mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY RELATING TO "CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION FROM NEW...
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2023-4-26

I rise today in strong opposition to S.J. Res. 11, the Congressional Review Act resolution to disapprove of the administration's clean air standards for heavy-duty trucks. prgtoken If enacted, this resolution would wipe away EPA's most recent final rule that addresses smog- and soot-forming pollution from our largest trucks and engines. The resolution could also prevent the Agency from ever issuing similar standards in the future. prgtoken This Congressional Review Act resolution is bad for public health. It is bad for our economy. prgtoken As many of us know, the transportation sector is one of our Nation's largest sources of nitrogen oxides, also known as NOX emissions. Heavy-duty vehicles--such as our schoolbuses and long-haul trucks--make up a third of mobile source NOX emissions. prgtoken Nitrogen oxide pollution is one of the main contributors to ozone pollution, or smog, and also contributes to soot pollution. These harmful air pollutants are linked to increased risks of asthma attacks, respiratory disease, and, sadly, in some cases, premature death. prgtoken In December 2022, I joined clean air advocates, labor leaders, and EPA Administrator Regan as he signed the final rule to reduce this pollution from new heavy-duty vehicles starting with model year 2027. This was the first time in more than 20 years that EPA had updated the heavy-duty vehicle NOX requirements. It should not be confused with EPA's recently proposed greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles. prgtoken During the event, Administrator Regan told attendees that this rule would result in 48 percent reduction in NOX by 2045--48 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions by 2045. These reductions will improve air quality nationwide, especially in areas overburdened by air pollution and diesel emissions. prgtoken Reducing vehicle pollution nationwide is especially personal for us in Delaware, where more than 90 percent of our air pollution comes from outside of our State. prgtoken The Heavy-Duty Vehicle NOX Rule is good for our health and good for our economy. With that, I want to give my colleagues three reasons why they should vote against Senator Fischer's CRA resolution. prgtoken First, the Heavy-Duty NOX Rule enables States to better meet EPA's health-based ozone air quality standards. Without the rule, States would have to make costly decisions and find more expensive ways to further reduce NOX emissions to meet ozone attainment. That is why many States and local air quality directors, including those in Arizona, Ohio, and Nevada, petitioned EPA in 2016 to take action on NOX emissions from heavy-duty vehicles. prgtoken In the same vein, I would like to ask unanimous consent to submit for the Record a letter opposing S.J. Res. 11 from the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, which is an association that represents the State's clean air offices.
LIMIT, SAVE, GROW ACT OF 2023
Bill Pascrell, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2023-4-26

for months the other side has held our economy hostage. Today, we have their ransom demands. This rip-off kills millions of jobs, guts working family benefits, and sabotages tax fairness. prgtoken Now, I have listened today, and many times both sides are saying the same thing, reading off the same page. They all can't be right. prgtoken Look at the facts. This is not about deficits. This shakedown lets wealthy tax cheats off scot-free and balloons the deficit by $120 billion. Please respond to that: $120 billion deeper in debt. Do not fall for this total sham. Today's smorgasbord of policy goals is a cynical distraction from the horrifying impacts of this extortion. prgtoken , Social Security, Medicare, veterans' care, and homeownership are at stake. I am sorry to say we have come to this.
LIMIT, SAVE, GROW ACT OF 2023
Mike Levin (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-4-26

I rise to remind my colleagues of both parties that the legislation before us could do irreparable harm to our Nation's veterans. prgtoken This bill would force a 22 percent cut to nondefense spending. That would slash $30 billion from veterans' services. That means 30 million veterans will have fewer healthcare visits, fewer staff, an increased claims backlog, and longer wait times for benefits. That is the uncertainty that awaits veterans should this bill succeed. prgtoken Just last month, during a committee hearing, my colleagues assured us they didn't want to reduce benefits for veterans. I heard it firsthand, so I was troubled to learn that this bill completely fails to protect veterans from its cuts. prgtoken Yesterday, 24 veteran and military service organizations sent a letter urging Congress not to pass this legislation. prgtoken I am dismayed that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are prepared to force a default and devastate our economy if we don't go along with it. Please don't do this. Don't hold our Nation's veterans hostage.
LIMIT, SAVE, GROW ACT OF 2023
Jimmy Panetta (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-4-26

I rise in opposition to the Limit, Save, and Grow Act. prgtoken As a member of the Ways and Means Committee and Budget Committee, as much as I want to take serious steps to lower our debt and deficit, this legislation is not serious, it is not bipartisan, and it leaves us with a partisan hit list. prgtoken I say that because of the way it is written. It would increase hunger and deprive low-income citizens of healthcare. It would make significant cuts to critical government services that could lead to the loss of 780,000 jobs. It would cut IRS funding needed to close the tax gap and collect taxes owed. It would do nothing to raise revenues, and it would do nothing to find common ground on permitting reform. It would target the cornerstone of the industrial policy that we created last term to lower our carbon output by repealing clean energy tax credits. prgtoken Solutions to the debt crisis need to be serious, not partisan. This bill brings us closer to default by demanding partisan policies that will never pass the Senate. prgtoken I will vote ``no'' on this bill, but I do look forward to raising the debt ceiling and then having serious conversations about how we can ensure that Congress gets serious about a solution to our debt and deficit reduction.
VEGAS STRONG RESILIENCY CENTER
Dina Titus (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2023-4-26

on October 1, 2017, my district experienced the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history after a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. prgtoken , 58 lives were lost and two victims have died since then. The shooter injured thousands, and more than 800 survivors sustained severe injuries and unimaginable trauma that stays with them the rest of their lives. prgtoken In the years that followed, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, under the leadership of the Honorable Barbara Buckley, became a model for cities across the country grappling with this same kind of hardship. prgtoken My office took notice, and I pushed for and eventually got $3 million in Federal funding to help build and develop a Vegas Strong Resiliency Center to continue serving these victims. prgtoken Tennille Pereira, its executive director, was on the Hill today to accept an award from the Congressional Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus. prgtoken I nominated them for that award because we see the effects of their work in our community every day--for every survivor persevering through this lingering trauma and for every grieving family member who has lost a loved one. This center has helped keep Vegas strong and moving forward.
LIMIT, SAVE, GROW ACT OF 2023
Janice D. Schakowsky (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2023-4-26

I brought my Constitution with me because the Constitution is very clear that it is the duty of the United States of America to pay its debts. Somehow, it doesn't say a darn thing about how you can negotiate to hold the whole economy hostage and threaten the economy of the United States of America before you are willing to pay the debts. prgtoken Under President , as I am sure it was said before, three times the debt ceiling was raised. Yet, you are saying now, at the same time gave a $2 trillion tax cut to the wealthiest Americans, but don't blame him for the deficit. Let's talk about these poor people who are trying to get healthcare or put food on the table for their families or the veterans who are seeing a cut in their healthcare. No way. Vote ``no'' on this terrible, mean proposal.
DEBT CEILING CONCERNS
Seth Magaziner (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2023-4-26

I rise today to oppose the 's default on America plan that will hurt Rhode Island's seniors. The MAGA s that have taken control of this House have given us a false choice. prgtoken Either we go along with their plan for painful cuts for veterans, seniors, and children, or they will purposefully wreck the economy by defaulting on the debt. This false choice is wrong and we do not need to accept it. prgtoken In particular, their plan would enact painful cuts on senior citizens in Rhode Island. How? prgtoken By cutting funding to the Social Security Administration so that the quarter million elderly and disabled Rhode Islanders who depend on Social Security would face longer wait times for their benefits. Also, by cutting funding for seniors' nutrition programs like Meals on Wheels, housing, and slashing funding for home care, putting the lives of seniors at risk. prgtoken This is not about deficit reduction. If this was about deficit reduction, my colleagues would be lining up to support President 's budget, which reduces the deficit by $3 trillion. No. This is an extreme agenda that puts working people, in particular seniors, in the back seat while doing the bidding of wealthy donors and billionaires and corporations. prgtoken We do not need to accept it. People will not stand for it. I will fight this default on America plan with everything that I have.
GOP BUDGET CUTS HURT OHIOANS
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2023-4-26

dangerous budget shenanigans by House s play with fire that can blunt economic growth and cruelly hurt countless Ohioans. prgtoken McCarthy's roulette creates economic instability that can yield disastrous consequences for students, families, seniors, veterans, and public safety across our Buckeye State. prgtoken His plan would endanger public safety and impact public health by shutting down five air traffic control towers in our State, cutting 330 safety inspections in rail, and denying 2,000 Ohioans admission to opioid treatment. prgtoken His plan would raise costs for working families and students by eliminating 12,300 preschool and childcare slots in Ohio, stripping food assistance from nearly half a million Ohioans, making college tuition expensive for 200,000 Ohioans, and raising housing costs for 23,000 Ohioans. How about that for a start? prgtoken The McCarthy plan is reckless and inches us closer to default. In sum, the McCarthy plan would thwart economic progress and should be shelved for a commonsense, bipartisan solution that serves all of America. Let's put people before politics.
LIMIT, SAVE, GROW ACT OF 2023
Brendan F. Boyle (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2023-4-26

I keep hearing this doom and gloom from the other side of the aisle that we are on the brink of catastrophe. Here is the headline in the world's leading economic magazine, a magazine that is considered right of center. This is their headline 2 weeks ago: ``The lessons from America's astonishing economic record. The world's biggest economy is leaving its peers even further in the dust.'' That is the accurate record of where this country and its economy stand right now. prgtoken , I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Hayes).
Debt Ceiling (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-4-26

for months, the President has been clear that he will not allow the full faith and credit of the United States to be taken hostage. He has rejected brinksmanship, hostage-taking, and asked for what is the only way to solve this problem given where we are at right now, which is clean, clean, avoiding default--clean to avoid default. prgtoken To avoid default, have asked McCarthy and s to present a credible plan, but last week s instead released an extremist, hard-right agenda, written in a backroom, in secret, to win support from the Freedom Caucus. The GOP's ``Default on America Act,'' as we call it, does not bring us any closer to avoiding a first-ever default. In fact, it only brings us dangerously closer to defaulting. prgtoken The ``Default on America Act'' would mean fewer jobs, higher costs for the American people, and would leave policemen, first responders, Border Patrol, and our brave veterans all hanging out to dry. prgtoken For those who worry about gun violence and crime and keeping our communities safe, the ``Default on America Act'' will wipe out nearly 30,000 law enforcement while also gutting critical resources to secure the border. told House s to defund law enforcement, and so the ``Default on America Act,'' on cue, does just that. prgtoken That is what the ``Default on America Act'' does. And not just that; it would eliminate over 142,000 new jobs, including 18,000 manufacturing jobs that have been created since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed. prgtoken If you are a parent struggling to pay for childcare, the ``Default on America Act'' will eliminate more than 105,000 childcare slots across the country, making it harder for parents to find work, finish their education, or even provide for their families. prgtoken If you know someone who struggled with addiction, this bill would also worsen the opioid epidemic by cutting critical HHS programs by over $10 billion in the next decade. That is the definition of cruelty. prgtoken If you want to go to college, the package will slash Pell grants for all students by $1,000 and even eliminate Pell grants entirely for tens of thousands of Americans. prgtoken And for those who worry about gun violence and keeping our communities prgtoken safe, the ``Default on America Act'' will wipe out nearly 30,000 law enforcement positions while gutting critical resources to secure the border. Again, told House s to defund law enforcement, and the ``Default on America Act,'' on cue, does just that. prgtoken Put plainly, the House s are hell-bent on default one way or another--either a default on the debt or a default on everything else: on our future, our children, our promise to care for our kids and veterans and law enforcement and first responders. No matter what happens, s are promising real pain for American families. prgtoken And what ha
REMOVING THE DEADLINE FOR THE RATIFICATION OF THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT--MOTION TO PROCEED
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2023-4-26

reserving the right to object, I rise today in opposition to S. 613, legislation that would ban transgender women and girls from participating in sports consistent with their gender. prgtoken My colleagues falsely claim that allowing transgender women and girls to play sports is harmful to cisgender women and girls. They continue to hurl insulting lies about transgender girls dominating sports. But what is true is that these bans are deeply harmful to transgender girls, particularly transgender girls of color, girls who are gender nonconforming, and cisgender girls as well. These ``sex tests'' invade every girl's privacy and open the door to harassment for anyone who is perceived as ``different.'' prgtoken If my colleagues were actually worried about women and girls in athletics, they would join in our efforts to address unequal athletic opportunities in school, unequal pay, sexual abuse and harassment, and more. But this isn't about supporting women and girls; this is about power and control. My colleagues are obsessed with controlling women's bodies and our lives, as we are seeing yet again today. prgtoken But instead of being honest about what they are doing, many on the other side claim that this bill is somehow a defense of title IX. That couldn't be further from the truth. Title IX says: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. prgtoken As someone who knew and was friends with Patsy Mink, the author of title IX, I can tell you she would be standing right next to me to say title IX in no way or shape supports what my colleague is attempting to do. Patsy spent her entire life fighting to advance equal opportunity for women and girls. It would pain her to know that the bill she fought so hard to make law is being twisted by s to discriminate against the very people it was designed to protect. prgtoken s have the wrong priorities. We shouldn't be banning anyone from playing sports. We should be fighting the discrimination that all women and girls--trans, cis, or otherwise--continue to face in athletics, in the classroom, and in the workplace. prgtoken For these reasons, I object.
ENCOURAGING THE EXPANSION AND STRENGTHENING OF THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS TO URGE OTHER NATIONS TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL AND ENSURE THAT EXISTING AGREEMENTS REAP TANGIBLE SECURITY AND ECONOMIC...
Gerald E. Connolly (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2023-4-26

I have worked on issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for over four decades since I began as a staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1979. Israel, led by leaders like Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan, was David fighting Goliath--a young, bold democracy under threats from every direction. Israel has long been America's strongest ally, and our support for Israel's democracy, economic stability, and defense is ironclad. On the 75th anniversary of Israel's independence, I am proud to vote for a resolution that supports this remarkable milestone. prgtoken With that said, I am extremely disappointed that the resolution missed a crucial opportunity. The juxtaposition is startling: This resolution presumes business as usual when it is anything but. We have reached an inflection point in the U.S.-Israel relationship. For 70 years, we have found common cause with Israel because they have been the only democracy in the Middle East. For the first time in our history, an Israeli Prime Minister has put bipartisan support for Israel in jeopardy by exploiting partisan fissures within the United States, rejecting the notion of a two-state solution and opting to advance his own right-wing political agenda. prgtoken Netanyahu's cabinet of right-wing extremists has put the very rights and political inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals, women, secular Jews, Palestinians, and Arabs alike in peril. As the United States continues to play a crucial role in supporting Israel, on a bipartisan basis, we must be clear that an aggressive anti-democratic tilt in Israel threatens our strong, longstanding partnership based on shared democratic values. prgtoken The resolution unfortunately did not mention the longstanding, bipartisan support for a two-state solution, nor did it condemn attacks against Israel's democratic institutions, including an independent judiciary, and incitements of violence against Palestinians. prgtoken When Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made comments on March 3, 2023, suggesting the Palestinian city Huwara ``needs to be wiped out, but the State of Israel needs to do it,'' Arab nations involved in the Abraham Accords immediately condemned this abhorrent incitement of violence. To be clear, the actions of Ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich to bless settler violence, incite violence against Palestinians, and threaten annexation of large portions of the West Bank imperil the Abraham Accords themselves, let alone the prospects for expansion to other Arab nations. prgtoken I will cast my vote in support of Israel and the Abraham Accords, with great concern. My hope is that constructive U.S. engagement, and the will of the Israeli people in favor of a peaceful, demilitarized, democratic Jewish state, will be the forces that prevail.
Tribute to Michael Zamore (Executive Session)
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2023-4-26

it was John Quincy Adams who once said: If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. prgtoken For the last 14 years, the members of my team have had an outstanding leader in our chief of staff, Michael Zamore, who has constantly and consistently inspired the team and me to dream, to grow, to strive to do better every single day for ourselves and the people we serve. prgtoken But after nearly a decade and a half, as the heart and soul of Team Merkley and more than 22 years on Capitol Hill, Mr. Zamore has decided to close this chapter of his life and career and set off to begin writing the next chapter. I know I speak for many when I say how hard it is to imagine our office or the Senate without Mike Zamore. prgtoken Mike has been with me from the very beginning. He was one of the small crew working out of the temporary basement office the day I was sworn in. Five new Members of the Senate and a couple of staff members crowded into a single, little, expanded room downstairs, trying to figure out what we were doing, how to get around. prgtoken Where are those hearing rooms? How do we get the paper for the printers? How do we get staples for the staplers? prgtoken He has been a pivotal part of every success that our team has achieved since, and there have been a lot of legislative highlights in the time that he has led Team Merkley--to name just a few: outlawing predatory mortgages; passing financial reform to shut down the Wall Street proprietary trading casino; winning Senate passage of ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to end job discrimination against our LGBTQ+ community; drafting and introducing the Equality Act to end LGBTQ discrimination across the board; leading the effort to end the horrific policy of ripping children out of their parents' arms at the border; ending the importation of Chinese products produced with slave labor; and so many more and so many different initiatives to improve healthcare, to establish more decent and affordable housing, to expand quality education, and to increase the number of good-paying jobs for working Americans. prgtoken But it isn't just policy that is relevant to the role of a chief of staff. Mike has worked to ensure that our team has the best operation for answering constituents' letters to be found on Capitol Hill, to empower the Oregon half of our operation to build a fabulous constituent services team and an excellent set of field representatives to work with Oregon's counties and cities to address the challenges and opportunities within our State, and to keep our DC team and our Oregon team working closely together as one. prgtoken He did this through many trips to the State and by encouraging staff here in DC to travel and be in Oregon as well and by ensuring we connected and coordinated through weekly all-staff meetings and that we connected through biannual retre