mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
UKRAINE
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2023-1-25

here on the floor yesterday, I called on America's European allies, including Germany, to do more to equip Ukraine with long-requested tanks, not just to resist Russian aggression but to defeat it. prgtoken I have consistently called on the administration to be more proactive and to lead by example in delivering lethal aid, like the long-range weapons, with a greater sense of urgency. prgtoken I was happy to learn yesterday and this morning that, indeed, both the White House and their counterparts in Germany are finally moving forward with these overdue steps. prgtoken Germany has announced it will supply Ukraine with an initial 14 Leopard 2 tanks, and the administration is expected to send at least 30 M1 Abrams tanks as well. Good news. prgtoken Now that Berlin has taken this step, I hope and expect that Germany and other European countries with tanks in their inventory will move expeditiously to send them to Ukraine. prgtoken Modern main battle tanks will provide highly maneuverable armored firepower that will help Ukraine liberate territory and keep pressure on the Russian aggressors, but, as I have said repeatedly, time is of the essence. prgtoken Of course, as we rush these long-overdue capabilities to Ukraine, the West's work is far from over. These drawdowns of Western arsenals must also prompt serious work to expand the capacity of our defense industrial base. The administration's efforts on this front are overdue but important, and I hope more of our allies will follow through by moving quickly to put critical munitions and weapons systems under contract and expanding each of their industrial capacities.
TRIBUTE TO DANIEL EDELMAN
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2023-1-25

today I have the honor of recognizing a true Montana hero, Dr. Daniel Edelman. Dr. Edelman is a veteran of the U.S. Army who was seriously injured on a mission while deployed overseas as the noncommissioned officer in charge of security and intelligence of the 1st Military Intelligence Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. prgtoken Despite his severe injuries, Dr. Edelman pursued and obtained bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees, along with several professional certifications, allowing him to have a long and distinguished career serving his fellow Montanans. prgtoken While serving as chancellor at Montana State University Billings, Dr. Edelman championed many student causes, with a particular focus on veterans, disabilities, first-generation, underserved, and Native American students. He worked with the FBI and other agencies to provide educational opportunities for victims of human trafficking and also entered into an agreement for MSUB to partner with the University of North Texas Health Science Center to identify human remains, particularly those of murdered Native Americans. Additionally, he created a veterans success center at MSUB. Dr. Edelman helped raise the final funds for a science building and student scholarships. prgtoken Outside of his work at MSUB, Dr. Edelman volunteers by serving on the board of Horses Spirits Healing, a nonprofit that helps veterans with PTSD. prgtoken After a career dedicated to serving Montana and our Nation, Dr. Edelman recently retired from MSUB due to a terminal condition connected to his time in the U.S. Army. Dr. Edelman truly embodies the values and the spirit of a Montanan, and I have no doubt that his legacy of service will continue for many generations to come. prgtoken It is my honor to recognize Dr. Edelman, who is here in the Chamber today in the Gallery with his family. I want to recognize Dr. Edelman for his service to our great State, our great Nation, and for his dedication to improving the lives of his students and his fellow Montanan veterans. prgtoken Dr. Edelman, you have made Montana and our country very proud.
INTRODUCING FRESHMAN REPUBLICAN MEMBERS
Anna Paulina Luna (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-1-25

. Madam , I rise today to address the politicization of what is happening at our southern border against the American people. prgtoken Several years ago, before politics was even a factor or thought for me, I got involved as a counter-trafficking activist. During that time, I had the honor and privilege of working next to some very brave people who were working to expose what was happening with the whole immigration debate. prgtoken One of the more alarming things that I found is the more that I addressed this issue, the more that I got involved to really shed light on it to the American people, the more that I was called a ``coconut,'' the more the color of my skin became a topic of discussion, and the more that the left sought to, if anything, underestimate and undermine my capability to address this topic because of the fact that I am a conservative. prgtoken Yes, I am Hispanic. Yes, I am a veteran. Yes, I grew up and saw things that a lot of people, probably in this very body, haven't had to experience. prgtoken But what I am standing here today to say is: What I have realized over that journey--what I have realized over the past couple of years-- is that I thought that in politics some people would be here to do the right things, and I found that it is actually the exact opposite. prgtoken I found that within this body people will lie to the American people about what is happening at our southern border, not because they want to help people, not because they actually care about these issues, but because they simply seek power. I think that we are seeing that today. prgtoken Only several years ago you could see some Members of the Party, some people like former-President say: Don't come here, you will get hurt in the process. Yet, the media seems to forget about that. prgtoken They say now that if you are a , if you embrace border security, if you want to stand up for people that are being trafficked that you are a racist, that you are xenophobic, and they seek to label us. It is simply not true. prgtoken I have been down to the border three times, and I can tell you that on my last experience down there I went with a member of the Border Patrol Union, his name is Art Del Cueto. We went down to a portion of the border that was completely open. It was on an Indian reservation. What I saw and heard down there was alarming. It was alarming for several reasons, one mainly being that the media wasn't discussing it. But also, too, one of the most horrifying stories that I heard was actually from him saying that on just regular walkie-talkies that you could purchase at Walmart, you could pick up the radio frequency of some of the ``coyotes'' working with the cartels to actually scout out women that were crossing illegally and they would be brought up to the top of these mountains and raped. That was their right of passage they would say; they would joke about it. prgtoken That is someth
NOTAM IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2023
Sam Graves (Republican, MO) \u2014 2023-1-25

in closing, H.R. 346, as amended, takes a very important step in ensuring that America's National Airspace System is going to remain intact, remain operational, and remain safe for the American people. prgtoken Again, I thank Mr. Stauber and Mr. DeSaulnier for their work on this legislation. It is a good bill, and I urge all Members to support it. prgtoken , .
BORDER SECURITY
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2023-1-25

I rise today at the beginning of this new year to talk about a problem we have talked about a lot, but unfortunately we haven't gotten the results we need, and that is to talk about our southern border. prgtoken It is not a new topic for me--I have been on the floor many times talking about this, as have my colleagues--and it is not a new topic for the American people because they see this every day, and many people are living it very close-up. Many of my colleagues can say the same because this is a topic they have unfortunately had to discuss over and over and over again, with no real results, and we are going to hear from some of them today. prgtoken Years ago on this Senate floor, I said: I urge my colleagues here in the Senate to take a long-- hard look at the undisputed facts that demonstrate the crisis at the border is escalating. prgtoken When I said those words, it was December 2018. The number of apprehensions along the southern border then was a little more than 60,000. Over the weekend, Customs and Border Protection released the numbers for this past December, and apprehensions along our southern border were reported at 251,487--an alltime high. prgtoken You can see from the chart I have here--you might not be able to read the numbers, but the dark blue is what we have been doing all through 2022, far eclipsing the light blue of 2021, which prgtoken were record numbers. But, here again, in the dark purple, which is the lower one, this is the average from fiscal year 2013 to 2020, and many times, this is five times, six times the amount in December. That is startling--startling. prgtoken But one thing that has changed over these last 2 years, fortunately, is that the President finally decided to visit the southern border. He went to El Paso several weeks ago. Well, it is about time. It certainly shouldn't have taken that long to visit a part of our country that is deeply affected by these numbers, but he finally went down. prgtoken I have been to the southern border many times. I am sure, , you have been there many times as well--quite a bit over the years. We just had several codels go down these past couple weeks. prgtoken The President has been saying of s that ``it is easy to demagogue the issue and reject solutions.'' So here is what I have to say to the President in response to that: No, , it is not easy to demagogue. It is easy to see that the issue is not getting the attention that it deserves by this administration. prgtoken The chart pretty much says it all right there. prgtoken The administration often pivots to calling for comprehensive immigration reform and that Congress needs to provide the resources. Some of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are discussing these very issues. But this is not an either/or scenario. Any discussions about the need for and the way we reform our immigration system are separate a
PERSONAL EXPLANATI0N
Judy Chu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-1-25

on January 21, 2023, a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, claimed the lives of 11 people in my district. I remained in my community to respond to this crisis and participate in a vigil for the lives lost during this tragedy. I was unable to be in Washington for votes on January 24, 2023. prgtoken Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 32, and YEA on Roll Call No. 33.
PUTTING PEOPLE OVER POLITICS
Sylvia R. Garcia (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2023-1-25

. Madam , I rise to sound the alarm. Extreme MAGA s have an economic plan that will hurt working families. For 2 years House have delivered for everyday Americans. prgtoken The economic progress that House and President have led is simply remarkable. So let's talk about this significant growth have made possible by President 's economic plan. prgtoken We created 11 million jobs. Under we lost 2.9 million jobs. prgtoken The unemployment rate is at 3.5 percent--one of the lowest rates in our history. Under it was 6.3 percent. prgtoken We lowered healthcare costs for working families. Under , 3 million more people lost their insurance. prgtoken We capped insulin at $35 for our seniors on Medicare. prgtoken We expanded Medicare and Social Security benefits. prgtoken This is progress, but this progress is threatened by extreme MAGA s. prgtoken While most Americans are worried about post-COVID prices at the grocery store, the extreme MAGA s in charge of the House GOP want to increase the average family's costs for groceries and everyday essentials by hundreds of dollars every month. That is right, Madam , raising it by hundreds a month. prgtoken They are doing this by championing a new 30 percent national sales tax. The House MAGA s would jack up the prices on the products that we rely on. Imagine paying in my district 30 percent more when you go to HEB for your groceries. prgtoken This kind of blanket tax increase is failed economic policy that attacks the foundation of our economic growth and hurts working families. prgtoken My friends all talk about responsible spending and balanced budgets. Families will not be able to balance their own budgets if the extreme MAGA wing gets its way. prgtoken Madam , we have already witnessed what this so-called leadership looks like. The very first bill the GOP put before the House will make it easier to hand tax breaks to the wealthy and well connected. prgtoken They are not just trying to make it easier for the ultrapowerful to pay even less in taxes. Sadly, extreme s want to gut Social Security, eliminate Medicare, and reverse new lower drug prices House just fought hard to get for working families. prgtoken If they have their way, Social Security and Medicare as we know it will end. Working families will lose the benefits they have earned by paying into a system for decades. prgtoken In my home district, there are more than 80,000 people living on their Social Security income. That is more than 10 percent of my constituents. These are retired workers, disabled workers, widows, and children who need these critical funds to survive. prgtoken Let me repeat: They earned their benefits by paying into the system for many, many decades. prgtoken When extreme MAGA s fight and say they don't want to raise the debt limit, I want everyone to know what that real
INVESTING IN MAIN STREET ACT OF 2023
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2023-1-25

I thank the ranking member of the Small Business Committee for astute work on issues dealing with small businesses; Mr. Williams, a colleague from Texas; and the bipartisan sponsors of this legislation. prgtoken I have always said that small businesses are the backbone of the economic engine of America, so I rise in support of H.R. 400, the Investing in Main Street Act of 2023, for the wiseness of providing more investment in small businesses. prgtoken As a strong supporter of small businesses, I believe that this bill will improve the livelihood of many small prgtoken businesses that have continuously been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill is designed to release more capital investment into small businesses in America. If my colleagues have interacted with the small business community, that is one of the number one issues that they raise consistently. prgtoken The bill would allow certain banks and savings associations to invest more into small business investment companies by increasing the statutory cap from 5 percent to 15 percent--I can't even imagine the number 5 percent--and the growing amount of small businesses and the ones that really stayed the course in desperate times, which was COVID- 19. prgtoken According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020 had the highest total number of applications for new businesses by far compared to all other years. From 2019 to 2021, there was a 20 percent increase in the number of small businesses. The Kauffman Foundation says that the highest amount was among Blacks, Latinos, and immigrants. prgtoken People know that small businesses allow them to create jobs in their own neighborhoods and to build future conglomerates, but obviously, small businesses reported negative impacts due to COVID. prgtoken It is important for this bill to become law immediately. Pass it in the Senate and ensure that we have the opportunity to keep our small businesses from closing. When small businesses have ideas, we need to be able to give them the investment to focus on. prgtoken The - administration has laid the foundation and has helped create the conditions for businesses and job creation. We have had increasing job creation every month, but we do know that cities like New Orleans and Honolulu have seen the highest rate of small business closures. Other cities are right behind. prgtoken The fact that we can have a Small Business Administration that reforms and works with the Paycheck Protection Program, to improve that, if we had another circumstance like that that held up some of our small businesses, this investment is going to be a lifeline. prgtoken I am delighted to rise to support this legislation because, again, as I opened my remarks, small businesses are the economic engine of America and give women, minorities, and others the opportunity to build an economic engine. prgtoken , I rise in support of H.R. 400, the Investing in Main Street Act of 2023, to
IN MEMORY OF EDITH "MIMA" MORISSEAU
Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2023-1-25

I would like to recognize Ms. Edith ``Mima'' Morisseau, a long-time resident of Detroit, as we mourn her passing. prgtoken Whether you knew her as Edith, Edie, or Mima, her warm-hearted nature shined through in all that she did. She was an active member of Detroit's Haitian Network Group, where she served as treasurer. She was an awe-inspiring woman and an advocate for the immigrant community. prgtoken Edith emigrated to the U.S. in 1951 and to Detroit in 1956 from Port- au-Prince, Haiti. She and her husband, the Reverend E. Dumont Morisseau, came to Detroit with their 3 young children so that the Reverend could perform his work at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church. Alongside her husband, she was deeply committed to the church and the community, but she also had career goals of her own. Edith enrolled in classes at Mercy College and earned her bachelor's degree in nursing, and much later went on to earn a master's from Wayne State University in psychiatry. Edith was employed by the State of Michigan for numerous years as Head of Psychiatric Nursing, retiring in 1984. She then transitioned to work as a marriage therapist for several years. prgtoken Always one to remember those who are less fortunate, she served for more than 20 years as a volunteer with Haiti Outreach Mission, assisting the people of Haiti with various medical needs. She served as warden at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church and has provided counseling and nursing to numerous residents of Detroit. prgtoken Please join me in recognizing Ms. Edith Morisseau's outstanding contributions to the communities of southeast Michigan as we honor her memory.
SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2023-1-25

this is becoming a regular appearance on the Senate floor to talk about Social Security. It is something that most Americans think that Congress supports almost unanimously. prgtoken It is a program that has been with us. President Roosevelt, on August 14, 1935, signed the Social Security Act. Out of that came Medicare, when a ic Congress in 1965, with President Johnson's signature, signed it. prgtoken We know what Medicare means. We know what Social Security means for people who live longer, healthier lives. No matter your income, no matter if you have been a Senator for 20 years, no matter if you are a CEO, no matter if you are a UAW member and at a Ford plant in Avon, no matter if you are a low-income worker at the Hilton Hotel on West Market in Akron, no matter your work, you are eligible, at a certain age, for Social Security and Medicare. prgtoken So what is the debate about? Well, the debate is philosophical, and I am not even sure what. It is partly my conservative colleagues who generally want to privatize Medicare and Social Security. For them, it seems to be something philosophic or ideological or sometimes it is just people wanting to support the insurance industry because if you privatize Medicare and Social Security, yes, it will help the insurance companies; yes, it will help the banks. If you privatize the VA, like many want to do--the Veterans' Administration--undermining what veterans have earned by serving their country, it may help some private sector corporations. It will help pad their bottom line. It will help many CEOs make even more money, but it is wrong. When work has dignity, people have a secure retirement, veterans have benefits, and pensions are protected, Americans can count on Medicare and count on Social Security. prgtoken A secure retirement shouldn't be a partisan issue. It wasn't a partisan issue, particularly in the 1930s. It is not a partisan issue to the American people. I don't think you can tell a from a who is 70 years old or 80 years old drawing Social Security and Medicare. They know they have earned it. They have paid into it for decades. As I have said, they have earned it. prgtoken It is one of the most unifying institutions in the country. Americans want to protect Social Security and Medicare. They want to make those programs stronger, Americans do. But elected officials--far too many people on this side of the aisle, as the Senator from Connecticut knows--far too many people from this side of the aisle think that we should privatize those programs; that they will be more efficient or some such philosophical jargon that they throw forward. But we know what will happen: insurance companies will make more money, banks will make more money, and people who have worked in this country and played by the rules all their lives get squeezed. prgtoken Today, down the hall--especially straight down the hall in the House of Repre
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT S. RES 13
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2023-1-25

I ask unanimous consent that S. Res. 13, submitted earlier today, be held at the desk; that following morning business tomorrow, the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that at 1:45 p.m the Senate vote on adoption of the resolution; that if the resolution is agreed to, the preamble be considered agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.