mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
FACING DICTATORS
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2024-3-1

it is encouraging that America's valued European allies are facing the Dictators with Rule of Gun invading Democracies with Rule of Law. The Axis of Evil war criminal Putin, the regime in Tehran, and the Chinese Communist Party are being recognized for their murderous conduct and threats. prgtoken Last week I served on bipartisan delegations to Munich, Nurernberg, and Vienna. prgtoken The Munich Security Conference delegation was led by Chairman Mike Turner with Ranking Member Jim Himes. For 60 years, the Conference has been an extraordinary forum for world leaders to provide their policies with many side meetings. prgtoken Opening day was gruesomely coincided with the announcement of the assassination of Alexey Navalny by war criminal Putin. His widow Yulia Navalnaya courageously spoke to proclaim the efforts to resist Putin's oppression of the Russian people will continue. prgtoken Highlights of our Saturday, February 17th meetings at the Munich Security Conference were Chairman Mike Turner hosting a ``Conversation'' with the Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko, the American German Institute at Johns Hopkins policy discussion with German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, a speech by Vice President , a U.S.-Netherlands meeting with Dutch Ministers Kasja Ollongren of Defense and Hanke Bruins Slot of Foreign Affairs, U.S.-German meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the U.S.-Ukraine meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a U.S.-Iraq meeting with Prime Minister Shia' Al Sudani, a briefing by U.S. European Commander General Christopher Cavoli, and concluding with a dinner featuring former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov of Bulgaria, and Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna of Ukraine, as we later met President Iham Aliyev of Azerbaijan. prgtoken The next day, on Sunday, February 18th at the Munich Security Conference, key meetings included a U.S.-Swedish bilateral session with Swedish Minister of Defense Pal Johnson, a breakfast meeting on national security challenges in space with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a U.S,-Romania bilateral meeting with Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luminita Odobescu, a U.S.-Ukrainian bilateral meeting with Ukrainian parliamentarians led by Yehor Cherniev, and a meeting featuring former General and CIA Director David Petraeus. prgtoken In the afternoon, as the Chair of the Commission on Cooperation and Security in Europe, I hosted the Commission's first-ever side event at the Munich Security Conference with the U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE, Michael Carpenter. The lunch discussion on the future of international institutions and U.S. support brought together Congressional and international organization leaders. Our international participants included Helga Schmid, Secretary General of OSCE; Mircea Geoana, Deputy Secretary General of NATO; Boris Ruge, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Securit
Nomination of Adeel Abdullah Mangi (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-3-5

I have a statement I am going to make on the Voting Rights Act, which I think is apropos as we are considering Super Tuesday and the millions of Americans who will participate. But first I would like to address the comments that were just made by the Senate leader. prgtoken , you are a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and you were there the day Adeel Mangi's nomination came before our committee. It is a unique nomination. It has never happened before-- never in the history of the United States--because Mr. Mangi is a Muslim American, and he is being nominated to serve on the second highest court in the land. prgtoken When you read his biography--and I don't have it before me; I am going to come back when I do have all the information before me--you cannot help but believe that this is an extraordinary individual and an extraordinary lawyer who is seeking this spot. prgtoken The treatment he received in the Senate Judiciary Committee--you will remember it as well as I will--because he was a Muslim American was outrageous--outrageous. They believe that he must be a terrorist because he is Muslim, and it was suggested by a number of Senators questioning him that he has links with terrorism. In fact, one Senator went so far as to ask him on the record: Do you celebrate 9/11 in your home? Do you celebrate 9/11 in your home? prgtoken He said: Of course not. It was a horrible thing. I condemn all forms of violence and terrorism, he said, and those people--many who died-- were from the same community I was in in the States of New York and New Jersey. prgtoken Then there was a suggestion that because he was a Muslim American, he must be anti-Semitic. I can't tell you how many different times that was asked of him, and he condemned anti-Semitism on a wholesale basis, with no qualifications and no equivocation. prgtoken The questioning in that area was so outrageous against this individual, this Muslim American, so outrageous that the Anti- Defamation League, a national organization, highly respected, that stands up for Jewish Americans and their rights and speaks out without hesitation when people are being critical and prejudicial to Jewish Americans, sent us on the Senate Judiciary Committee--unsolicited--a response to the questioning he faced. I read it into the record at the committee meeting. prgtoken , I want to tell you, politics is a beanbag, and I know that if you are seeking a lifetime appointment to the bench, you better be prepared to answer a lot of questions. Some of them will be fair, and some won't be fair, but be ready--it is going to happen. But what happened to Mr. Mangi in that committee was beyond anything acceptable by Senate standards, and it continues to this day. prgtoken To argue that he somehow is a cop killer--my God. What more are they going to throw at this man? I am going to come before the Senate on another day--maybe even
CHANGE HEALTHCARE CYBER ATTACK
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2024-3-5

today I come to the floor with good news. HHS and CMS has heeded my call from last Friday to provide hospitals and providers immediate relief in the aftermath of the devastating cyber attack asking for ransom. The announcement by CMS today will get cash flowing to providers while our healthcare system works to get fully back online after this attack. prgtoken It is an extremely encouraging first step, but the systems of many of the providers are complicated and they are varied, so I urge CMS to be persistent and patient as they work to get all the providers on board; and I will work with CMS to make sure that happens. prgtoken As you know, across New York and across America, tens of thousands of hospitals, pharmacies, doctors' offices, and other healthcare providers are still reeling from one of the worst cyber attacks ever launched on our healthcare system. prgtoken The February 21 attack against Change Healthcare, which is responsible for processing billions of insurance and payment claims annually for healthcare providers, has thrown providers, including hospitals and pharmacies, into a crisis. For nearly 2 weeks, they have been unable to submit medical claims; and many providers are facing imminent insolvency as cash reserves are drying up. prgtoken Yesterday, I was in Ithaca and met with Rome Health and Cayuga Health who told me they are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars every single day with stacks of claims nearly two feet high that they can't file. prgtoken Americans, meanwhile, are struggling to refill prescriptions, having their care delayed or denied and are unable to use patient assistance programs they need to stay healthy. Our hospitals, particularly our smaller ones without a cushion of cash reserve, could have ended up laying off people and not providing services had CMS not stepped up to the plate. I am so glad they did. prgtoken Probably even worse, our small pharmacies who have no financial cushion prgtoken could have ended up shutting down and would have told millions of patients, millions of customers that they can't provide the medicines these customers need because they were not getting reimbursed. prgtoken This was a crisis, so last Friday, I called upon HHS and CMS to use their authority to accelerate payments to our hospitals and impacted providers. Hospitals and providers need help from the Federal Government so they can focus on their main mission as much as possible, which is providing care for their patients. I warned that the longer this crisis persists, the harder it will be for hospitals and other providers to stay open. prgtoken Today, I am pleased to see that HHS and CMS are heeding my call. This is a huge shot in the arm and will provide immediate relief to hospitals and providers, just like we saw during COVID. CMS had the ability to do this; and during COVID, when providers also were not being reimbursed, they filled the void. And I am glad they are doing
CLOTURE MOTION
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2024-3-5

I am here to talk about a provision in the appropriations bills that was unveiled just yesterday. s for their work on these bills--it has been incredible--and the bipartisan effort in the Senate and the prgtoken House. I know how tough these negotiations can be. There are so many good things in it that I am sure I will be talking about myself over the next few weeks. prgtoken But I want to focus on one thing that I hope we can still clarify and change. I don't think it was the outcome that people thought when they voted on the floor a little over a year ago on something. This sort of seemingly technical language that was included in this appropriations bill on our Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice basically upends the work that Senator Grassley and I have done--many others joining us--to update the merger fees after I think it is over 20 years. We worked very hard on this over a 5-year period and got buy-in from the Judiciary Committee. We worked with Senator Lee and had a combination amendment that got significant support in this body--well over 80 votes--that focused on Senator Lee's venue amendment that he and I had to make sure that cases in the tech arena stayed in the States, antitrust cases stayed in the States where they were brought; then, secondly, that we actually funded a division that has been underfunded by many measures with 300-plus less employees than they had in 1979. That is the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department. prgtoken It may not be the first thing on everyone's mind, but if you are someone wondering why does something cost so much or why don't I have a choice, you have got to look at the consolidation going on in this country. If you wonder why do I have to pay this much for a concert ticket, you might want to look at the fact that Ticketmaster has got a 90-percent monopoly on big events, an 80-percent monopoly on pro events--pro sports events--and a 70-percent monopoly on all events. So it is an issue that matters to people. prgtoken This Chamber, unfortunately--I see Senator Kennedy here who has worked with me diligently on a bill about the news organizations and the monopoly tech companies. We have many good ideas here, some of which--including the bill I have with Senator Kennedy--that have come through the Judiciary Committee, but we haven't been able to get the political support on both sides of the aisle to actually pass these bills. So that leaves us with one shiny light when it comes to consolidation, and that is the work that has been going on in bringing these cases. prgtoken For the tech cases, could I say, several of them were initiated during the 's Justice Department and have continued into the administration's Justice Department. But to do that, to take on the biggest companies the world has ever known, to take on Google, with the 90 percent market share, you have to have resources. You can't have a
Nomination of Ronald T. Keohane (Executive Session)
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2024-3-5

I rise in support of tonight's vote to move forward the nomination of Mr. Ronald Keohane to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. prgtoken I need not remind my colleagues, with the instability throughout the world right now, how critical it is to ensure that strong civilian leadership is in place across the Department and the military services. prgtoken As the Commissioner of the National Defense Strategy concluded, ``The implementation of the National Defense Strategy must feature empowered civilians fulfilling their statutory responsibilities, particularly regarding issues of forced management. Strong civilian oversight is the central hallmark of U.S. civil-military relations, codified in the Constitution and embraced throughout the Nation's history.'' prgtoken Mr. Keohane was reported out of the committee not once but twice--the first time on March 23, 2023, and then again this conference on February 8, 2024. Both times, he was reported out by voice vote with no one asking to be recorded as a no. To my knowledge, no one has raised any objections to his qualifications. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs is the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on all matters related to civilian and military personnel policies, reserve integration, military community and family policy, and total force planning and requirements. Additionally, the Assistant Secretary exercises day-to-day supervision of the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Defense Commissary Agency, and provides oversight of the Armed Forces Retirement Homes. prgtoken Confirming Mr. Keohane is critical. The military's greatest asset is its people, and filling this void will help the Department navigate the myriad challenges associated with managing the total force--military and civil workforces--to field the most lethal military in the world, especially considering unprecedented recruiting challenges at the moment. prgtoken Mr. Keohane is being held not by reason of his qualifications, which are extensive, but because of the position for which he has been nominated has oversight of some matters that a few of my colleagues find objectionable. prgtoken Mr. Keohane has previously served in the Department of Defense and other Federal Agencies, making him eminently qualified for this position. Notably, he previously served as the Department Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy in the administration, where he was awarded the Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to vote yes to move this well-qualified individual with extensive experience--to move this nomination forward so we can do more to assist our men and women in the field by providing the kind of policy and direction that an experienced and already recognized
HONORING THE LIFE OF GWENDOLYN "GWEN" BENSON-WALKER
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2024-3-5

I rise today to honor Gwendolyn ``Gwen'' Elaine Benson-Walker, my former chief of staff, who died on February 2, 2024. prgtoken Gwen worked for me in various capacities for 20 years, starting as my scheduler and ultimately becoming my chief of staff. As my chief of staff, Gwen fostered a collaborative environment and helped me hire the best and brightest for my office. prgtoken Gwen was also a devoted mother and grandmother, and had a passion for wellness, physical fitness, and world travel. After her retirement, Gwen traveled the world and lived in Spain from 2013 to 2022. prgtoken Gwen was not only beloved by her family, friends and colleagues, she was also beloved by me. I am honored to have known Gwen, and I will be forever grateful for her service to Congress, as well as to the District of Columbia. prgtoken Again, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring the life of Gwen Benson-Walker.
ACTION FOR DENTAL HEALTH ACT OF 2023
Kim Schrier (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2024-3-5

the balance of my time. prgtoken , I speak now as a pediatrician. In addition to limiting children's consumption of sweet drinks and frequent snacking on carbohydrates, to providing fluoride for all of our patients, we absolutely need to expand the oral healthcare workforce to provide dental care for our patients. prgtoken I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3843, and .
SECURING THE CITIES IMPROVEMENT ACT
Troy A. Carter (Democrat, LA) \u2014 2024-3-5

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I am pleased that we are here today to consider my bill, H.R. 4403, the Securing the Cities Improvement Act. prgtoken My bill will help cities build and maintain their security capabilities against nuclear or radiological threats. prgtoken While I will emphasize the critical nature of my bill, its effectiveness prgtoken hinges upon the reauthorization of the DHS Office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, CWMD. prgtoken Without CWMD, the Securing the Cities program will cease to operate. Securing the Cities, also called STC, was launched by the Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2007 as a pilot program to support New York City, Jersey City, and Newark, New Jersey, in detecting and preventing nuclear or radiological threats. prgtoken Today, the STC program provides 14 local governments, including my hometown of New Orleans, with detection equipment, training, exercise support, operational and technical support, subject matter expertise, and programmatic support. prgtoken STC's work in New Orleans has supported important events such as Mardi Gras, which is a very special and joyous time in my hometown. As you know, we will have the Super Bowl next year. This will have a critical impact on its safety and delivering joy to the people of our country and our world. prgtoken However, STC is limited to high-risk urban areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Urban Area Security Initiative, or UASI, program. prgtoken Linking STC and UASI together can create uncertainty for local governments participating in the program, as the composition of jurisdictions in the UASI program can fluctuate from one year to the next. prgtoken To ensure stability within the STC program and maintain partnerships with at-risk cities, I introduced the Securing the Cities Improvement Act. My legislation would allow CWMD to determine which cities to partner with for the STC program based on the jurisdiction's capability and capacity to prepare for and respond to threats of vulnerabilities against terrorist attacks and other high-consequence events utilizing nuclear or other radiological materials. prgtoken It would also establish performance metrics and milestones for the STC program and monitor expenditures for the program. prgtoken Furthermore, the legislation requires DHS to provide a report to Congress regarding participation in the STC program, the establishment of metrics and milestones for the program, and any proposed modifications for this program. prgtoken The bill is a commonsense measure, one that will ensure that our cities are protected from nuclear or radiological threats. prgtoken , I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4403, and .
TRIBUTE TO PEDRO MARIN
Jon Ossoff (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2024-3-5

I rise today to honor State Representative Pedro ``Pete'' Marin, Georgia's longest serving Hispanic State legislator, as he concludes his distinguished career in Georgia's State House. prgtoken Earlier this year, Representative Marin announced he would not seek reelection to Georgia's State House after over two decades of service representing the people of Gwinnett County. Born in Puerto Rico, Representative Marin moved to Georgia in 1995. He was elected to Georgia's State House in 2002, among a trio who became the first Hispanic lawmakers in Georgia's history. Throughout his tenure, Representative Marin has been a tireless advocate for his constituents, championing causes like education and social justice, helping bring the needs of Georgia's Latino community to the forefront of the legislative discussion. Representative Marin's commitment to education has been unwavering, ensuring that children in Georgia have access to a quality education, regardless of their background. His dedication to empowering Hispanic youth has and will continue to leave a lasting impact on the future of our State. Representative Marin has long worked to break down barriers and create opportunities for all communities, not just Georgia's Latino community. prgtoken As we reflect on Representative Marin's remarkable career, let us express our gratitude for his service and leadership. His integrity and dedication to public service serve as an inspiration to us all. prgtoken As Georgia's U.S. Senator, I recognize and commend Georgia State Representative Pedro Marin for his outstanding contributions to the State of Georgia, for his tireless efforts on behalf of Georgia's beloved Latino community, and for his decades of public service.
REMEMBERING DANIEL HANTMAN
Mark Takano (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-3-5

. Madam , I rise today to remember the life of a man with a big heart: Daniel Hantman. prgtoken Dan was a lawyer, leader, and tireless civic volunteer--earning him the title of ``Mr. Riverside.'' prgtoken I was one of many people who knew Dan, who knew that friendly smile and his deep unshakeable desire to make his community a better place. prgtoken He embodied that commitment of ``tikkun olam,'' meaning ``repairing the world.'' prgtoken He volunteered his time in so many ways: from serving on civic boards at prgtoken the Chamber of Commerce to picking up litter in a big sombrero. He made our little corner of the world a better place, and for that, I am one of many in Riverside who will miss him deeply. prgtoken My thoughts are with his family, friends, and our community. May his memory be a blessing.
DISCLOSURE OF CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING ITEMS UNDER RULE XLIV OF THE STANDING RULES OF THE SENATE
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2024-3-5

I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record at the appropriate place the following statement regarding the disclosure of congressionally directed spending items under rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate. Disclosure of Congressionally Directed Spending Items prgtoken I certify that the information required by rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate related to congressionally directed spending items has been identified in the joint explanatory statements which are incorporated by reference in H.R. 4366 and that the required information has been available on a publicly accessible congressional website at least 48 hours before a vote on the pending bill.