mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard Burr (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-4-14

I rise today to pay tribute to the life of a gentleman named Alvin Sykes, who passed away on March 19, 2021, in Kansas City, MO. prgtoken Teddy Roosevelt once famously said, in life, ``The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again . . . but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, [the] great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause.'' prgtoken Alvin Sykes was the man in the arena. He was a man who knew great devotion, who dedicated himself to a worthy cause, and who helped move our Nation even closer to our founding promise of ``liberty and justice for all.'' prgtoken Alvin was born to a teenage mother. He ended his public school enrollment after the eighth grade, but he never ended his education. In his own words, Alvin transferred from public school to the public library. prgtoken In the coming decades, Alvin immersed himself in learning about civil rights crimes and cold cases, becoming an expert on an often overlooked issue. He researched the history of these tragic crimes, the relevant laws, and the statutes of jurisdiction. prgtoken Alvin was so well versed, when he testified about such cases before Congress in 2007, one Member mistakenly assumed he was an attorney. Alvin replied that he was not an attorney, but it was evident the knowledge and insight he possessed on these issues surpassed even the best-educated lawyers in this town. prgtoken What made Alvin so remarkable, however, wasn't the knowledge he acquired but what he did with it. As he learned more about unsolved civil rights crimes--the ones no one talked about, the ones no one looked into--Alvin realized we needed a system in place to investigate those cold cases and uncover the truth. prgtoken I met Alvin Sykes in 2016 through Senator Tom Coburn, a great and dear and missed friend today. Dr. Coburn ran into Alvin Sykes and heard this story and built a relationship that wasn't just personal--it was professional--because he wanted to help Alvin fix these wrongs. prgtoken Through Alvin's advocacy and guidance, I joined Congressman John Lewis--a civil rights icon who, sadly, also passed away this last year--to introduce the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act. The legislation was named for 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955 and whose killers were acquitted. prgtoken After we introduced the bill, Alvin did what he had been doing for years: He went to work. He got in the arena. And he did not stop until there was legislation authorizing a Department of Justice unit dedicated to investigating and prosecuting cold cases that remained unsolved from the civil rights era prgtoken To date, the Justice Department has investigated 152 cases under this program. And while many others were dedicated to making this a reali
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2021-4-14

I come to the floor today to oppose the ' latest liberal spending spree. Just over a month ago, put $2 trillion onto America's credit card. They said it was for coronavirus. That was false advertising, and that is because only $1 out of every $11 in the $2 trillion being spent was actually going to public health. prgtoken The bill turned out to be a big payoff to the people who run the ic Party: the union bosses, the DC bureaucrats, and the bankrupt blue States. crammed the bill through the Senate with just 50 votes. haven't even finished their victory lap. prgtoken Yet, at this time, they want another $2.3 trillion. They have already told us they are going to cram it through with just 50 votes, once again, and, once again, they are using more false advertising. prgtoken President calls this an infrastructure bill. Well, that is a new definition of the word ``infrastructure.'' Only about $1 out of every $20 would go to roads and bridges. prgtoken Now, here are just a few other items that the call infrastructure: $100 billion for so-called workforce development and over $300 billion on housing and upgrading of Federal buildings-- Federal buildings--the ones we work in. It includes $100 billion for something called the greening of schools, which, when you go through and see what does that include, it includes making greener lunches. It includes eliminating paper products in the cafeterias and making the cafeteria trays that people use to carry their food, makes each one of those into trays that can be recycled. prgtoken Call it what you will, this is not infrastructure. The largest spending part of the bill is $400 billion to expand Medicaid. The list goes on and on. That is just the tip of the iceberg. prgtoken Now, some of the spending in the overall bill may have merit. That spending should go through regular order, going through committees and coming to the floor of the Senate for amendments and then votes. prgtoken But it is still not infrastructure. This isn't an infrastructure bill. Even the White House Press Secretary admitted it. She said this. She said it is partly infrastructure--partly infrastructure. prgtoken Now, the bill includes another big payoff to the union bosses because it forces long-term healthcare facilities to unionize if they want to receive the funding in the bill. There is Medicaid expansion. That would hurt States like Wyoming and others that protect and believe in the right to work. prgtoken The bill would also hurt Wyoming because of its attack on American energy. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has compared the bill to the Green New Deal. One ic Senator admitted it. He said it is a way of accomplishing many of the goals of the Green New Deal. prgtoken Out of all the payoffs in the bill, one of the biggest goes to the electric car industry. The bill would spend more money on electric cars than i
ENSURING COMPLIANCE AGAINST DRUG DIVERSION ACT OF 2021
Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican, FL) \u2014 2021-4-14

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , I rise today in support of this legislation, which was introduced by Representative Griffith. prgtoken In order to prevent people who have not been vetted by authorities in dispensing controlled substances, this bill would clarify that the transfer of any controlled substance registration without written consent from the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, is prohibited. prgtoken A 2018 Energy and Commerce Committee report, which summarized the committee's bipartisan investigation into the distribution of prescription opioids by wholesale drug distributors, and the DEA's subsequent enforcement practices found that an opioid distributor and its pharmacy customer did not go through the appropriate process of transferring a registration to a new pharmacy owner. prgtoken Failing to contact the DEA appropriately and to verify whether the agency approved the transfer of a registration to dispense controlled substances creates a serious risk that could lead to drug diversion. prgtoken Madam , of course, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this. prgtoken Madam , I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith).
PROTECTING INFANTS WHO SURVIVE ABORTIONS
Ann Wagner (Republican, MO) \u2014 2021-4-14

today I rise to implore my colleagues to join me in the fight to protect the most vulnerable in our society, infants who survive abortions. prgtoken Again and again, more than 75 times, have refused to even allow a vote on my legislation, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This, , is shameful. prgtoken Every child should be welcomed with joy and wonder, no matter the circumstances of their birth. I will not stop working until this legislation is passed and signed into law, so all newborns have a chance at life. prgtoken Just 2 hours ago, Representative Kat Cammack filed a discharge petition so that can't continue to block the Born-Alive Act. It is my sincerest hope that every Member of Congress, or , finds the courage to add their name to this petition. This is the simplest decision that any of us can make. Do you support babies receiving lifesaving care after they are born, or would you deny these children that care and murder them or leave them to die in front of you? prgtoken I am challenging Congress to stand up and do the right thing. I urge my colleagues to sign the discharge petition to ensure no American child is denied medical care.
Border Security (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2021-4-14

shortly before Easter, I joined a number of my colleagues on a visit to the border to get a firsthand look at the crisis that we are facing. And make no mistake, this is a crisis. Customs and Border Protection apprehensions at our southern border last month were at their highest level in nearly 20 years--20 years. prgtoken U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 172,000 encounters with individuals attempting to cross our southern border in March alone. And that is just the individuals they encountered. We don't know how many individuals came across without being identified and are currently residing illegally in our country. prgtoken Nearly 19,000 unaccompanied children crossed our southern border in March alone, the largest number ever recorded in a single month. That is 19,000 children making an incredibly dangerous journey without their parents, at the mercy of smugglers, human traffickers, or any other dangerous individual that they might encounter. prgtoken Needless to say, the surge at our border is having very serious effects. Border Patrol agents have been pulled off the border to deal with the influx of migrants and unaccompanied children, leaving the borders undermanned. And the government is straining to deal with processing the massive number of people who have come across the border. One facility that we visited was at 16 times its allotted capacity. prgtoken The administration has had to deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency--that is right, our government's disaster recovery Agency--to help deal with the influx of unaccompanied children. And the Department of Health and Human Services has been forced to open emergency shelters and ask the Department of Defense for temporary housing on bases. prgtoken Despite the pandemic, adequate COVID safety measures have been unable to be maintained because the numbers needing to be housed have been so great. prgtoken While the administration would like to attribute this crisis to the previous administration or anything but the current President's policies, the truth is, President bears a lot of the responsibility for the situation. His Presidential campaign made it clear that border security was not going to be one of his priorities. prgtoken And since taking office, what signals have he and his administration sent? On his very first day in office, President rescinded the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border; he halted construction on the border wall; and he rescinded a administration order that called for the government to faithfully execute our immigration laws, including removals for visa overstays and limiting funding to sanctuary cities--all on his first day. prgtoken And that is not all. The President's Department of Homeland Security also issued guidelines that same day pausing deportations, except under certain conditions. The effect of President 's actions was to declare
AFGHANISTAN
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-4-14

`` takes the easy way out of Afghanistan. The likely result is disaster.'' This is the morning's lead editorial from one of the Nation's most liberal newspapers. prgtoken The administration has decided to abandon U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, which have helped keep radical Islamic terrorism in check, and bizarrely, they decided to do so by September 11. Apparently, we are to help our adversaries ring in the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by giftwrapping the country and handing it right back to them. prgtoken Here is what this administration's own national intelligence threat assessment says will happen: The Taliban is likely to make gains on the battlefield, and the Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support. prgtoken This is a quote from this administration. prgtoken In 2019, the ic leader and the now chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee expressed outrage that the previous administration considered hosting Taliban officials for discussions around the date of September 11. prgtoken But now a ic administration is going to skip the negotiations and just surrender an entire country back to the Taliban on the very same date? Our President should remember what happened when the administration let political considerations rush a retreat from Iraq-- total chaos and bloodshed and ISIS. prgtoken Two years ago, I wrote a bipartisan amendment that warned a administration against recklessly withdrawing from Afghanistan or Syria. A supermajority of Senators right here voted for it. A supermajority of Senators voted for it, warning that the terrorist threat had not abated. Where are the ic voices today? I hope we will hear from some of them. prgtoken Unfortunately, this mistake in Afghanistan is one of several instances of this new administration's surrendering leverage without making America, our allies, or our interests more secure. prgtoken In January, President extended the New START agreement with Russia by Executive order for 5 years--no strings attached, no concessions secured, not even a shorter term extension to keep up pressure on Russia to cooperate on a better agreement. Just a gift--a gift. prgtoken And then there is Iran. Senior administration officials have gone from denigrating the former administration's ``maximum pressure'' strategy to simply begging for direct talks with Iran, to proactively offering to remove sanctions that are ``inconsistent with the JCPOA.'' So which sanctions exactly are inconsistent with the JCPOA? Our sanctions on Iran's terrorist organizations or its ballistic missile program? prgtoken Most s would be thrilled if President could actually secure a better deal that holds Iran accountable. Giving up the leverage of sanctions before we even get to the table--before we even get to the table--or just return to a bad deal is certainly no
PROTECTING SENIORS FROM EMERGENCY SCAMS ACT
Troy Balderson (Republican, OH) \u2014 2021-4-14

I rise today in support of H.R. 446, legislation aimed that at protecting older Americans from falling victim to scammers. prgtoken Throughout the pandemic, uncertainty has led to many Americans falling victim to scam callers, especially vulnerable populations like seniors. We have a responsibility to stop bad actors like these scam artists in their tracks. That starts with empowering the American people with information to better protect themselves and their loved ones from falling victim. prgtoken H.R. 446 would direct the Federal Trade Commission to identify scammers and make such information publicly available. This legislation also equips the FTC to more proactively alert the public about known scams, specifically in their region. prgtoken , our seniors have suffered enough. It is time to better supply them and their loved ones with the information needed to protect themselves against scammers who shamelessly prey on the most vulnerable. That is why I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 446, the Protecting Seniors from Emergency Scams Act.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from the Birmingham Jail (Executive Calendar)
Patrick J. Toomey (Republican, PA) \u2014 2021-4-14

. Continuing the reading of a letter from a Birmingham jail. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny. Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here. For more than two centuries, our forebears labored in this country without wages; they made cotton king; they built the homes of their masters while suffering gross injustice and shameful humiliation--and yet out of a bottomless vitality they continued to thrive and develop. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands. Before closing I feel impelled to mention one other point in your statement that has troubled me profoundly. You warmly commended the Birmingham police force for keeping ``order'' and ``preventing violence.'' I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys; if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. I cannot join you in your praise of the Birmingham police department. It is true that the police have exercised a degree of discipline in handling the demonstrators. In this sense they have conducted themselves rather ``nonviolently'' in public. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation. Over the past few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. I have tried to make it clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends. Perhaps, Mr. Connor and his policemen had been rather nonviolent in public, as was Chief Pritchett in Albany, Georgia, but they have used the moral means of nonviolence to maintain the immoral end of racial injustice. As T. S. Elliot has said: ``The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.'' I wish you had commended the Negro sit inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime co
BORDER CZAR KAMALA
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2021-4-14

weeks ago, the administration made Vice President the border czar. prgtoken The question I have is: Which border? prgtoken We learned today that Czar Kamala is traveling to Guatemala. While we do need cooperation from Guatemala in halting the flow of illegal entrants from Central America, it defies logic that weeks after her appointment, Czar has not visited the very border--our border--with Mexico that she has been tasked with protecting. prgtoken It seems as if the - administration has gone out of its way to ignore the seriousness of the border crisis it has created. Even as the number of illegal border crossers and unaccompanied minors shatter records, have declared that everything under the sun is infrastructure except a border wall. In fact, a wall protecting our border might be the only thing do not want to throw money at right now. prgtoken To the administration and Czar Kamala: Border security is national security, and the American people are pleading for you to take steps to end this crisis you created. It is time to answer their call.
MICROLOAN TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2021
Tim Burchett (Republican, TN) \u2014 2021-4-14

. Madam , the Microloan Transparency and Accountability Act is important bipartisan legislation that gives all entrepreneurs fair access to the Small Business Administration's microloan program. prgtoken As a former small business owner, I know accessible financial resources are important for growth, innovation, and success. Working folks have to jump on the first horse that comes down the pike, as my dad used to say, or need to dip into personal savings, like I did. Wealthy folks have family assets. Inner cities and rural Appalachia don't have those same opportunities, Madam . These are hardworking Americans just looking to get their foot in the door and to have a fair shot. prgtoken This legislation aims to boost rural small business participation in the SBA microloan program by requiring the Small Business Administration to submit to Congress a financial analysis of the microloan program. This ensures Federal microloans are targeted toward rural areas, not just large urban centers, and creates important oversight that reduces fraud and government waste. prgtoken These fixes will allow America's entrepreneurs, regardless of background or location, to have easier access to capital that helps them reach their goals. prgtoken I am proud to partner with Representatives Andy Kim, Scott Fitzgerald, and Marie Newman on this legislation that will make a difference for east Tennessee's mom-and-pop shops and small businesses across our great country.
504 MODERNIZATION AND SMALL MANUFACTURER ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2021
Blaine Luetkemeyer (Republican, MO) \u2014 2021-4-14

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , I rise in support of H.R. 1490, the 504 Modernization and Small Manufacturer Enhancement Act of 2021. prgtoken When capital options are limited for a small business, the SBA offers numerous lending programs, including the 504/Certified Development Company Loan Program. Also known as a 504/CDC loan, the program provides long-term and fixed-rate financing that primarily supports purchases of real estate and machinery. prgtoken Due to the program's unique cost structure that includes a small business, a lender, and a certified development company, the process is often lengthy and cumbersome. H.R. 1490 takes important steps to streamline the closing process and ensures the Nation's job creators move through the program in a smooth and efficient manner. prgtoken Additionally, H.R. 1490 enhances the 504/CDC loan program for America's small manufacturers. By increasing the maximum loan amount for small manufacturers, H.R. 1490 ensures these small businesses have the capital to expand and create jobs in Missouri and beyond. prgtoken Enhancements to lending resources and tools, such as those outlined in H.R. 1490, is exactly what our small businesses, entrepreneurs, and startups need. prgtoken I want to highlight the work of Ms. Craig from Minnesota, Mrs. Kim from California, Mr. Chabot from Ohio, and Ms. Davids from Kansas on this important matter. I would also like to thank the chairwoman for her efforts as well. prgtoken The changes in H.R. 1490 will improve delivery of the 504/CDC loan program for all of America's small businesses. I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 1490. prgtoken Madam , .