mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Susan Wild (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2023-2-6

I would like to clarify and qualify my vote in support of H.R. 139, SHOW UP Act of 2023. prgtoken I reluctantly supported this bill due to the substantial outreach I have received from my constituents regarding the impact of pandemic measures on certain vital government services, particularly the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. At the same time, I am concerned that, in its current form, H.R. 139, SHOW UP Act of 2023, would cause inadvertent harm to the federal service and the federal workforce. prgtoken Had it been made in order, I would have supported a bipartisan amendment to this legislation by my friend and colleague Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) to strike Section 2 of the bill. I am deeply concerned with the fact that the bill, as currently written, would override existing agreements that have been collectively bargained in dozens of federal agencies. prgtoken It is unacceptable for Congress to set the precedent of circumventing labor negotiations and overriding collective bargaining agreements. I want to be clear: While it is imperative for my constituents to receive urgently needed services in the most effective manner possible, it is equally imperative to protect the hard-won agreements workers have earned through the collective bargaining process. prgtoken Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue advocating for a more democratic legislative process in the House of Representatives that allows members of this body to improve deeply flawed legislation such as H.R. 139. I am and will always remain an unwavering voice in support of workers' right to organize and collectively bargain--whether in the public or private sector--and in support of the labor movement.
FOSTERING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2023-2-6

I rise this evening to recognize the young people from North Carolina who have joined us and to introduce the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act. prgtoken During my years as a city planner before coming to Congress, I witnessed firsthand that fostering economic development in our communities requires strong local leadership. The involvement of neighborhood champions who know their neighborhoods block by block is essential. prgtoken This legislation would direct $5 billion toward programs for homeowner rehabilitation assistance, weatherization, improved accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, refinancing, and property tax relief. prgtoken It will help restore quality housing, including in the rural communities and the cities that I represent, such as Toledo, Sandusky, and Defiance. These locations have suffered from decades of job losses, outsourcing, recessions, and chronic underinvestment. prgtoken Congress must serve as the partner to our on-the-ground organizations. Local leaders know what resources are needed and where and how best to deploy them to revive their neighborhoods. That is why the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act promotes local control and capacity building for economic development. prgtoken These investments will repair homes, stimulate economic growth, and revitalize communities at a time when our Nation needs affordable housing. prgtoken , I urge all of my colleagues to support the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act.
DEATH OF TYRE NICHOLS
Sydney Kamlager-Dove (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-2-6

it is with great honor that I rise today to coanchor this CBC Special Order hour. It is the first of the 118th Congress and my first in this body. prgtoken We have a problem, America, a big problem. The problem is the rampant disregard for Black life at the hands of law enforcement. prgtoken For too many years now we have seen snuff videos--death at the hands of police--of our Black men and women and our Black boys and girls. These videos become dissected, the victim in death is persecuted as a way to justify excessive force, and it goes on and on and on. prgtoken The more this happens, the more desensitized we become, and as a culture, we enter into a culture of deflection: deflecting accountability, deflecting truth, and deflecting uncomfortable conversations about the value of Black life. prgtoken Why are we always looking for the perfect victim in these circumstances? prgtoken If they were perfect--if any of us were--they wouldn't be victims. They also probably wouldn't be victims if they weren't Black. prgtoken We certainly spend a lot of time victim blaming, deflecting, and not talking about the kind of public safety all of us should have and how we reimagine it in a way that makes it safe for everyone. prgtoken It is sad to say but police shootings in Black communities have become as American as baseball. In baseball, , you have something called balk. Pitchers commit balks, and the lower the balk number, the better your success. prgtoken In law enforcement we also have something called BALKS, although it means something different. B, background; A, age; L, lethal force; K, knowledge, S, seriousness of a crime. Once again, the lower the number of deaths, the higher the use of BALKS, something American, something we should be discussing. prgtoken How can we incorporate BALKS more deeply into our public safety system so that all lives can be saved? prgtoken What we are seeing with these shootings is un-American. I would also argue that it is unconstitutional because shootings like this are equivalent to summary executions. Law enforcement has become judge, jury, and executioner. Meanwhile, the 14th Amendment declares that we all have a right to due process. But these shootings have stolen due process from so many men and women in our Black communities. prgtoken These videos, once again, that we see, the images as horrific as they are, have become symbols of today and what Black America has to experience. The symbols of today become the reality of tomorrow, and the recordings of these shootings are important because they keep us honest. But they also become symbols of police brutality and police violence. We have gotten used to these symbols, and that is a problem. prgtoken This is Black History Month, but, , you would be flawed in thinking that the issue of police shootings and police violence is a Black issue, or that it is not an issue because it is not happening in your community. It is an American issue, an
EXTEND THE DEBT CEILING
Joe Courtney (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2023-2-6

. Madam , on January 13, 2023, the Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, announced that the United States had hit its debt ceiling, which is a legal authorization that Congress has done on a recurring basis since the early 1900s that allows our Treasury to go out and sell bonds so we can pay the bills for our country, prgtoken whether it is fentanyl issues, whether it is our military, or whether it is our education programs. prgtoken Normally, when the Secretary of the Treasury gives that type of announcement, responsible leadership in Congress takes up the task of extending the debt ceiling so that our government can continue to function. We are talking about paying the bills for existing budgets that have already been passed. That is what the debt ceiling empowers by Congress moving forward. prgtoken It has been 18 days since Ms. Yellen's warning to the country and to the world, and the leadership of the House has done absolutely nothing. We have passed a series of pointless resolutions that have no legal impact in terms of real lives of people in this country and a bunch of bills that we know are immediately dead on arrival in the Senate. prgtoken Again, as the clock ticks, the world wants to know: What is the 's position? What does he want in terms of doing what every , and , has done over and over again to protect the full faith and credit of our currency and the paper that the Treasury sells, again, as basically the gold standard in terms of financial markets across the world? prgtoken Mr. McCarthy has not told us. prgtoken What is at work here? If we look at the Study Group, which consists of roughly 170 Members, they have been talking openly and publicly about the fact that they want to do entitlement reform, which is to go after Social Security and Medicare. prgtoken Madam , I would just say that this is a very off-target proposal and solution because, in fact, Social Security has no bearing in terms of the operating deficit of the Federal Government, which, again, the claims that he cares so much about. prgtoken Social Security is funded through a separate revenue stream, the payroll tax that comes out of working people's paychecks every single pay period that goes into a fund that, again, is separate and distinct from the operating budget of the Federal Government. prgtoken The proposals of the Study Group, which are to raise the retirement age from 67 to 70 and to impose a degraded level of CPI cost-of-living adjustment, a changed CPI, would hit middle-class Americans hard, particularly younger ones because this is definitely proposed as sort of a two-tiered Social Security system. prgtoken There is a fundamental flaw in the whole approach that is being suggested and discussed by the Study Group, which is the claim that the Medicare and Social Security systems are entitlements. prgtoken Entitlement is not a legal term. It is not a budget term. It i
WALL STREET-BEIJING AXIS
Brad Sherman (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-2-6

. Madam , the Chinese Communist Party obviously believes that they can invade America's airspace deliberately, notoriously, and without serious consequences. They even believe--and this shows their hubris and their gall--that they can announce that they reserve the right to retaliate against America for shooting down their spy balloon. prgtoken Do you know what, Madam ? prgtoken After 26 years in this House, I would say that the Chinese Communist Party is probably right. They did it. They hit us, and they can probably get away with it because the two parties will compete about who can scream the greatest invective toward Beijing, and then the two parties will attack each other saying: Well, what did President do? And what did President do? prgtoken In the end, we will have nothing but bruised, partisan vocal cords. prgtoken I have seen for 26 years the Beijing-Wall Street axis control our policy toward China. prgtoken Now this is just a balloon, but it is on top of two enormous problems with China. One is the lopsided trade relationship where they prohibit us from exporting to them and impose higher tariffs on us than we impose on them. prgtoken The second was the obfuscation and lack of cooperation of China when COVID arose on their territory. prgtoken But we probably will not have meaningful retaliation for those great harms and the most recent one because Wall Street has been in control of this House since the day in the year 2000 when we granted most- favored-nation status to Beijing and let them into the World Trade Organization. Before that, China was an annoyance and a slumbering giant. Since then, the Chinese Communist Party has done untold damage to our people, to their people, and, of course, to our economy and national security. prgtoken There are two things Wall Street will not let us do and two things China would actually try to avoid, and that is dealing with Taiwan and trade. prgtoken So I have three proposals. I will look forward to working with anyone on either side of the aisle to turn this into good legislation. prgtoken First, Congress should provide that we automatically allow Taiwan to buy certain defense items and that we act expeditiously at the congressional level without waiting for the administration to allow the Seahawk helicopters and other necessary defense items to go to Taiwan. prgtoken Second--and this arises from my years as chairman of the Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets Subcommittee--we need to require all major corporations to disclose, as a risk factor to their investors, how they would be affected by an end of the U.S.-China economic relationship or major impediment to it. prgtoken Investors deserve the information, and we need corporations to compete for capital by showing that they have made themselves more resilient. If our companies are more resilient, then our economy is more resilient. prgtoken Third, we need to provide that we immediatel
DEATH OF TYRE NICHOLS
Alma S. Adams (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2023-2-6

I thank Chairman Horsford and the coanchors for this evening, the gentleman from Maryland and the gentlewoman from California. prgtoken I do rise today to lend my testimony to the conversation about police reform, safe communities, and the value of Black lives. prgtoken The brutal beating and the death of Tyre Nichols is a reminder that we do, indeed, have a long way to go to solve the structural racism and the systemic police violence in America. prgtoken Tyre was a son. He was a father. I am a mother and a grandmother of sons and daughters. He had a passion for skateboarding and photography, a young person with purpose, potential, and his life was ahead of him. prgtoken The Congressional Black Caucus has always been the conscience of the Congress, and that is why we are pushing prgtoken for reforms to our justice system, specifically regarding the actions and the conduct of law enforcement because no one in this Nation should fear interacting with police officers in their communities, but many Black and Brown people do each and every day. Everybody wants to be safe, and we want safer communities. prgtoken Tyre Nichols should still be alive today. That is why we must address the public health epidemic of police violence that disproportionately affects our communities. prgtoken Senator Tim Scott, a , in his quote was absolutely right: We have got to unite against this blatant disregard, he said, for human life, especially from those who have been entrusted with immense power and responsibility for our communities. prgtoken We are keenly aware that the police are asked to handle situations sometimes that they simply aren't trained for or equipped to handle. But like many CBC members, I've been there when a police beating or shooting rocked our communities. prgtoken In my home of Charlotte, North Carolina, Keith Lamont Scott was having a mental health crisis when he was shot and killed by police, leading to the first major protest and demonstration for Black lives in our community. prgtoken That doesn't absolve the officers involved of responsibility, but what it does mean is that with better training and a different approach to policing, Keith Lamont Scott could be alive today, and he should be. prgtoken Another man, Justin Carr, lost his life during the protests. Keith Lamont Scott and Justin Carr should both still be alive today. prgtoken Something has got to change to prevent further unnecessary deaths, and that is why the CBC and I have consistently supported the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and other necessary reforms. prgtoken Police culture needs to change, and it needs to change right now. That is why the CBC is actively engaging all relevant stakeholders with the aim of developing a legislative solution that can pass Congress and ensure meaningful police accountability reforms. prgtoken For every mom and dad and son and daughter, and for every Black person, it is imperati
DEATH OF TYRE NICHOLS
Jamaal Bowman (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-2-6

I thank the CBC for putting together this Special Order hour. prgtoken I just want to start out by saying this is not just a CBC issue. We need the Tri-Caucus to be involved in this issue, and we need the Tri- Caucus to be speaking out on this issue. prgtoken We also need action and courage from the Senate in terms of stopping the unnecessary killing of Black people throughout our country. prgtoken Tyre Nichols should be alive. Trayvon Martin should be alive. Breonna Taylor should be alive. Atatiana Jefferson, Freddie Gray, Laquan McDonald--they all should be alive. Michael Brown, Eric Gardner, on and on and on and on. prgtoken Police brutality in our country is a disease that needs to be cured. It is rooted in historical racism and systematic oppression in our country. prgtoken This has to stop. Federal legislation needs to be implemented to stop it. prgtoken One of the things we are asking for is simple accountability; that is all. We support law enforcement when they are doing the right thing, but when they commit a crime, they should be held accountable. They are not above the law. prgtoken What is really painful is taxpayer money pays the salary of law enforcement. prgtoken Taxpayer money pays the pensions of law enforcement. prgtoken Taxpayer money pays for the settlements when law enforcement is sued in court. prgtoken Taxpayer money pays for the lawyers. prgtoken Cities go into debt using bonds to pay settlement claims. There is a billion-dollar industry of police brutality that comes out of the pockets of taxpayers. prgtoken If we are going to reach the ideals of our democracy and our Constitution, we need to stop the unnecessary killing of Black people in our country. prgtoken I will close with this: It is not just policing; it is the overall system of mass incarceration. We incarcerate more, and there are disproportionately more Black and Brown people in our country.
INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL POLICE CAMERA AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2023
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2023-2-6

today, I, along with Representative Donald S. Beyer, Jr introduce the Federal Police Camera and Accountability Act of 2023. This bill would require uniformed federal law enforcement officers to wear body cameras and marked federal law enforcement vehicles to have dashboard cameras. It would also require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on federal law enforcement officers' training, vehicle pursuits, use of force and interaction with citizens. In the last two Congresses, we introduced virtually identical bills, which were included in the House-passed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act both Congresses. prgtoken After the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the urgency of this bill has become even more apparent. The U.S. Capitol Police tried to stop the mob attack, but since Capitol Police officers do not wear body cameras, we have been forced to rely on social media, cameras in and around the Capitol, body cameras worn by Metropolitan Police Department officers and public reporting to learn what happened. The events at Lafayette Square in 2020, where U.S. Park Police and other federal police officers forcibly removed peaceful protestors so the president could hold a photo op, is another recent example of why our bill is needed. prgtoken We first introduced this bill after Bijan Ghaisar was fatally shot on November 17, 2017, in his car by uniformed U.S. Park Police officers in Fairfax County, Virginia, after a vehicle pursuit on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Video of this shooting only prgtoken became available through a camera in a Fairfax County Police Department patrol car that was providing backup. Had it not been for that footage, which was recorded and released by that local police department, the public would not have had access to the circumstances surrounding Mr. Ghaisar's death. Moreover, the footage revealed concerns about the Park Police's pursuit and engagement policies. prgtoken Body and dashboard cameras for federal law enforcement officers are particularly important for the officers stationed in the nation's capital, where the Park Police and the uniformed division of the U.S. Secret Service have full local police powers. Many other federal law enforcement agencies also have local police powers near their respective agency buildings in the District of Columbia. Cameras can increase transparency for individual interactions with police, strengthen public trust and even deter future criminal behavior. For example, when individuals know that they are being recorded by a dashboard camera, they may be less likely to flee the scene of a traffic accident because they realize that their license plate will be documented. Individuals may also be less likely to attack an officer because the recording may be used as evidence. On the other hand, officers will also be less likely to commit offenses for the same reason. Body and dashboard cameras can also be us
DEATH OF TYRE NICHOLS
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2023-2-6

I thank the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and of course our esteemed colleagues who are leading this Special Order, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Kamlager-Dove) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey). This is extremely important work in terms of communicating to our constituents. prgtoken , I am standing here on this February evening feeling like this is not just Black History Month, but this is like Groundhog Day. The death of Tyre Nichols is yet another preventable death, a homicide committed by those who are hired to protect us, those who are hired to protect and serve as a mission. prgtoken This is not an issue that can be resolved through just hiring more diverse officers or merely providing more training. It really requires us to take a deep dive and look at the role that law enforcement plays in our communities, the relationship that law enforcement has with our communities, and get a better understanding of what those needs are and how those needs are not being met. prgtoken That is why the Congressional Black Caucus in both the House and the Senate have introduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, because we recognize the familiar fact patterns. Although Tyre Nichols is one of the most recent incidents, it is the same fact pattern. Pretextual stuff. prgtoken We have no idea at this point why Tyre Nichols was stopped. That there is bias in these stops, bias against a man of color, excessive force, failure to exercise deescalation strategies, and of course qualified immunity, really creating no incentive for police officers to exercise good judgment and to use legal police tactics. prgtoken This problem, there are a lot of famous people who have been subjected to this police brutality. We have heard some of those names tonight, but I just want to talk about my district. I want to talk about my community in Wisconsin. We have seen this devastation firsthand. prgtoken Since 2013, 149 people in Wisconsin have been killed by violence, with nearly all of them being shot by police officers. It is a systemic issue when it comes to police departments. People who face mental health crises, traffic violations, or nonviolent offense should not be given the death penalty. prgtoken People who face mental health crises, traffic violations, or nonviolent offenses should not be given the death penalty, those like Joel Acevedo, who was murdered by an officer; 17-year-old Alvin Cole, who was shot by police after leaving the mall; 18-year-old Ty'Rese West, who was killed after police stopped him for not having a light on his bicycle; 19-year-old Terry Williams, who was shot eight times after a traffic stop; 22-year-old Adam Trammell, who was killed in his home by police who tasered him 18 times--18 times--while he was in the shower; and 23-year-old Sylville Smith, who was shot by police even after the police saw him throw his weapon away. <|p