mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CORONAVIRUS
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2021-3-3

this week, my ic colleagues are poised to push through the Senate here an untargeted and unfocused $1.9 trillion tax and spending package, and it is all being done under the guise of COVID relief. Some of it is very essential for COVID relief but a small part of it. prgtoken This whole act is very unfortunate because it didn't have to be this way. In the past year, s and were able to work together to pass more than $4 trillion in COVID relief, and it was all done with strong bipartisan support. prgtoken From the start of this year, my colleagues and I have stood ready to engage in good-faith, bipartisan negotiations to provide further targeted relief. However, despite all the talk of unity and bipartisanship by President , the new Senate majority hasn't even attempted to reach across the aisle. Bipartisanship worked 5 times over the last 12 months, starting about 1 year ago right now. prgtoken The majority, demonstrating their unwillingness to compromise, has resorted to using special budget procedures so that they may pass a partisan bill strictly along party lines. The result is going to be an unwieldy, nearly $2 trillion package that isn't shaped according to current economic realities but strictly by a partisan liberal agenda. prgtoken In February, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, CBO, projected that even without any further stimulus, gross domestic product will return to its prepandemic levels by mid-2021, and, for the year, the economy will grow at 4.6 percent. prgtoken If those two points aren't strong enough, it was recently reported that retail sales jumped 5.6 percent during January, and the National Retail Federation is projecting retail sales for the year to grow at the fastest rate in two decades. prgtoken If those four points aren't enough, at the same time, personal income is reported to have risen by 10 percent, and the personal savings rate has surged from a historically high 13.4 percent to over 20 percent. prgtoken The American economy will soon be roaring without a $2 trillion further stimulus. It is no longer March of 2020 when the economy was in free fall and businesses and places of employment were shut down. And how were they shut down? By those of us right here in the Congress of the United States, the Federal Government doing it by government edict. prgtoken While many individuals and certain sectors of our economy continue to struggle and, of course, deserve a helping hand, others have largely recovered and are no longer in need of assistance. At this time, instead of $2 trillion, two-thirds of it not needed, why not help those hurting and not pour gasoline on the inflationary fires? A COVID relief package should reflect this reality in both size and scope. prgtoken Even longtime ic economists, such as 's former Director of the National Economic Council, have raised concerns about enacting nearly a $2 tri
Introductory Statement on S. 557
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2021-3-3

I rise today to introduce the Native Plant Species Pilot Program Act. I am pleased to be partnering with Senator Cantwell on this initiative. Our bipartisan bill would create a new pilot program at the National Park Service to support the use of native plants, and would direct the Park Service to review existing data and study the cost-effectiveness of using native plants. prgtoken Native plants are species found naturally in regions and can add beauty and value to our National Park System. Benefits range from using less water and pesticides, purifying the air, and recharging groundwater in wetlands. By using native species, the Park Service can also improve habitat for wildlife and restore important species of birds and butterflies to their natural environment. prgtoken In Acadia National Park, native plants are an important part of the ongoing conservation efforts undertaken by Superintendent Kevin Schneider and all those who work to encourage the use of native plants. Acadia National Park protects more than 900 plant species, including some that are globally, nationally, and locally rare. prgtoken Acadia is home to the vibrant rhodoras that flower along wetland edges in the spring and stunning wood lilies that bloom on the mountain tops prgtoken in August, helping to attract the more than 3.5 million visitors a year to the seventh most-visited national park in the United States. The Wild Gardens of Acadia, located at Sieur de Monts, are a collection of more than 400 native plants maintained almost exclusively by park volunteers and represent the natural plant communities found within Acadia National Park. This partnership project with Friends of Acadia allows visitors to easily step through the park's myriad habitats and learn about the splendor of Acadia's native plant species. The Wild Gardens celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2021. prgtoken Native plants, however, face many threats, such as non-native pests, non-native plants, diseases, and a changing climate. Today, almost one quarter of Acadia National Park's species are non-native to the park. The red spruce, iconic to Acadia, is projected to lose a substantial amount of its habitat in coming decades because of climate change. In addition, invasive pests, such as the Emerald Ash Borer and the hemlock woolly adelgid are affecting northern forests and have expanded into Maine. Hemlock woolly adelgid recently infested hemlock trees just outside of the park on Mount Desert Island. prgtoken Our bipartisan bill has earned endorsements from the Garden Club of America, Friends of Acadia, Scenic America, and the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to help protect the natural landscapes at our national parks for years to come.
CORONAVIRUS
Ron Johnson (Republican, WI) \u2014 2021-3-3

let me first say that I wish this Chamber were full of our colleagues who had listened to my colleague's description--the Senator from Pennsylvania--of what this bill is and what this bill isn't. It is not a COVID relief bill. Senator Toomey did an excellent job. I am hoping that people are watching it on their TV screens. They really can't be reading the bill yet because it is not constructed. I don't want to repeat all of the excellent points the Senator from Pennsylvania made, but I wanted to come down because I think we have grown immune to these vast amounts of money. prgtoken I always knew we were going to be in big trouble when we stopped talking about hundreds of billions of dollars and switched to talking about trillions of dollars. When we talk about $1 trillion or $2 trillion, it just doesn't sound like as much as $200 billion or $800 billion, which was in the stimulus package under the administration. The fact of the matter is we have already authorized $4 trillion in COVID relief. That is 18 percent of last year's GDP, and, roughly, $1 trillion is yet to be spent. Some of that isn't even obligated, and we are going to be debating, over the next couple of days, $1.9 trillion. So I just wanted to come down here to the floor and try to illustrate what a massive amount of money $1.9 trillion is. You have to use analogies. Again, the human mind really can't contemplate what ``a trillion'' is. prgtoken I found this first analogy--my wife talked to me about it--in terms of time. This one is simply talking about, if I would give the Presiding Officer $1 per second, how long would it take me to give her $1 million? You see the chart here. It would take 11.6 days. Again, with $1 per second, how long would it take to give her $1 million? 11.6 days. prgtoken The next question: How long would it take you to accumulate $1 billion? prgtoken Again, when you do the math, you find out it would take 31.7 years. That was back when the Chinese had their protests in Tiananmen Square. prgtoken The next question: What about $1 trillion? prgtoken This is what becomes mind-boggling. If I gave you $1 every second and I wanted to give you $1 trillion, it would take 31,688 years to give you $1 trillion. That takes us back to beyond the last glaciation period, a period in time when Wisconsin was under a mile-thick glacier. prgtoken By the way, as a quick aside for my colleague, the Senator from Rhode Island, since that point in time, about 20,000 years ago, the water level in the San Francisco Bay has increased 390 feet. Now, that is global warming--that is a rise in sea level--but that is what happened through natural causes. That was an aside. prgtoken How long would it take to accumulate $1.9 trillion? Over 60,000 years. Again, put that in context. The human race began to develop language about 50,000 years ago. So that is the time analogy. prgtoken Another way of looking at this is through dis
CORONAVIRUS
Patrick J. Toomey (Republican, PA) \u2014 2021-3-3

the circumstances that we face today in the Senate are so disturbing. This is really, really unbelievable. I mean, there is so much good news out there on the healthcare front, on the pandemic front, on the economic front. But what we are going to do in this Chamber is absolutely, absolutely appalling. prgtoken The Members of this Chamber came together five times last year and passed overwhelmingly bipartisan bills to deal with this pandemic, to deal with the economic crisis that came from the lockdown that we experienced--five times, about $4 trillion, completely unprecedented in scope and scale, the nature of it. Never imagined before, but we did it. We did it because we needed to, and we came together. I think it was the biggest of the bills passed--the biggest by far--without a single ``no'' vote in this whole Chamber, completely bipartisan. prgtoken So President gets elected, gives a great speech, a great inaugural speech, about uniting the country, coming together: We don't have to be divided the way we have been. We can work together and find common ground. prgtoken So 10 Senators go down to the White House and say: Well, , I know you would like to do $1.9 trillion, whatever it is, but we think there is a good case for $600 billion. prgtoken Now, I don't happen to agree with those 10 Senators, as it happens. I don't think even that is appropriate, but they did. And the reason that is significant is that there were 10 of them, which just so happens to be exactly the minimum number needed of Senators to join with the to pass anything they want on a bipartisan basis. So there, handed to him on a silver platter, to the President, was the opportunity to do a bipartisan bill to figure out where that common ground was. The s were offering to negotiate from there. This probably could have ended easily at $1 trillion or so after just weeks before passing a $1 trillion bill. The President could have gotten so much of what he wanted, but President didn't want any part of that. You have to ask yourself, why is that when he campaigned as the guy who is going to unify America, and he had every vote he needed sitting in his office, asking him to work this out? He said: No, not interested. Effectively, that is what he said. prgtoken Well, when you look at the bill, it is clear why President chose this path, because there is no justification for this bill. There is no medical justification. There is no pandemic justification. There is no economic justification. This isn't about coming together and doing something about a crisis; this is about a partisan leftwing wish list. And, of course, s aren't interested in that kind of political gesturing that is going to do economic damage. prgtoken I am reminded of the words of Rahm Emanuel, who famously said: ``You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.'
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2021
Bill Posey (Republican, FL) \u2014 2021-3-3

. Madam , I rise today to express my strong opposition to H.R. 1 and my great disappointment that the Majority refused to allow my commonsense amendments to be offered to this bill. This bill was written behind closed doors and though Members of Congress offered over 180 amendments to improve this bill only 56 were allowed to be offered on the House floor. That is a travesty for Congress and the American people who want and deserve honest and transparent elections. This bill bans voter identification laws and mandates States implement mail-in voting both of which will lead to massive election fraud. Even European countries have rejected these failed policies due to fraud. prgtoken While serving in the Florida Senate I was tasked with reforming Florida's election laws following the 2000 election and chaos that ensued. Having tackled election reform in the aftermath of an uncertain election, I know firsthand how important it is to restore confidence and eliminate existing grey areas that may lead to fraud or raise questions about fairness. prgtoken Events surrounding the 2020 election raised questions from my constituents about the operation and certification of voting machines used throughout our state and the nation. Chief among those concerns was whether our voting machines are connected to the internet and vulnerable to manipulation through hacking. To answer these and other questions I contacted the U.S. Election Assistance Commission which certifies voting hardware and software for use in our elections. prgtoken In her letter to me, the Inspector General of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission addressed this topic stating that the ``EAC believes Michigan may use modem transmission features in at least some of its Dominion voting systems.'' This is in direct conflict with assertions by the maker of the Dominion Voting System who stated, ``. . . Voting systems are by design meant to be used as closed systems that are not networked meaning they are not connected to the Internet.'' prgtoken To end the confusion on this issue and restore confidence in our system, I filed an amendment that would prohibit voting systems from being connected to the Internet; specifically, stating that no system or device upon which ballots are programmed or votes are cast or tabulated shall be connected to the Internet at any time. That would ensure the integrity of voting machines. Unfortunately, that amendment was not allowed to be debated and voted on. prgtoken My second amendment would ensure that election machines are fully auditable--no longer would election officials and election equipment providers deny full audits of elections due to proprietary software or hardware. The American people have a right to a full audit of any election to ensure the full integrity of elections. There is no good reason to oppose this amendment but, again, it was not allowed to be debated and voted on. prgtoken And, my third amendment would h
GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT OF 2021
Jim Jordan (Republican, OH) \u2014 2021-3-3

such time as I may consume. prgtoken The gentlewoman just said that there was no defunding of the police. I would just point out -controlled cities around the country: prgtoken Austin, Texas, $150 million cut; prgtoken Baltimore, Maryland, $22 million; prgtoken Boston, $12 million; prgtoken Burlington, $1 million; prgtoken Columbus, $23 million; prgtoken Denver, $55 million; prgtoken Eureka, California, $1.2 million; prgtoken Hartford, $2 million; prgtoken Los Angeles, $175 million; prgtoken Madison, Wisconsin, $2 million; prgtoken Minneapolis, $8 million; prgtoken New York, $1 billion; prgtoken Norman, $865,000; prgtoken Oakland, $14.6 million; prgtoken Oklahoma City, $5.5 million; prgtoken Philadelphia, $33 million; prgtoken Portland, Oregon, $15 million; prgtoken Salt Lake City, $5.3 million; prgtoken San Francisco, $120 million; prgtoken Seattle, $69 million; prgtoken Washington, D.C $15 million cut. prgtoken That is what have done over the last year. prgtoken , I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens).
GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT OF 2021
Pete Stauber (Republican, MN) \u2014 2021-3-3

I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1280, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. prgtoken With something as important as police reform, it is important to garner many perspectives. The JUSTICE Act, legislation Senator Scott and I introduced, is a product of my perspective as a law enforcement officer from Minnesota and Senator Scott's perspective as a Black man from South Carolina. prgtoken The JUSTICE Act increases body cameras and implements duty to intervene and deescalation training. It improves hiring and recruitment practices. It reinvigorates the principles of community policing to rebuild the relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities that they serve. prgtoken The JUSTICE Act, which received bipartisan support last Congress, includes several critical provisions that are supported by : the Walter Scott Notification Act, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, and the Closing the Law Enforcement Consent Loophole Act. It even includes legislation that Vice President introduced, the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act. prgtoken Unfortunately, we are not considering the JUSTICE Act today. We are, instead, once again, exploring political gamesmanship through H.R. 1280. prgtoken Now, when we voted on this legislation last year, the knew it was dead upon passage, but my good friends and I in the Problem Solvers Caucus decided that this conversation was too important to let go. So we worked for months with Representatives from both sides of the aisle, with Representatives from the Congressional Black Caucus, with Representatives from law enforcement and legal backgrounds, on areas where we could find compromise between the Justice in Policing Act and my bill, the JUSTICE Act. prgtoken We discussed no-knock warrants, the 1033 program, use of force, record retention, and so much more. We were making such great headway. I truly believed that we could have put together a bipartisan package of reforms for our American communities that have been calling for change. prgtoken Unfortunately, the other side walked away. As the election drew near, the priorities of my ic colleagues shifted. Their fight to retain power became more important than providing police reform for the American people. prgtoken So now we are here again, , to vote on the exact same bill without a single change; a bill that has zero prgtoken input from s, zero input or support from our law enforcement community. And I will repeat that. Zero input or support from our law enforcement community.
CORONAVIRUS
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2021-3-3

I worked with my colleague from Pennsylvania on some of these home care options, and I think it is a very positive thing. In fact, it saves a lot of cost for the system, but the question is, What is it doing in a COVID relief bill? prgtoken You know, I just have to say, having been involved in a bipartisan way on five different COVID relief packages over the last year, I am just so discouraged that we can't sit down, s and alike, and work out a targeted, focused bill on COVID, and, by the way, then move on to other things, including healthcare reform, including issues that traditionally have also been bipartisan, like infrastructure and broadband expansion, like retirement security or dealing with China and supply chain issues. prgtoken But this is not the way to start. We are looking at a $1.9 trillion package, the second largest ever written by Congress. The first one went through last year. And there was no input--virtually no input-- from anybody on our side of the aisle because the administration decided they didn't want it. They wanted to jam this thing through without our participation. And it is too bad, because they will end up with a product that is not going to be as focused and targeted, but, also, it is just getting off on the wrong foot and making it more difficult for us to figure out how to come together on other issues. prgtoken It is really the opposite. This process is really the opposite of what President talked about. He talked about it in his campaign. I mean, he won a campaign, including in his primary, saying he wanted to work across the aisle; he wanted to change the tone in Washington. That was pretty brave of him to say, really. prgtoken And, then, in his inaugural address, he did the same thing; didn't he? He talked about the need for unity. He talked about wanting to get people together and to work with and s alike and kind of get back to that. This is exactly the opposite of that. I just don't get it. I have to tell you, I am mystified why they want to start off this way. prgtoken I was one of the 10 s who went down to the White House to meet with President about this a few weeks ago, and we offered our own proposal and said we would like to work with you and negotiate with you. And, you know, there has been no interest, to be honest, and I wish it weren't the case. prgtoken And $4 trillion has already been allocated to the COVID-19 issue, and it was needed. It is a crisis. It still is. It is not over yet, although things are getting a lot better, both in terms of the healthcare crisis and in terms of the economy. But we did that, again, five different times--over $4 trillion, five different times in a bipartisan way. prgtoken So we know we can do it. It is hard for us to do it on other issues-- let's face it--like taxes or even healthcare, but it is not with regard to COVID-19. At least it hasn't been unt
BUDGET RECONCILIATION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2021-3-3

less than 2 months ago, President emphasized a theme of unity at his inauguration. ``Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this,'' he said. ``Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation.'' prgtoken Admirable words, but so far they haven't been met with much action. On the first big legislative test of his Presidency, coronavirus legislation, President and in Congress have pursued a resolutely partisan course. prgtoken They have not only failed to invite input in any meaningful way, they deliberately excluded it by passing their coronavirus package using budget reconciliation. prgtoken This allows them to pass the bill in the Senate by a simple majority vote, instead of requiring the concurrence of 60 Senators to move to a vote on the bill, which is typically how legislation is passed here in the Senate, including the five coronavirus bills that we passed last year, when the s had the majority here in the Senate. prgtoken Now, ' decision to use reconciliation might be understandable if s had declared our opposition to any further coronavirus legislation, but, of course, that is not the case. prgtoken s made it clear that we were willing to work with on additional coronavirus legislation. In fact, 10 Senators put together a plan and met with President for 2 hours to discuss a bipartisan agreement. But while the President listened to them graciously, and the President quickly made it clear that they intended to move forward without input. prgtoken Two days after s met with President , the House passed its partisan budget resolution to pave the way for reconciliation here in the Senate. Two days later, the Senate followed suit. prgtoken Clearly, there were no plans to let negotiations with s slow down the partisan juggernaut. In fact, have been pretty determined to make sure s don't have a voice in this legislation at all. prgtoken During markups of the COVID relief package in House committees, s offered a number of amendments: 245 amendments, to be exact. Out of those 245 amendments, accepted exactly one for the final bill--one. prgtoken Among the amendments House rejected were commonsense proposals to tie school funding to the reopening of schools. There was an amendment to unfreeze funding for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program for farmers and ranchers. There were amendments to target funding to overlooked rural communities and an amendment to protect healthcare providers from frivolous lawsuits. prgtoken The one thing that can be said for the House is at least it gave Members in the House a chance to review the bill in committee. Here in the Senate, ' COVID package will come to the floor without any committee consideration. Senators are just supposed to accept