether academic, professional, or personal. prgtoken Threats of violence against HBCUs are despicable and cowardly. We fully and unequivocally condemn these acts of hate. They have no place in our country. prgtoken HBCUs deserve to be celebrated, not threatened. That is why I am voting in favor of H. Con. Res. 70, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same. prgtoken , .
CALLING ATTENTION TO THE ENERGY CRISIS
Tim Walberg (Republican, MI) \u2014 2022-3-8

. Madam , I thank my friend from Pennsylvania. prgtoken Madam , today, Michigan's average fuel prices are mere cents away from the all-time high in the Motor State--not seen since the middle of the Great Recession. On Thursday, Triple A (AAA) data showed that Michigan had seen the highest State-wide average increase over the last week of any State in the Union. prgtoken Today, a gallon of regular unleaded gas costs 61 cents more than it did just one week prior. Diesel, which helps fuel our State's thriving agricultural industry, has increased even more. prgtoken Since this time last year, the cost of diesel is up 58 percent. In 2022, the price of natural gas is expected to reach an 8-year high. Not only does this increase families' costs to heat their homes, but it also further raises the already-inflated price of essential fertilizers that help grow Michigan crops. prgtoken Clearly, President 's war on American energy independence has created an energy crisis and made us more dependent on adversaries like Vladimir Putin, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. The crisis continues to hit our homes, our farms, and our businesses, and it grows in severity week after week. prgtoken Recently, I sat down with some farmers in my home State. They lamented how the rising prices of energy and overall production costs is hurting prgtoken their livelihoods and trickling down to Michigan consumers. The data shows the same U.S. farm income is expected to drop 8 percent this year, all while prices at the supermarket reach historic highs. If we don't unleash American energy, this cost will continue to reverberate in our agricultural industry and at Michiganders' kitchen tables for years to come. prgtoken Madam , I implore the administration to take the necessary steps to increase our energy production at home. We have the capacity, we have the drive, we have the capability and tools to do so--for the sake of consumers in Michigan and around the world.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2022-3-8

first, let me thank Senator Murkowski for her leadership on behalf of women's issues here in the U.S. Senate. I join her in calling for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women's Act. I am glad that she mentioned that. I join her as her partner in the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. We have to pass a resolution here extending the date. Senator Murkowski has been a leader on all these issues. prgtoken During Women's History Month, I am using this time to point out the progress we have made. Senator Murkowski mentioned that we have made tremendous progress on behalf of gender equality in the United States, but we still have a path in front of us. I was pleased to see Senator Murkowski point out the challenges that still exist and the reason why we need to be active in regard to gender equity issues, including the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. So I thank her for her leadership, and I am glad to be her partner on many of these issues. prgtoken So today, we can celebrate the progress that has been made and call attention to the obstacles that exist. Throughout our Nation's history, generations of women have won hard-fought battles in pushing closer and closer toward securing full citizenship and all that entails. prgtoken Our Nation today is stronger from this progress, reaching new milestones in gender equality. President announced earlier this month his historic selection of Judge Jackson to fill the role of the retiring Supreme Court Justice Breyer on the highest Court in our land. Judge Jackson would be the first Black woman to serve on the Court and only the fifth woman to serve as a Justice of the total of 115 who have served on the Supreme Court throughout our history. prgtoken I was pleased, along with Senator Van Hollen, to recommend Lydia Griggsby to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. She is the first Black female judge to serve in the State of Maryland. prgtoken Yes, we have a lot to celebrate during Women's History Month here in March. prgtoken During President 's recent State of the Union Address, which I attended, I was struck by the image of House Nancy Pelosi and Vice President flanking President . Vice President is our first woman and first woman of color to hold the second highest office in the land. Though they undoubtedly both experienced significant challenges and obstacles on their career path due to their gender, they are now serving in two of the highest ranking offices in our government. prgtoken President has appointed one of the most diverse Cabinets in history, including the first women to serve as Treasury Secretary and Director of National Intelligence. prgtoken We have a lot to celebrate on our path for gender equality in America, but we still have more that needs to be done. prgtoken At the same time, structural
ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2022-3-8

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it recess until 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 10; and that following the prayer and the pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.