mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Cynthia M. Lummis (Republican, WY) \u2014 2023-9-29

I am honored to have had my first term in the U.S. Senate coincide with Dianne Feinstein's time here in this Senate. prgtoken When I learned this morning that she had passed away--the longest serving woman in the U.S. Senate--two words came to my mind: patience and kindness. The Bible says that love is patient and kind. prgtoken Senator Feinstein and I disagreed on policy much of the time, but never regarding patience and kindness. Dianne Feinstein was unfailingly kind. She was particularly kind to other women Senators. She was the first to invite other women Senators to dinner, to lead our gatherings, and to focus our attention on things that are good for all Americans, without regard to political ideology. prgtoken As someone who arrived in the Senate the same week as January 6, that day set the tone for many of my first months in the U.S. Senate. But that day never set the tone for my relationship with Senator Dianne Feinstein. My conversations with her, from beginning to end, were unfailingly cordial and kind. prgtoken Particularly poignant were my observations of the relationship between Senator Feinstein and her colleague from California, Senator Alex Padilla. The conversations I enjoyed with Senator Feinstein and Senator Padilla displayed his admiration and respect for his senior Senate colleague, based on a yearslong working relationship going back to his internship for her. And his importance to her is on display in the beautiful artwork she created for him. That was a beautiful California duo. I know that Senator Padilla will do her honor in becoming California's senior Senator. prgtoken So I conclude with positive memories of Dianne Feinstein--Senator, colleague, and hopefully for both of us, friend. That is a lovely way to set the tone for political opposites going forward. prgtoken If patience and kindness is what love is, then that is also what Senator Dianne Feinstein is. Senator Dianne Feinstein is love. I salute her service. prgtoken .
REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF CORPORAL FRANCIS JAMES JURY
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2023-9-29

. Madam , I rise today to remember the life of Corporal Francis James Jury of Clearfield, Pennsylvania. prgtoken Corporal Francis Jury was reported missing on December 2, 1950, at 23 years old. Corporal Jury was deemed missing during the battle with enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. prgtoken On July 27, 2018, following the summit between President and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea returned the remains of 55 American servicemembers killed during the Korean war. Following DNA testing, Corporal Jury was identified as one of those 55 members. prgtoken Madam , we still feel the pain of those missing from conflicts fought generations ago, and we are forever indebted to their service. prgtoken My prayers are with Corporal Jury's family during this solemn time. prgtoken It is my hope with his return his family is able to find peace and solace in knowing their loved one died a hero in service to the Nation.
CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND BORDER SECURITY ENHANCEMENT ACT, 2024
Bruce Westerman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2023-9-29

we have all heard that life is about making choices. Serving in Congress requires making big choices on a big stage that are forever chronicled in our votes. Take out all the rhetoric and all the policy disagreements and, at the end of this debate, every Member of the House will have a choice to make and a vote to cast. prgtoken Making choices is about setting priorities. House s have made it clear that cutting spending, securing the border, and keeping the government open while we finish the yearlong spending bills are our priorities. prgtoken It is no secret, based on previous actions, that my friends across the aisle prioritize out-of-control spending and an open border. I anticipate their priorities will outweigh their desire to keep the government open. That is their choice. prgtoken Since President took office, our debt has skyrocketed, inflation is strangling our citizens, and thousands of pounds of fentanyl and millions of illegal immigrants, including more than 150 on the terrorist watch list, have poured over our southern border and into our communities. This immigration crisis is so bad that the administration has resorted to building migrant shelters in our national parks and waiving environmental laws to do it. prgtoken This has to stop. The choices are clear. The conservative solution will prgtoken avoid a government shutdown, secure our borders, and keep us on track to restore fiscal sanity. Let me be clear that a vote against this bill is a vote to continue down the path of out-of-control spending, to keep our borders open, and to shut down the government. prgtoken , I have made my choice to vote ``yes,'' and I encourage others to do the same.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5525, CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND BORDER SECURITY ENHANCEMENT ACT, 2024
Matt Gaetz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-9-29

the House of Representatives has passed funding bills to fund our veterans, our troops, our Border Patrol, our State and foreign ops. prgtoken These are the core functions of government. The Senate should take up and pass those bills to make sure those folks are paid, and they should do it today. prgtoken The rule we are on now advances a continuing resolution that weakens the position on strong border policies. prgtoken Just last night, we passed a Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that was lashed to policy requirements at the Department of Homeland Security. They had to do certain things to fix the border to get the money, and one of those things was E-Verify. prgtoken Last night, we stood together and we demanded that E-Verify be included if Mayorkas wanted the money, and this continuing resolution that the rule we are on now would facilitate strips E-Verify and takes it out. Why would s just overnight back away prgtoken from such a strong and necessary provision as E-Verify? prgtoken I will be voting against this continuing resolution because I want House s to have the strongest position on the border. The American people will come with us on that. We have just got to have the courage to lead and not surrender. prgtoken I know big businesses don't want E-Verify, but we should want it anyway for the American worker.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2023-9-29

. . What I am trying to find here, is there a compromise? Is there some level of rich person that maybe the taxpayer could say: Enough is enough; they ought to pay their own way? Is there some level of rich person's mansion that maybe the average, ordinary taxpayer should not have to subsidize their insurance? prgtoken So we have tried a half a million, which is about half the homes the ordinary working class people in our country have to insure, why don't we try--if we can't do a half a million, let's try mansions of $750,000. You would say, well, how many are there? Twenty-five percent of the national Federal subsidized insurance are homes of $750,000 a year. We are not talking about ordinary people now, we are talking about rich, rich, very rich people getting subsidized insurance from a program that loses billions of dollars and has to be bailed out every year. We have a government with a $1.7 trillion deficit. It goes on year after year. Nobody does anything. Just reauthorize it. Today we can make a compromise. So I offer the Senator a compromise: If $500,000 is too cheap and you want to insure half-a-million-dollar mansions, will you, at least, modify it to exclude mansions of $750,000 or more? I think that is the least we can do. prgtoken And I would ask unanimous consent to accept the Paul motion at the desk that indicates $750,000 as the limit for the insurance.
Vote on McGrath Nomination (Executive Calendar)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2023-9-29

. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Daines), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall), and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott). prgtoken Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall) would have voted ``nay.''
CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND BORDER SECURITY ENHANCEMENT ACT, 2024
Mario Diaz-Balart (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-9-29

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I am proud to speak on the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act of 2024. prgtoken As we all know, the most basic duty that Congress has and must complete every year is that constitutional power of Congress to fund the Federal Government. This bill, , will provide funding to keep our government open until October 31. Unless we act now, the government will shut down at midnight on Saturday. prgtoken Let's be very clear, . The House has already passed four appropriations bills, which constitute the majority of funding for our government. Now, unfortunately, the Senate continues to sit on its hands and has failed to pass any of them, any of them thus far. Unfortunately, it is something that we have seen time and time again from our friends across this building. prgtoken , the country is nearly $32.9 trillion in debt--that is trillion with a t, --and our deficit this year is $1.9 trillion. The administration has gone on a crazy, irresponsible spending binge with money that we do not have to spend, money that is borrowed mostly from Communist China. It is time. It is time. It is time that we slow this out-of-control, unsustainable spending to a level that is sustainable. prgtoken Yesterday, , I was proud that the House of Representatives passed the State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, one that I was pleased and honored to lead that cut wasteful spending while making crucial investments in our national security, all while the total cost of that bill passed last night is way below fiscal year 2015 spending levels. That bill that we passed will slow our spending by really taking discretionary spending back to fiscal year 2022 overall. prgtoken Now, excluded from those reductions in this bill are any reductions from defense, veterans, homeland security, and disaster relief. It is a very important start and well overdue to fund our priorities, the American people's priorities, but doing so in a responsible way that does not bankrupt the American taxpayer. prgtoken , in addition, this bill provides flexibility to the Department of Defense for new starts, but this bill does more than just deal with our out-of-control spending, which it must. It will also help the just inhumane tide at our southern border. prgtoken , our southern border is out of control. The administration has failed to even do the bare minimum to secure our border. As I have prgtoken said before, , the irresponsible attitude of the administration when it comes to the southern border is beyond negligence and incompetence. It also has fatal consequences. prgtoken In just the last few days, we have seen a surge at the border with an average of over 9,000 apprehensions each and every day. This is unsustainable. It is unthinkable, and I would add it is immoral. prgtoken , our border is out of control. Actually, no, let me correct myself right here on the floor of
REMEMBERING WILLIAM W. "BUCK" CROSBY, SR.
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2023-9-29

I rise today in remembrance of William ``Buck'' Crosby. He served as an educator of chemistry and biology for 40 years at Risley High School and retired as the interim superintendent of Glynn County Schools. prgtoken He was a member of the YWCA Foundation Board, where he held the position as first vice president of the Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association. prgtoken He was the recipient of many awards in his community, including being inducted into the Benedict College Class of 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also the first and only African-American chairman of the Hospital Authority, and he was the first African American to receive the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia Bishop's Award. prgtoken He will be remembered as a teacher, an administrator, a friend to all, and an example for all of us to live up to. prgtoken I extend my deepest sympathies to his family.
REMEMBERING DIANNE FEINSTEIN
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2023-9-29

there will be many opportunities in the next few days and in the weeks following to reflect on the life and the contributions of Senator Dianne Feinstein and, as has been noted, the significant legislation that she advanced over three decades here, what that meant to her State, to her constituents, really, to her country, but also to us. prgtoken And as I think about the work that we all take on here, we know that we are capable of much, but we are made even more capable by extraordinary staff. And one of the things that I have noted over the years is the extremely loyal staff that Senator Feinstein had built around her. I know that they are grieving today, as is Dianne's family and so many friends. But I think we acknowledge them at the same time of this very significant loss of not only a colleague but of a friend. prgtoken And I think it is important that people understand that, here in the U.S. Senate, a place that can be so divisive at times, true friendships actually exist. And whether it is the leader and his wife over the years dining together or, as Senator Collins has stated, just the very generous nature of Senator Feinstein sharing--sharing her works, sharing her art, sharing a purse--I still have that seersucker suit. prgtoken I still have that seersucker suit. When we all engage in the annual ritual of donning the seersucker suit--mine is now 20 years old; I think yours is, too--our reality is, it is a direct reminder of the spontaneous generosity of a woman. prgtoken Dianne Feinstein was generous. She was gracious. She was thoughtful. She was kind. There were many times when prgtoken we were looking into a weekend when we were going to be here, and she, being from California, and I, being from Alaska--recognizing that probably neither one of us was going to be making it to that other coast, she would say: ``Lisa, let's go to dinner.'' Sometimes, we would just spontaneously make that happen, and other times, we would just make the plans. But that was that outreach to do so. prgtoken What she did as one of the female leaders in our women Senators group was she made sure that the dinners we have engaged in over the years, that those continued. She would come and say, ``Isn't it about time we have another dinner?'' And she would be right, and we would organize it. It was, again, a reminder of what it means to come together as colleagues, yes, but really the more that we can do to build those relationships that make a hard job just a little bit easier. Dianne was able to focus on that in a giving and, again, a very generous-- generous--way. prgtoken I think it pained us all--it certainly pained me--in just these past months to see what I believed to be grossly unfair attacks on a woman who was in failing health. And I think for some who would focus on that, they would fail to appreciate what this extraordinary woman, what this extraordinary leader had contributed not only to t
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Ron Johnson (Republican, WI) \u2014 2023-9-29

I am very glad that you have taken the chair to preside because I want to talk about something I think is kind of near and dear to your heart. This is something that I passed in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the Senate back in 2019, and this was passed with bipartisan support. I am talking about a bill called the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act. prgtoken Following passage, I wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal. I just want to read the first two paragraphs of that column, published on September 22, 2019: If the Legislature in my home state of Wisconsin fails to pass the next year's appropriation bills, we don't shut government agencies down. We fund them at the previous year's appropriation levels. Doesn't that make sense? That common-sense approach should apply in Washington, but it doesn't. By the time I arrived in 2011, Congress's appropriations process was completely broken. prgtoken It still is. The United States has since had-- prgtoken Again, this is as of September 2019. --the United States has since had three government shutdowns, passed 34 continuing resolutions to avoid shutdowns, raised or suspended the debt ceiling nine times and-- prgtoken Again, this was just 4 years ago. --increased the federal debt $8.5 trillion. prgtoken So here we are, a couple days before the end of the fiscal year, 4 years later--our debt, by the way, has more than doubled; it stands at $33 trillion now--and we are facing a shutdown. prgtoken Isn't this ridiculous? There is no reason for this. prgtoken Again, back in June of 2019, I tasked up my committee members. I said: OK. I want to pass a bill that will end all government shutdowns forever. Take it off the table. prgtoken Now, there have been a number of bills designed to do that offered in both Chambers, both the House and the Senate. prgtoken I have three members of the committee--four members of the committee have their own bills. prgtoken The bill I selected to debate, mark up, and pass was one offered by Senators James Lankford and Maggie Hassan. prgtoken I chose that bill because--one bill actually increased spending; one bill decreased spending. But the Hassan-Lankford bill did what we do in Wisconsin: You don't shut an agency down; you don't shut the government down; you just keep spending at last year's level until the legislature can get its act together and appropriate the funds. prgtoken So that bill that I chose that we passed--by the way, on a bipartisan basis. I believe every ic Senator on the committee voted for it because Senator Hassan, Senator Lankford did a good job of coming together in a bipartisan fashion. They put some disciplines in there. prgtoken But what it does, it just creates rolling 14-day CRs. With those disciplines, Members can't travel back on the government dime. You only have a 24-hour shutdown, I believe. There
THE MATH
Mike Kelly (Republican, PA) \u2014 2023-9-29

. I don't think there are many. The people I represent are either in ag or in the fields, in the mines, in the mills, on the rails. They are blue-collar people who are living an incredibly strong life because those families, the nuclear family, the mom and dad raising children, are the key to our success going forward, and an education. Based on the very foundations of what we know is true, is accurate, has been proven over the ages, the gift that America gave all of its citizens was the gift of education. prgtoken Mr. Schweikert and I can talk all day. I wish the gallery was full. I really wish the gallery was full. It is not a message of anger. It is a message of hope. We have to change our spending. We cannot sustain this irresponsible trajectory.
STAFF SERGEANT EARL JACOBS NAMED TENNESSEE SECOND DISTRICT'S VETERAN OF THE MONTH
Tim Burchett (Republican, TN) \u2014 2023-9-29

. Madam , before I get started, I would like to say prgtoken how sorry I was to hear about Senator Dianne Feinstein passing this morning. I didn't agree with her on anything, but she was very kind to me every time I saw her, and I miss that up here. prgtoken Madam , I rise to honor Staff Sergeant Earl Jacobs, who honorably served this great Nation for 34 years. prgtoken Staff Sergeant Jacobs was born and raised in Clinton, North Carolina. He moved to Washington, D.C after high school and entered the Army in 1953. He worked as a combat medic during the Korean war, where he served briefly in Korea and then in Germany. He spent his time in the helicopter transportation unit, where he provided care for patients during transportation to the hospital. Staff Sergeant Jacobs received an honorable discharge in March of 1955. prgtoken He joined the Army National Guard in Washington, D.C before moving to Loudon County, Tennessee, where he served in the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Lenoir City. He was a medical noncommissioned officer, where he was a radiological monitor and a flight medical aidman. Staff Sergeant Jacobs retired from the Tennessee Army National Guard in 1992, Madam . prgtoken Our country's heroes are the men and women of our Armed Forces like Earl Jacobs, the ones who chose to wear our country's uniform. We seem to always honor those who dribble a basketball or throw a football or catch a baseball, but these are our real heroes who served and sacrificed for our freedom. It is my honor to recognize Staff Sergeant Earl Jacobs as the Tennessee Second District's September 2023 Veteran of the Month.
REMEMBERING DIANNE FEINSTEIN
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2023-9-29

you know how we always refer to each other as ``my friend'' from whatever State it is. Honestly, frequently, that is not true. prgtoken But Elaine and I were actual friends of Dick and Dianne. Elaine served on a corporate board with Dick for a number of years. When they were in town together, we would frequently have dinner together. prgtoken Elaine and I got married shortly after the 1992 election, and I remembered that Dianne gave us a small depiction of the Capitol. I looked at it this morning because it is still on the wall and remembered our dear colleague as a truly remarkable individual. prgtoken As the majority leader has pointed out, she was an incredibly effective person at every line, at level, and she was at all of those levels on the way to the Senate. prgtoken Those of us who were fortunate to call Dianne our colleague can say we served alongside the longest serving female Senator in American history. prgtoken Dianne was a trailblazer in her beloved home State of California, and our entire Nation is better for her dogged advocacy and diligent service. prgtoken Over the past three decades, the senior Senator from California was also the steady hand leading sensitive and consequential work as head of the Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee. Her name became synonymous with advocacy for women and with issues from water infrastructure to counterdrug efforts. prgtoken Of course, as the first woman to lead her hometown board of supervisors and then govern as mayor, she was making history and making a difference long before she came to the Senate. prgtoken And as much as this institution and the American people will remember Dianne's devoted public service, as I indicated earlier, Elaine and I will also remember and cherish the friendship of 30 years we were fortunate to share with Dianne and Dick. prgtoken So, today, I know the entire Senate family is gathering around Senator Feinstein's loyal staff. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dianne's daughter Katherine, her granddaughter Eileen, the entire Feinstein family, and with all who mourn our dear colleague and friend.