mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING COMMANDER MICHAEL YUNKER AND HIS DEDICATED SERVICE TO OUR GREAT NATION
Scott Perry (Republican, PA) \u2014 2020-12-4

. Madam , I'm honored to recognize Commander Michael Yunker for his impeccable and tireless service to our great Country, upon his retirement on December 1, 2020, after 20 years of service in the United States Navy. prgtoken Commander Yunker is the Operations Officer for the Navy Customer Facing Division, Customer Operations Directorate, Defense Logistics Agency Aviation. Previously, he served as the Division's Director of Industrial Support and Naval Aviation Enterprise Action Officer. He has been a member of the DLA workforce since January 2018. prgtoken Commander Yunker is a native of Aston, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Radford University, a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies--to include an Operational Planner Certificate from the U.S. Naval War College--and a Master of Public Administration from the Pennsylvania State University. He is also a member of the Navy Acquisition Professional Community and is a Joint Specialty Officer. Commander Yunker's operational tours include: Principal Assistant for Services and Stock Control Officer; USS Enterprise (CVN 65); Assistant Supply Officer, USS Ashland (LSD 48); and Base Command Group, Multi-National Forces-West Base Fuels and Environmental Compliance Officer, al-Asad, Iraq. prgtoken As an Operations Officer, Commander Yunker's daily focus is centered around operations for the near-and long-term readiness and sustainment of 21 various naval aviation airframe models and 11 nuclear aircraft carriers. He serves as the initial point of contact for all inquiries supporting naval air stations and nuclear aircraft carriers globally. He assists the senior naval officer with service-related administrative tasks, to include: awards; fitness reports and evaluations; detailing; and any other duties as assigned/required. prgtoken Commander Yunker's prior shore assignments include: Director, Strategic Planning/Internal Review, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, Washington, D.C.; Joint Petroleum Officer and Logistics Planner, U.S. Strategic Command, Omaha, Nebraska; Midshipmen Disbursing Officer/Financial Advisor, Midshipmen Services Officer and Adjunct Instructor, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis; and Director, New Construction Outfitting and In-Service Platform Manager Surface Ships, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Commander Yunker's military awards and recognitions include, but are not limited to: the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (five awards); Joint Service Achievement Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards); and various campaign and unit awards. prgtoken Upon retirement, Commander Yunker plans to start a second career in addition to spending more time with his family. prgtoken Madam , I'm humbled to recognize Commander Michael Yunker and, on behalf of
MARIJUANA OPPORTUNITY REINVESTMENT AND EXPUNGEMENT ACT OF 2019
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2020-12-4

I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding. I will talk about what I view as a massive confusion in this bill. prgtoken We have heard arguments this morning, already, that States are regulating this, and I believe, ultimately, that is where this regulation, domestically, should be: within the States. prgtoken , this bill ostensibly deregulating cannabis imposes a Federal tax, Federal agencies, Federal oversight. You are not de- federalizing marijuana; you are just changing the regulatory structure in which you control marijuana. That is interesting to me, and I find it very disingenuous in some ways. prgtoken , what it also does is it obviates Congress' constitutional obligation to manage or oversee interstate commerce. That is what this bill does. It obviates that, while you are throwing a Federal tax on all these folks. prgtoken That is a bit of a problem, but it goes to an enhanced problem. As long as we have the massive and growing social welfare state that we have today, we will incur whatever detriment comes from the criminalization, nationally, of marijuana. prgtoken We must, in my opinion, have a serious discussion on this and not a congeries, a bill that is a congeries, a mishmash of ideas and hopes instead of data-driven science. prgtoken As the gentleman from North Carolina just iterated to us, it is a problem. If you have prosecuted or defended--and I did both, and I defended for many years. My specialty, the area that I focused on, was drunk and drug driving cases. It is a problem, and it is exacerbated by the decriminalization and legitimization of marijuana use in the States. prgtoken This bill does not address that appropriately. This bill does not do anything more than provide a different mishmash of Federal laws over marijuana regulation. prgtoken I am hoping for a serious dialogue sometime about an issue. prgtoken , I have to just close by saying this. When I heard someone say that all the States that have passed this have done so overwhelmingly, Arizona rejected it three times before barely passing it this time--barely passing it this time--and that is an election that is being contested even right now in the courts.
MARIJUANA OPPORTUNITY REINVESTMENT AND EXPUNGEMENT ACT OF 2019
Pete Stauber (Republican, MN) \u2014 2020-12-4

Mike's Western Cafe, a family-run diner for 38 years, closed its doors in Duluth, Minnesota, for good on October 7. prgtoken On October 25, Waters of Superior, an art gallery and boutique, went out of business. prgtoken On the 27th of last month, Grandma's in the Park Bar and Grill, a local watering hole in Hibbing, Minnesota, was forced to call it quits. prgtoken And after 10 years in business, the Duluth Candy Company is closing up shop for good on December 31. prgtoken These are just a few stories of so many real people, real small business owners in my district who are losing their livelihoods due to effects of the COVID-19 closures. Yet here we are today, with mere days left in the year to get something done for the American people who are suffering, and Pelosi has brought up a drug legalization bill as mom-and-pop shops close for good, as families remain uncertain where their next paycheck is coming from, as children struggle to receive their education, and as childcare facilities close. As seniors remain isolated from their families, this is their solution: a drug legalization bill. prgtoken , my friends on the other side of the aisle like to point out that they have passed the Heroes Act, so they claim they have done their part. The Heroes Act was filled with so many partisan wish-list items that it was embarrassing. prgtoken In fact, Pelosi is so obsessed with pushing drug legalization efforts forward, she even puts provisions in the Heroes Act--if you can believe this--a new annual study on diversity and inclusion within the marijuana industry. prgtoken Come on, man. Families are losing their livelihood. People are hurting. prgtoken , Pelosi's answers to these families is: ``It is out of our hands.'' prgtoken It is not out of our hands. We have the responsibility and opportunity to provide relief to the American people. We have the power to do better and work harder and be better than this. prgtoken It is time we think about the real needs of our constituents and get back to work on legislation that matters. Our priority should not be legalizing drugs or banning tigers; it must be bipartisan, targeted COVID-19 relief.
COMMENDING THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK
Roger Williams (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-12-4

I rise today to thank the Central Texas Food Bank for being a leader in the fight against hunger and for their commitment to serving our community over the last 40 years. prgtoken Their generosity and dedication to our Texas neighbors is at the heart of the American story. Last year alone, they provided 39 million meals to central Texas families, including those in Burnet, Coryell, Bell, Lampasas, Hays, and Travis Counties in the 25th District. prgtoken I was grateful for the opportunity this fall to join them distributing food to veterans and their families in the Austin area, and I look forward to working together in the years to come. prgtoken , I thank all the volunteers who are working around the clock to provide food for families during a time that has presented unique and unforeseen challenges, especially as we celebrate this holiday season. By prgtoken mobilizing our communities to serve and inspiring younger generations to give back where they can, they are making us a stronger and a better nation. prgtoken May God bless all of them, may God bless Texas, and may He continue to bless the greatest country on Earth, the United States of America. prgtoken In God We Trust.
RECOGNIZING PLACER COUNTY SHERIFF ANDREW SCOTT
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2020-12-4

I rise today to recognize Placer County, California, Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Andrew Scott and his 30 years of dignified service. prgtoken Since joining the sheriff's office in 1990, Lieutenant Scott has worked in nearly every capacity. I personally saw his outstanding leadership and dedication as a Placer County Deputy Sheriff's Association president. prgtoken Over the decade I have known him, I have witnessed his love and passion for the public safety of his community. He is a shining example of what a warrior, a man of God, embodies: a true friend, defender of the weak, devoted to truth, dedicated to his loved ones, and strong in his faith and love of the Lord. prgtoken Andrew has gone above and beyond to provide support for his fellow law enforcement officers through the 10-35 organization. His dedication to never forget officers who have fallen in the line of duty should be an example to all of us to remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of all of our freedoms. prgtoken Andrew's service as Placer County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant has made our area a safe place to live, a better one, a better one to raise our kids. prgtoken I consider Andrew a true friend, and I wish him the best during his retirement.
RETIREMENT BENEFITS FOR AIR AMERICA PILOTS
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2020-12-4

I think, without question, one of the parts of our history that has been underreported is that of the great wars against communism, one of which was the Vietnam war. prgtoken One part of the Vietnam war that hasn't been discussed enough is that of Air America. It was a CIA-run operation in which they would take airlines, scrub off the markings related to the U.S. Air Force, and then fly over Laos maybe to drop off supplies, maybe to do rescue missions, both with regard to American troops and our Hmong allies. prgtoken I have the honor to introduce, together along with Congresswoman Maloney, the bipartisan Air America Act, which will give those people who risked their lives, and many of them have died, the same retirement benefits as other people who fought for the military in the Vietnam war. prgtoken But today I would just like to salute those veterans of Air America, many of whom are still alive, some in my district, and hope that we act quickly to give them the retirement benefits that they should have had many years ago.
ISSUES OF THE DAY
Louie Gohmert (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-12-4

I thank my friend. He has been a real asset here in the House, and I look forward to more accomplishments in the days to come. prgtoken Speaking of people I have served with, now she is a Senator, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, very proud of her home State. She is doing a great job as a Senator, just as she did a great job in the House. prgtoken She has become the object of ridicule by a Chinese state-owned media editor. This article was written by Christina Wong, December 3. It says: The European Union Bureau Chief and columnist for Chinese state- run media outlet China Daily lodged a profane insult at U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, from Tennessee, on Thursday in a tweet. prgtoken Blackburn, a respected conservative Senator who is a hawk on China, tweeted Thursday: China has a 5,000 year history of cheating and stealing. Some things never change. prgtoken Chen Weihua, EU bureau chief and columnist for China Daily, then responded to her tweet with: Witch, spelled with a B, Senator Blackburn. prgtoken Chen then followed up with another tweet that said: This is the most racist and ignorant U.S. Senator I have seen. A lifetime witch, spelled with a B at the start of the word. prgtoken The gentlewoman retweeted his one-word reply to Blackburn. Blackburn responded a couple of hours later in a statement. She said: ``From Tiananmen Square to Uighur genocide, Communist China is an expert at slaughtering populations. America will not bow down to sexist Communist thugs.'' prgtoken Breitbart News' James Pinkerton profiled Chen in May. He wrote: ``Chen Weihua works for the government-owned China Daily, reliably cranking out articles with headlines such as `White House must concentrate on fighting outbreak, not China-bashing,' and, `Washington must stop making decisions which undermine WHO.' ``In other words, his journalistic output nicely coincides with the People's Republic of China's propaganda plans, from deflecting blame for the coronavirus away from Beijing to defending Beijing's minions at the World Health Organization.'' prgtoken Chen has previously tweeted: `` and Pompeo are not even good liars.'' prgtoken Pinkerton noted that Chen bashes the President and his administration reliably, but also eagerly, echoing top and leading never ers. prgtoken Chen has also called Senator Josh Hawley, a from Missouri, another leading China hawk in the Senate, ``ignorant.'' Hawley responded: ``#China not happy about my call to confront their economic imperialism by ending the WTO and replacing it with a system that is good for American workers. I love being insulted by #China state-run press.'' prgtoken Pinkerton noted that Chen has been the beneficiary of many liberal programs in the U.S. prgtoken Chen lists on his blue-checkmark verified Twitter bio he was a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford and a World Press Institute Fellow at Macalester College in Minnesota. He also listed t
MARIJUANA OPPORTUNITY REINVESTMENT AND EXPUNGEMENT ACT OF 2019
Adrian Smith (Republican, NE) \u2014 2020-12-4

I appreciate the time. prgtoken , much of the debate we have heard today has been about criminal justice and the child safety implications of this bill. But I would like to focus on the troubling aspect of this bill in the tax title. prgtoken This bill would create a new Federal tax on marijuana, starting at 5 percent in the first year and escalating to 8 percent after 5 years. We always hear about tax parity in this Chamber, yet the treatment of these products compared to tobacco are vastly different--vastly different. prgtoken Let me say again, though, that this bill taxes marijuana, which has the potential to impact society really in unknown ways or at least in ways that we should all be concerned about, but at less than half the tax rate of a pack of cigarettes. prgtoken Once these taxes are created, rather than treating them as general revenue where they could actually help defray the costs associated with the Department of the Treasury's newly created obligation to regulate marijuana growers, importers, and retailers, the bill would actually divert tax revenue into four brand-new government programs, including one to create subsidies for businesses. prgtoken This bill creates new criminal penalties for failure to pay the taxes. So, this isn't criminal justice reform. It is actually creating different types of penalties and criminalization and would likely lead to jail for small-time dealers for tax evasion instead of for selling their product. prgtoken , I don't support the underlying purposes of this bill, the legalization itself nationwide, but even if I did, I can't support the terribly flawed design, in terms of taxation, and the overall form of this bill. prgtoken , we have been waiting for months for to get serious about COVID relief, focusing on safely reopening our economy and helping folks who need it the most. Yet, here we are today, talking about a legalization bill yet again. This is a bad bill at the wrong time. I urge opposition.
LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS
Steve Scalise (Republican, LA) \u2014 2020-12-4

. I think the generosity probably ends there with today's colloquy. I am sure we will have that opportunity next week to have a longer conversation, but I truly do want to pass that on to Shuwanza, and not just on behalf of myself, but on behalf of the minority leader, Mr. McCarthy, and his staff, as well as mine, and all of us in leadership who get to work with her. prgtoken , I do want to mention, on the schedule next week, one of the items that I know we have worked on together and talked about that I believe the gentleman has scheduled for next week is S. 578, which is the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, something that we have worked on, a number of these items, for people with ALS. prgtoken The Steve Gleason Act was one of those items we worked on a few years ago, passed to help people with ALS, and has been a tremendous, tremendous benefit to people struggling with ALS. prgtoken Steve Gleason is a constituent and a dear friend, somebody whom we have worked with on many things. He received earlier this year--it seems like years ago, but just January of this year, he was the recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, and deservedly so. prgtoken He and I were communicating earlier this week about this legislation, which I am a cosponsor of, and I just want to thank the gentleman for scheduling that for the floor next week. prgtoken One of those areas, as you were talking about earlier, that might not get a lot of attention but an issue that both s and have worked on is to help people with ALS who, right now, under current law, even after the diagnosis with ALS--as we know, it is just a devastating diagnosis--have to wait 5 months to get the normal benefits that they are entitled to. And time is very, very critical to people with ALS. This eliminates that 5-month gap where they would have to wait, one of those additional occasions where it takes an act of Congress to fix this. prgtoken The Senate acted, and quickly, now, the House will be acting to address this deficiency that needs to be fixed. I think you will see both sides come together with a very large vote, but I thank the gentleman for scheduling that for the floor next week. prgtoken , if you have anything to add on that.
MARTHA GRACE FIELDS, CONGRESSIONAL AWARD SILVER MEDALIST
Michael T. McCaul (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-12-4

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the outstanding work of Martha Grace Fields. Martha is an exceptional young woman who was recently announced as a Silver Medalist for the Congressional Award, one of the highest honors presented to America's youth. The Congressional Award Foundation was created to recognize initiative, service, and achievement in young people. Martha has demonstrated the core components of this award through her servant heart and unmatched work ethic. She gave back to her local community by completing over two-hundred hours of public service. Beyond her service to others, she put in hundreds of hours of personal development by competing on her high school swim team and enrolling in numerous leadership courses and seminars. Additionally, Martha was one of the first females to receive the highest honor in Boy Scouts, the rank of Eagle Scout. Simultaneously, she received the highest rank in the Sea Scouts, Quartermaster. Martha's continued hard work has not gone unnoticed, and I am proud to sec her receive the recognition she deserves. I would like to congratulate Martha for her impressive achievements at such a young age and I look forward to seeing her continued success and leadership.
ISSUES OF THE DAY
Mark Walker (Republican, NC) \u2014 2020-12-4

I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. prgtoken Today, as we wrap up three terms, we could not be more overwhelmed with the privilege that it has been to serve the people of North Carolina, specifically, central North Carolina, in the United States Congress. prgtoken I am the oldest of three boys, , of a Baptist preacher from the Panhandle of Florida and have had the privilege to live in North Carolina since 1991. Coming out of college, and having the opportunity to work, spending 16 years as a pastor, and then the last 6 years of serving in a different capacity. prgtoken What an honor to be able to walk the halls and to be able to think about the history that has made this country what it is today. prgtoken We were blessed to hit the ground running, becoming the first Member since its inception in 1973 to be elected chairman at the end of their first term of the largest caucus, the conservative caucus of the Study Committee. prgtoken Recently, I have enjoyed extending and wrapping up a term as the vice chair of the GOP Conference. What a privilege it has been to serve the bulk of that time as cochairman with Senator James Lankford of the Prayer Caucus. It has been a wonderful time to gather each Monday evening--in fact, many people don't even know the Prayer Caucus exists--for us to gather on that Monday evening after we fly in and for many years to gather in room 219, right off to my right, and seek God's guidance as we prayed for constituents and we prayed for the Lord to give us the hope and direction for this country. prgtoken I have lots of reflections over these last 6 years. I think of having a chance to be the starting pitcher for the baseball team, an exhibition game for charity. Every year has been quite a treat. prgtoken I am sure many of my friends are glad to see that the Honorable Cedric Richmond is now senior adviser to another gentleman and no longer in the House. prgtoken But what a privilege it has been to see the efforts that goes to the Boys and Girls Club, . And it has been neat that this has been a tradition since 1909. prgtoken And there have been other times. There was the moment when I saw Steve Scalise, our whip, come back from our teammates being shot at that morning, and how he came back and has come back strong; and how he has always represented his faith in a way that I think has impacted potentially far beyond any political work that he may do in this House. prgtoken There have also been times to engage in a more stern manner, serving on the House Oversight Committee with Chairman Jason Chaffetz. Chairman Chaffetz did a wonderful job as the House Oversight Chairman as we went after and questioned some of the unscrupulous behavior of James Comey and Pharma Bro. In fact, I still think Peter Strzok doesn't really care for me, but that is okay because sometimes the job requires it. prgtoken One of the moments that stand out on the House Oversi