mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CELEBRATING FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
Ed Case (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2021-10-28

. Madam , each year our country recognizes October as Filipino American History Month, a time for all Americans to celebrate the incredible past, present and future of our fellow citizens whose heritage lies in the great country of the Philippines. prgtoken I am especially humbled to do so as the Representative of Hawaii's First Congressional District, where some 195,000 Filipino Americans live, more than any other of our 435 districts throughout the country. With Hawaii's Second Congressional District with the second largest Filipino Americans population, at about 175,000, our Fil-Am community in Hawaii stands at 370,000. In total, fully a quarter of all Hawaii residents are Filipino Americans, by far the largest percentage of any state or territory. prgtoken We observe Filipino American History Month in October because the first recorded arrival of Filipinos in the continental United States took place on October 18, 1587, when the ``Luzones Indios'' came ashore from the Manila-built galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza in Morro Bay, California. And in 1906, 115 years ago, the first fifteen sakada (contract laborers) arrived in Honolulu from the Philippines aboard the SS Doric, marking the first sustained immigration into our country and the humble beginnings of Fil-Ams in Hawaii. Today our Fil-Am community numbers some four million throughout our country, now the second largest of our Asian American groups. prgtoken Hawaii Fil-Ams in particular have been trailblazers in politics and government, the military, business and entrepreneurship, journalism, popular culture, music and the arts and more. prgtoken Peter Aduja became the first Fil-Am elected to public office in the United States when he was elected to the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives in 1954. prgtoken Alfred Laureta became the first-ever federal judge of Filipino ancestry. He was born in `Ewa, graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and was later nominated and confirmed by our own Senator Daniel Inouye in July 1978. prgtoken Benjamin Menor became the first Fil-Am higher court judge as associate justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court. prgtoken Ben Cayetano was the first Filipino American governor of a state in our union. prgtoken Major General Antonio Taguba was the second Filipino American promoted to general officer rank in the United States Army. prgtoken Eddie Flores Jr. bought the first L&L Drive-Inn on Liliha Street in Honolulu in 1976, turning it into a national franchise. prgtoken Carolina Dizon Wong was the first Filipino American woman to obtain an M.D. degree. prgtoken Ines Cayaban was the first Filipino American graduate of the School of Public Health, Nursing and Social Work at the University of Hawaii. She received the prestigious Jefferson Award in 1986 for her service to Hawaii. prgtoken Francisco Flores Trinidad Jr of Honolulu, better known by his pen name ``Corky,'' was an award-winning editorial cartoonist of the H
WHERE IS THE SENATE?
David N. Cicilline (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-10-28

as the United States reasserts itself on the world's stage, it is time for robust engagement. We must reengage with our allies and regain our footing as a global leader. But we are standing in our own way. prgtoken , 100 ambassadorial positions are currently unfilled, with 60 awaiting Senate action. Where is the Senate? prgtoken , more than 300 national security professionals asked this same question this morning in a letter to Senate leadership. prgtoken We do not have representatives to NATO, the European Union, ASEAN, or the Organization of American States. Despite our significant interests in the Middle East, we lack an Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs and an ambassador to Israel. prgtoken , we are sending a dangerous message of neglect and indifference to our allies and adversaries. The Senate must act. prgtoken I join the hundreds of esteemed former ambassadors and Pentagon officials in urging the Senate to begin hearings and to schedule votes for all pending State Department and USAID nominees. prgtoken I include in the Record a letter from Foreign Policy for America. Foreign Policy for America, Washington, DC, October 28, 2021. Hon. Charles Schumer, Majority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Washington, DC. Hon. Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Senator James E. Risch, Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Washington, DC. We write as senior national security professionals to express our alarm over the dangerously slow pace of Senate confirmations of State Department and USAID officials over the past ten months. The resulting vacancies have damaged U.S. national security and our ability to address international threats. We ask for your urgent attention to resolving this situation. The United States cannot afford to be absent at this time of strategic competition with China. Yet, at this moment, 100 Ambassadorial positions are unfilled with 60 awaiting Senate action. As President prepares to meet with world leaders at the G20 summit, the Senate has confirmed just two of the president's Ambassadorial nominations to G20 member states. As the world works to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States lacks both an Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs and a USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health. Of the 17 world leaders known to be attending the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November, only one has had the opportunity to coordinate in advance with a confirmed U.S. Ambassador. Nearly half of Ambassadorial posts on the African continent have nominees stalled in the Senate
HONORING RABBI NEIL BRIEF
Janice D. Schakowsky (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-10-28

. Madam , I rise today to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Rabbi Neil Brief's service to Ezra Habonim Niles Township Jewish Congregation and the Skokie, Illinois community. In 1971 Rabbi Brief became the Rabbi for the Congregation, and he became Rabbi Emeritus in 2004. prgtoken Rabbi Brief overcame poverty as a child and developed his leadership skills by becoming president of the Brooklyn Brownsville Boys Club and coaching two club championship basketball teams. prgtoken He attended New York University and distinguished himself at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion through his study of numerology, which he later adapted to meet the needs of his congregants. He worked throughout his higher education, as a waiter, busboy, camp counselor and teaching religious school. He then served his country as an Army Chaplain, counseling soldiers of all faiths and rising to the rank of Captain within two years. prgtoken Rabbi Brief helped bring people together. He brought Skokie's clergy closer together through spearheading the creation of and serving as president of the Niles Township Clergy Forum. And he helped strengthen his congregants' marriages through his leadership in Jewish Marriage encounter. prgtoken Rabbi Brief helped lead and serve his community through his work with the Skokie Commission on Family Services, the Rotary Club, the United Way of Skokie Valley and many other service organizations. prgtoken He has always stood by those who were oppressed and through his congregational, interfaith, political and humanist work, helped create Skokie spirit and become a true leader in the community. He helped organize rallies drawing thousands of people to protest prejudice in the community. prgtoken Rabbi Brief trained as a Reform rabbi and is a member of the rabbinical organizations of Judaism's Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist. prgtoken Rabbi Brief and his beloved late wife Erica, raised three children in Skokie--Dena, David, and Debra--all of whom graduated from Niles North High School. They were married for 57 years. prgtoken On this momentous occasion, I wish to congratulate Rabbi Neil Briefs 50 years of service to Ezra Habonim Niles Township Jewish Congregation and the Skokie, Illinois community. He has been a treasured friend to me and my family, and an inspiring leader in our community.
Cyber Security (Executive Session)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2021-11-1

earlier this month, Senator Ernst and I sent a letter to Secretary Mayorkas asking the Secretary to address the prgtoken devastating cyber attacks conducted on our national agricultural sector. prgtoken Agriculture is designated as one of the country's 16 critical infrastructure industries but historically has not received robust cyber security support from our government. Attacks from foreign cyber criminals are threatening both the livelihood of our farmers and the security of the food that we eat. prgtoken Last month, NEW Cooperative, an Iowa grain co-op, was the target of BlackMatter, a Russian cyber criminal cell. The cyber attack shut down systems that control crop irrigation, livestock feed schedules, and inventory distribution. NEW Cooperative comprises about 40 percent of the grain distribution in our country. The co-op narrowly managed to avert a crash in grain prices without paying a $5.9 million ransom. prgtoken These attacks are not limited to just large distributors. The Russian group BlackByte claimed it attacked Farmers Cooperative Elevator Company, an Iowa grain co-op with just four locations. BlackByte is threatening to release 100 gigabytes of sensitive data, including financial, sales, and accounting information, if a ransom is not paid. prgtoken The extent of the damage from the NEW Cooperative and the Farmers Cooperative Elevator Company attacks is not isolated to the grain market. Feed from these co-ops sustain more than 11 million head of livestock. prgtoken These attacks affect the supply chain that puts food on the shelves of grocery stores all across our country. As Iowa farmers adopt new technologies to get their crops to market, their exposure grows to similar attacks. prgtoken These two ransomware attacks are only the latest in a very long line of cyber attacks on our critical infrastructure this year. In July, a Miami-based software provider was attacked, which resulted in trickle- down effects to thousands of organizations. In June, JBS Foods--that happens to be the world's largest meat processing company--that company was attacked, shutting down nine meat packing plants in the United States. In May, Colonial Pipeline was shut down for 11 days, resulting in buying panics and shortages. prgtoken While many cyber attacks originate from Russia, attacks have also come from other countries. Earlier this year, the administration formally blamed China for a massive hack of the Microsoft Exchange email server. The hackers responsible appeared to work directly for China's Ministry of State Security. Estimates range as high as 250,000 victims in that attack. prgtoken In July, the Senate Judiciary Committee, where I serve as ranking member, held a hearing at my request looking at how to prevent and respond to ransomware attacks. During this hearing, witnesses testified that the Department of Homeland Security would be identifying and hardening critical points of failure.
Vaccines (Executive Session)
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2021-11-1

see, these are individuals on the front line, and they take exception to what is going on with this administration and this Executive order that is forcing them to get a shot that maybe their doctor is saying: Hey, this is not one for you to take. prgtoken Maybe they are a young woman trying to have a baby. Maybe they are somebody who has a history of heart disease or lung disease or neuromuscular issues in their family and someone has had an adverse reaction. prgtoken You know what? People are smart. They are going to figure this out and figure out what works best for them. During the pandemic, the essential workers figured this out, and they ought to be exempt. prgtoken The administration claims that this mandate is the ticket to freedom, return to normal. But here is the problem with this and why that falls on deaf ears. These essential workers returned to normal months ago--if they ever left a normal routine--and their working conditions have been made more difficult now than ever. prgtoken Businesses are desperate for workers. In August, the U.S. economy had 10.4 million jobs waiting to be filled. That is right, 10.4 million jobs. We are going to get unemployment numbers this weekend on Friday. I think it is going to be interesting to see what those numbers tell us. prgtoken Oh, the supply chain--I mentioned the grocery store and what I found there. Well, the supply chains are a mess. We need 80,000 truck drivers right now--today--if we want to make an honest attempt at filling the need there to get products to stores. We can't afford the toll these mandates are taking on the supply chain workforce or on law enforcement or border security or the healthcare sector or the airline industry, the transportation and logistics industry. prgtoken And make no mistake, the day of reckoning is already here. As I said, these workers have figured this out. They are smart. They don't hate the country. And it is ridiculous that some people try to equate those that don't get the vaccine with hating the country. These individuals are not anti-vaxxers. They are not anti-science. What they are is this: They are anti-unconstitutional mandate and a government overreach that is going to interfere in their relationship with their doctor. That is what they are against. prgtoken , don't we all remember the lie of the decade in 2010 with prgtoken Care: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. prgtoken And what we are looking at right now is something that is an equal overreach: You can't keep your job if you won't get this jab. It is an overreach. prgtoken People that I am talking to are really anti these mandates that would force them into submission or, in some cases, into poverty, like the young mom that I talked to who works for a government contractor--sole supporter of her family at this point, has one child, wants to have another child, and because of this mandate, she is going to
THE MIDDLE EAST
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-11-1

I rise today to discuss the growing threats to American national security and to the security of our friends and allies in the Middle East. prgtoken Under President and Vice President , the policies put in place were a catastrophe for our allies in the Middle East and a boon to our enemies. They boosted the Muslim Brotherhood and criticized Arab governments that tried to crack down on religious extremists. They gave Palestinian groups tied to terrorism a veto over peace between our Israeli and Arab allies, and they elevated those groups. prgtoken They pushed the catastrophic -Iran nuclear deal, which dismantled pressure on Iran and put the Ayatollah on a path towards a nuclear arsenal, while sending pallets of cash in the dead of night as ransom for hostages. prgtoken Of course, the - administration didn't tell the American people and didn't tell Congress what they were doing. Instead, they deliberately hid that information. They lied as long as they could about their policies, and they developed and built an echo chamber designed to drown out their critics. prgtoken I rise today because history is repeating itself, because I am deeply worried that President and the - administration are returning to the very worst policies and the very worst tactics of the years and that the consequences are going to be far worse. prgtoken Once again, the - administration is boosting the Muslim Brotherhood and other religious extremist groups in the Middle East. They are elevating the Palestinians at the expense of our Israeli and Arab allies, and they are dismantling pressure on Iran. prgtoken And, once again, they are hiding those details from Congress. They do not want Congress to know, and they do not want the American people to know. And, in some cases, unfortunately, they are outright lying. prgtoken I know that President and his administration are refusing to answer, even lying about their Middle East policies, because I asked them. I asked them as part of questioning Barbara Leaf, the President's nominee to be the Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs. prgtoken Over the next several minutes, I will discuss the answers I got back. prgtoken Ms. Leaf has been--and will continue to be--at the center of the - administration's Middle East policy. She was responsible for Middle East policy from the very beginning of this administration as the senior director for Middle East and North African Affairs at the National Security Council. In her new position to which she has been nominated, she would be America's most senior diplomat for the Middle East. prgtoken I asked Ms. Leaf written questions about 's administration's policies in multiple areas of Middle East policy, as part of her testimony in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Her answers ranged from deliberately nonresponsive to simply false and, throughout
BORDER SECURITY
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-11-1

well, the American people are hurting. Inflation just hit another 30-year record high. Families are paying skyrocketing prices for everyday needs. The murder rate across the country just recorded its biggest jump ever. prgtoken But here is what the administration has focused on: handing out six-figure and seven-figure payments to illegal immigrants. prgtoken A few years back, liberal interest groups started trying to sue the U.S. Government on behalf of illegal immigrants. They wanted American taxpayers to pay out legal damages because of the conditions some people faced as they tried to break into our country illegally. prgtoken As a legal matter, these lawsuits were borderline frivolous. Our government was all but certain to win the suits, but this administration wants to stand down and voluntarily pay out massive damages: ``The U.S. Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services are considering payments that could amount to close to $1 million a family''--$1 million a family, about a half a million dollars per adult, and about a half a million dollars more per child. prgtoken American families are having to anxiously budget for gas and groceries, but prgtoken President wants to literally make millionaires out of people who have violated Federal law. prgtoken What could be more unfair and unjust to law-abiding, tax-paying American citizens? prgtoken And talk about yet another massive incentive for more and more people to come here illegally: On President 's watch, we have already seen an alltime high in illegal border crossings, combined with a decade low in arrests in the interior. prgtoken So have already created a major border crisis, and now they want to cut seven-figure checks to illegal border crossers? prgtoken are already trying to send monthly welfare payments to people who are here illegally. That is in the reckless taxing-and- spending spree they are putting together behind closed doors. prgtoken But who needs $300 a month when President wants to send these folks $450,000 per person? prgtoken That is four and a half times the payment that the Department of Defense sends to the survivors of servicemembers who were killed in action. Fallen troops' families get $100,000 from the Pentagon. But the administration wants to give illegal immigrants $450,000? prgtoken This is an especially extreme example of a big error that continue to make over and over again. prgtoken The left mistakenly thinks that a compassionate border means a weak border. They think compassion requires weakness--weak security, weak enforcement, weak on upholding the rule of law. And now, apparently, we are a cruel country unless we hand out a million dollars per family to illegal immigrants who sue America. prgtoken But the entire concept is dead wrong. It is not compassion to lure people from all over the world through dangerous journeys with th
HONORING KENNETH FANNON
H. Morgan Griffith (Republican, VA) \u2014 2021-11-1

. Madam , I offer these remarks in honor of Kenneth Gene Fannon of Duffield in Scott County, Virginia, who passed away on October 10, 2021 at the age of 90. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Fannon. He was a veteran and a well-known community leader in Duffield. prgtoken Mr. Fannon was born in Lee County, Virginia on May 15, 1931. He was a graduate of Rye Cove High School and Whitney Business College. Mr. Fannon served in the United States Army as a Corporal during the Korean War. He later became the Commander of Chapter 250 of the Korean War Veteran's Association. prgtoken He was a trailblazer for community service activities and veterans' events in Scott County. Over the years, he also served as Scout Master and as a member of numerous local board of directors. He was often recognized for establishing Duffield Daze, Duffield's largest service event. He started it in 1981 as a way to give back to the community through a family-friendly affair that promoted town unity and local business support. prgtoken Every time I attended Duffield Daze, Mr. Fannon was there to welcome me. He often reached out to my office to advocate for veterans in the area. He greeted everyone with kindness and generosity. Mr. Fannon was a tireless volunteer that worked hard to make his community and country a better place. He was a staple of so many community endeavors. Mr. Fannon was esteemed by many and will be greatly missed. prgtoken Mr. Fannon was preceded in death by his parents, E.D. and Venus Fannon; brothers, Jack and Joe; and sister, Mary Allen. He is survived by his wife, Jean; son, Jack and wife Susan; daughter, Lori Green and husband Daniel; grandchildren, Ruston Fannon, Kevin Wade, and Leslie Guy; great-grandsons, Jackson Guy and Mason Wade; sister, June Fannon, and sister-in-law, Helen Lane. I offer them my condolences on the loss of this good man.
GLORIA EZZIE'S 100TH BIRTHDAY
Jefferson Van Drew (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2021-11-1

. Madam , birthdays are a celebration of a life well-lived, which we share with family and friends. This is especially true for Gloria. We celebrate her 100 years of life, surrounded by family, friends, 9 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. She has spent 54 wonderful years in beautiful Brigantine with husband, Michael, where she raised her family, and where she has been an active member of the community. It is an honor to be her Representative, and it is my honor to wish her the happiest of birthdays, with many more to come. I hope Gloria enjoys her 100th birthday, and go Phillies. God Bless Gloria, and God Bless America.