mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021-- MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2022-6-7

first I want to thank my friend from Ohio for his passionate leadership on this very, very important issue and the importance of standing with Ukraine. I want to thank him for that. Nomination of Chavonda J. Jacobs-Young prgtoken , we are about to vote on a very important position in the Department of Agriculture, and I am urging my colleagues to confirm Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young as our next Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics at the Department of Agriculture. prgtoken It is critical to quickly confirm Dr. Jacobs-Young because without Agency leadership and senior staff, the research Agencies at USDA can't do the really essential work that our producers are counting on. prgtoken Dr. Jacobs-Young is extremely qualified. She has held leadership roles at multiple research Agencies at the USDA and the White House. She will be the first woman of color to serve in the USDA's highest scientific post. prgtoken She was the first African-American woman in the country to receive a Ph.D. in wood and paper science and the first woman of color to serve as the Administrator for the Agriculture Research Service. prgtoken She has even got her own statue on the National Mall as part of the IfThenSheCan exhibit to celebrate contemporary women innovators in science, technology, engineering, and math--her own statue on the Mall. prgtoken Her commitment to science, research, and education is a true inspiration. prgtoken I am excited about the nomination of Dr. Jacobs-Young, and I know that she will help protect scientific integrity at the USDA and build a diverse and resilient scientific workforce. I appreciate the cooperation of my colleague and friend, our Ranking Member Senator Boozman, in moving this nomination forward, and I urge my colleagues to vote to confirm Dr. Jacobs-Young today.
Vote on Baker Nomination (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2022-6-7

this week marks the 250th anniversary of the first blow struck in the American Colonies' struggle for independence from the British Crown. I come to the Senate floor every year to commemorate this moment because it took place in Rhode Island at the hands of some brave and bold Rhode Islanders. prgtoken Before recounting the tale of those bold Rhode Islanders, I would like to acknowledge a special guest with us in the Gallery today: Michael Tatham, Deputy Head of Mission for the British Embassy here in Washington. A lot has happened over the last 250 years, and Great Britain is now America's closest ally and great, great friend. It is an honor to have the Deputy Ambassador here today. prgtoken So it was 1772, and the Royal Navy's revenue cutter, the HMS Gaspee, patrolled Narragansett Bay in the wake of the Seven Years War, where Great Britain had emerged the victor. The Crown owed, by some estimates, between 74 and 133 million pounds. That was a colossal burden on the empire's finances. The Gaspee's mission was to collect taxes from the Colonies to help repay British debt. prgtoken I will concede that part of the Gaspee's mission was righteous. Rhode Island's rum distilleries formed a corner of the so-called triangle trade, with enslaved people from Africa and sugar from the Caribbean forming the other legs of this foul business. Rum-running to support the slave trade was repugnant and a worthy target of British authorities. prgtoken But Britain's heavy hand reached far beyond that. British customs agents seized Colonial vessels and cargo at whim, leaving rightful owners with no recourse to reclaim their property. One such owner was John Hancock, whose signature would soon become famous. Authorities even pressed Colonial sailors into service on His Majesty's vessels against their will. prgtoken The Gaspee and her captain, Lieutenant William Dudingston, drew particular ire. One of Dudingston's first acts was to stop the merchant ship Fortune. Dudingston and his crew roughed up the Fortune's commander, Rufus Greene, condemned the ship and her cargo, and sent the Fortune to Boston for the admiralty to sell. prgtoken This did not please the Fortune's owner, Rhode Island's Nathanael Greene, who would go on to become General Washington's aide-de-camp and wartime administrator and then command the southern campaign of the Revolutionary War, which he did so effectively that British General Cornwallis would write: That damned Greene is more dangerous than Washington. prgtoken Dudingston's reputation only worsened from there. British law awarded revenue cutter commanders a share of the cargo they seized. Dudingston seized so much cargo that he was able to nearly double his salary, and he earned, along with that bounty, a well-deserved reputation for arrogance. Soon Rhode Islanders were protesting his conduct formally, but those protests yielded no accommodation. prgtoken On June 9, 1772, simmering an
HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021-- MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-6-7

last Friday was a grim milestone. It was the 100th day of the war in Ukraine--a war being waged by Russia against an ally in a democratic country, Ukraine: a hundred days of brutal, unrelenting rocket and missile attacks throughout Ukraine, including attacks on a number of civilian targets like hospitals and churches and apartment buildings, schools. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens and soldiers have been killed and entire cities have been laid to rubble by the Russian barrages. prgtoken For the 14th straight week when the Senate has been in session during this war, I come to the Senate floor again today to discuss the status of this unprovoked and bloody invasion and to talk about what our role as Americans ought to be. prgtoken First, it can never be emphasized enough that the people of Ukraine, professional soldiers and civilians and volunteers alike, have demonstrated courage, fortitude, and competence in beating all expectations in their existential battle against the odds to preserve their freedom and protect their homeland. prgtoken I am not surprised because I have seen the spirit and bravery of the Ukrainian people firsthand. In my seven or eight or nine trips to Ukraine, including meetings with Ukrainian troops on the line of contact before this latest invasion, I have seen the Ukrainian spirit. To have held off Russia this long demonstrates their strength and their resiliency. But at this moment in time there is reason for concern too. prgtoken President Zelenskyy just said that Russia now controls 20 percent of Ukraine's territory. Before the war started, Russia controlled just 7 percent of Ukraine, after its illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the creation of a Russian-backed separatist government in parts of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. prgtoken If you look at this map, you can see here what Russia took in 2014, Crimea and part of the Donbas here, and look what they have now and look at where the battles are occurring. prgtoken I made another trip to the region last week, and what I heard was that thanks to the fierce Ukrainian resistance, Ukrainians have had success in some parts of the country. prgtoken Remember, at one point Kyiv was under attack and there were Russian troops coming down from Belarus. They have been repelled, so there have been successes. There is no question about it. But Russia has now consolidated its troops and its firepower in this area, in the south and in the east, and they are making gains--incremental gains, but gains nonetheless. prgtoken This is a crucial point in the war, and we have to redouble our efforts and do that now to help Ukrainians defend themselves, to save Ukrainian lives, and to push the Russian invasion back. prgtoken In my trip to the region last week, I also visited with U.S. troops and commanders in Germany and with heads of government, military leaders, and refugee coordinators in Romania and Moldova before
Inflation (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-6-7

the White House has apparently decided to spend June focusing on the economy. prgtoken President kicked things off with an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal entitled ``My Plan for Fighting Inflation.'' prgtoken Before he gets to the actual ``plan,'' though, the President spends the first half of the op-ed touting his supposed economic successes. As usual, he takes credit for the economy's recovery from COVID-related woes, even though the recovery was well underway before he became President and was a natural result of the economy reopening after COVID shutdowns. prgtoken He touts job creation figures without mentioning the fact that businesses are struggling to find workers to fill jobs. He touts the number of new small business applications in 2021 without mentioning that small business optimism is at its lowest level since April 2020 at the height of the pandemic shutdowns. And he mentions ``millions of Americans getting jobs with better pay,'' while leaving out the fact that inflation continues to outstrip wage growth, meaning that, on average, Americans are experiencing a de facto pay cut. prgtoken In all, he spends multiple paragraphs attempting to convince Americans that the economy is thriving, which I have to think feels pretty meaningless to the millions of Americans struggling with massive increases in the cost of gas, groceries, and other everyday goods. prgtoken In fact, a poll released yesterday found that just 27 percent of Americans believe they have a good chance of improving their standard of living, and it is no wonder. The President can talk about his supposed economic achievements all he wants, but that means little to Americans who have seen their disposable income eaten up by price hikes or whose raise failed to keep even pace with the increase in the cost of living. prgtoken And, of course, the President completely omits the fact that it was his economic plans that helped create our current inflation crisis in the first place. When President took office, inflation was at 1.4 percent, well within the Federal Reserve's target inflation rate of 2 percent. Today, it is at 8.3 percent, near a 40-year high. prgtoken And how did we get from there to here? In substantial part, via the President's so-called American Rescue Plan. ' massive partisan spending spree flooded the economy with unnecessary government money, and the prgtoken economy overheated as a result. But that is not something the President mentions when he talks about fighting inflation. prgtoken So what is the President's so-called plan to fight inflation? prgtoken Well, after spending half the op-ed touting his supposed economic successes, the President finally gets to the plan part, and the first part of his three-part plan involves having someone else address inflation. Controlling inflation, the President says, is primarily the job of the Federal Reserve, and he is going to leave them alone to do th
HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021-- MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2022-6-7

I have come to the floor this afternoon to speak about a measure that I will be introducing this week with my colleague from California, Senator Feinstein. We have entitled this bill Bruce's Law in memory of a young Alaskan, Robert ``Bruce'' Snodgrass, who passed away in Anchorage last October. prgtoken Bruce is the son of Sandy Snodgrass. Sandy is with us here today in the Senate Gallery. prgtoken Bruce and Sandy lived in California when Bruce was younger before moving back to Alaska. Sandy likes to describe Alaska as Bruce's true home. prgtoken Bruce was a good kid. He was a good kid, but, like many good kids, he struggled with alcoholism, he struggled with drug addiction, and he and his family were far too familiar with this, as his grandfather and his father died of the same addictions. And despite all of this, Bruce started using drugs as a teenager, and it really sent his life into a downward spiral. But Sandy was always there. Mom was always there providing a safe and a comfortable home, and yet he was arrested repeatedly and ultimately wound up homeless. prgtoken But then, last summer--last summer, things turned around. Bruce made the choice to get clean. He wanted to get his life on track, and Sandy was right there, ready to help, as any good mom would be. She got Bruce to a detox facility and then into a local inpatient program for treatment. He graduated from it, and he moved back home. He was able to spend his time at outpatient meetings. He was in counseling. He liked to ride his mountain bike. He received this after he had completed the treatment program. prgtoken But then, one day last October, Bruce went out for a bike ride, and Sandy remembers telling him before he went, she said, ``Be careful out there.'' But Bruce never came back. He never came home. prgtoken On October 20, Bruce's body was found in a grocery store parking lot, and just like that--just like that--suddenly, heart-wrenchingly, and after trying so hard to overcome his demons, he was gone--just gone forever. prgtoken And so we grieve with Sandy, who lost her only son that day. No parent-- prgtoken no parent--should have to bear what she is going through. prgtoken But the details of Bruce's death are especially tragic because Bruce died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more powerful than heroin, 100 times stronger than morphine, and it is relatively cheap, easy to make. It makes it attractive for drug dealers, but it is also just incredibly, incredibly dangerous for those who come into contact with it. prgtoken Just 2 milligrams, which would fit on the end of a pencil, can cause a fatal overdose. This is how the Justice Department describes it: Fentanyl powder has the power to kill with the ingestion, inhalation, or skin absorption of just two milligrams. By comparison, a sweetener packet found on a restaurant tabletop generally contains 1,0
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2022
Nicole Malliotakis (Republican, NY) \u2014 2022-6-7

I rise today to support this legislation that includes my language to secure additional funds for the Staten Island seawall to protect my constituents from a future hurricane. prgtoken In October, it will be 10 years since Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of New York City. Particularly hard-hit was my borough of Staten Island, where 24 lives were lost, hundreds of families were displaced, and thousands of homes were damaged. prgtoken Since the project's approval in 2013, bureaucratic red tape resulted in costly redesigns and repeated delays. This vital flood mitigation project is long overdue, and I made a commitment that when I came to Congress I would get it back on track. prgtoken In February, the city and Federal Governments came to an agreement on the radiation clean-up in Great Kills Park, which will allow for construction on the project's levee, floodwall, and tide gate. prgtoken This fall, the contract for the first phase is expected to be issued so we can break ground on the drainage portion in South Beach and finally begin this long-awaited project that is critical to the livelihoods of my constituents, and will help reduce flood insurance costs. prgtoken Today, we will ensure that the project will be fully funded through this bill. s for their support of this legislation.
IMPROVING ACCESS TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION FOR INJURED FEDERAL WORKERS ACT OF 2022
Gregory F. Murphy (Republican, NC) \u2014 2022-6-7

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for allowing me to speak today. prgtoken I rise in opposition to H.R. 6087. I do this as a physician where I understand that diagnosing, treating, and certifying disability claims takes an expert's opinion--not general medicine, an expert's opinion-- and physicians have exceedingly more training and experience in dealing with what are truly complex medical issues. prgtoken Let's be very clear: Disability is a complex issue. It is a lifelong problem. This particular instance requires diagnosis, treatment, and evaluations continually. There is nothing wrong with the system that we have in this country. In many instances, we find that we work together well as a team. But I think our Federal workers really, in this specific avenue, deserve better, and I urge them to understand that physicians are the best ones to do this. prgtoken Using the claim that there is a physician shortage should not be an excuse to lower what I believe are standards for expert care. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2022
Brian J. Mast (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-6-7

I thank both the chairs and the ranking members for their work on this piece of legislation and, specifically, helping to combat some injustices. prgtoken Injustice number one is this bill works to prohibit once and for all, finally getting rid of all the toxic discharges out of Lake Okeechobee into what we call our northern estuaries in Florida. That is fixing injustice number one. prgtoken Injustice number two that this bill specifically addresses is, with those toxic, poisonous waters there are Corps of Engineers personnel that are working on top of those, sometimes for 8 or 10 hours a day, for weeks or months on end. And it actually requires that a letter be put in the file of those military personnel denoting their exposure to this so if something happens to them down the road they don't have to fight like so many of our servicemembers have to fight to get the appropriate care. prgtoken So I thank them for their work in helping to fix injustices in this specific piece of legislation.
HONORING THE LIFE OF ALBERT EARL KLEIN, SR.
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2022-6-7

I rise today in memory of Albert Earl Klein, Sr known as Al, a veteran, a fellow pharmacist, and a small business owner. prgtoken Born in Mt. Pleasant in 1925, Al acquired a love for the outdoors, playing multiple sports, and spending his free time boating, becoming an accomplished fisherman at the young age of 18. prgtoken Al went on to serve in the Army, training at Fort Bragg and eventually traveling to Guam as a rescue boat operator. He was honorably discharged after receiving multiple citations and decorations. prgtoken Upon returning home, Al earned his doctorate degree in pharmacy at the College of Charleston and obtained his Georgia pharmacy license shortly thereafter. prgtoken Al opened several drug stores, one of them in my beautiful hometown of Pooler, Georgia, and he enjoyed a successful career of over 60 years. prgtoken After retirement, Al and his wife, Ethel, enjoyed traveling, gardening, and visiting their four children and 12 grandchildren. prgtoken Al was a veteran, an honorable business owner, and a family man whose love for the outdoors made sure he lived life to the fullest. He will surely be missed.
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2022
Brian Babin (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-6-7

I thank my friend from Missouri, Ranking Member Graves, for yielding me time to speak on the 2022 Water Resources Development Act. prgtoken As someone who has seen firsthand the impact WRDA has had on Americans and our communities, I am greatly honored to have worked on this year's legislation. prgtoken A major priority for southeast Texas, the Texas Coastal Spine, is authorized in this legislation. This must-do project to protect our home State from hurricane storm surge and flooding will make millions of Texans, as well as our State's most important economic hubs, where a huge percentage of our Nation's gasoline and strategic fuels are manufactured, much safer. prgtoken Additionally, this bill expedites vital projects at the Port of Houston and the Sabine-Neches Waterway, the busiest port in the country and where more military equipment is shipped than any other waterway respectively. prgtoken We need to get this bill across the finish line. And I thank Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, as well as Subcommittee Chairwoman Napolitano and Ranking Member Rouzer and their staffs for everyone's hard work on this bill. prgtoken I also take a moment to thank Paul Sass, the departing staff director, for his many years of service on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Paul's commitment to mission and dedication to public service have improved, not only our committee, but the Congress as a whole. And I wish him the absolute best of luck with all of his future endeavors.
Biden Administration (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-6-7

. Back in 2019, while running for the White House, President made a public promise. Here is what he said: I guarantee you, we are going to end fossil fuels. I guarantee you, we are going to end fossil fuels. prgtoken Once in office, he wasted no time starting down that path, and now working families are paying the price. prgtoken During the previous administration, under policies, our Nation became a net exporter of oil for the first time literally in decades. We were producing all that we needed and then some. The headlines under this all-ic-controlled government are quite different. prgtoken Here are two from January 2021, right out of the gate: `` halts oil and gas leases [and] permits on US land and water.'' Here is another: `` Order Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline.'' January 2021. prgtoken Here are the headlines more recently. From a few weeks ago: `` pulls 3 offshore oil lease sales, curbing new drilling this year.'' From just this past week: `` EPA to make it easier for states to block fossil fuel projects.'' prgtoken So even if oil and gas producers could get past the regulatory gauntlet to actually explore and produce in this country, they likely could not get a pipeline approved to move it to market. prgtoken President is delivering the holy war on domestic American energy that he promised on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, energy costs and gas prices for American families have absolutely skyrocketed. Gas prices have literally doubled since his administration took office. The average price at the pump has doubled. prgtoken The President's staff try to play this off as ``Putin's price hike.'' How many times have we heard that? But the reality is that prices were already climbing steadily long before--long before--the escalation in Ukraine; up more than $1 per gallon before--before--Putin's escalation. Prices for natural gas and other home heating sources were likewise elevated all last winter. prgtoken Don't count on the warmer months bringing much relief. Here is what the New York Times wrote about a month ago. ``Get Ready,'' the Times said, ``for Another Energy Price Spike: High Electric Bills.'' Already frustrated and angry about high gasoline prices, many Americans are being hit by rapidly rising electricity bills . . . the biggest annual increase in more than a decade. prgtoken According to another report, ``the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission predicts electricity prices could rise by as much as 233 percent over last summer's power prices. prgtoken And electricity costs aren't the only problem; there is also the question of reliability. According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, Americans--particularly in the West and Midwest--should brace for potentially dangerous electricity blackouts this summer. prgtoken Once again, you can credit ' war on fossil fuels. It retired too many fos