mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Inflation (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-9-14

yesterday, new data showed what Texans have known and felt for months: that inflation simply is not letting up. Last month, prices were up 8.3 percent from a year ago. prgtoken Economist Larry Summers, a well-known former president of Harvard University and member of Presidential Cabinets, said that this CPI report, Consumer Price Index report, confirms that the United States has a serious inflation problem. prgtoken Rent is up 6.7 percent. If you go to the grocery store to feed your family, groceries are 13.5 percent over what they were last year. If you are a senior citizen suffering through the hot Texas summer and need your air-conditioner to work overtime, electricity to make that air-conditioner run is up 16 percent. Of course, that is just since last August, just a year ago, when we were already battling runaway inflation. prgtoken But here is an even more shocking figure: Since President took office on January 20, 2021, prices have risen 13 percent. So 13 cents out of every dollar that you earn--poof--has gone away. You are that much poorer. Your standard of living has been decreased by 13 percent. prgtoken Inflation, of course, far outpaces wage growth, meaning the average American has effectively been handed a pay cut. A single paycheck doesn't go nearly as far today as it did a year ago. prgtoken This is exactly what was predicted by leading economists when our ic colleagues ran off with the taxpayer credit card at the end of last year. They abused the rules of the Senate to spend an additional $2 trillion in the name of COVID relief even though less than 10 percent of the money was directly related to the pandemic. prgtoken I want to differentiate between what we did together on a bipartisan basis to deal with COVID when we spent nearly $5 trillion on a bipartisan basis. There is no doubt this was a grave emergency, a public health emergency, economic emergency. We did what we had to do, and we got through it. But even after that, our ic colleagues couldn't seem to kick the spending habits and unilaterally spent an extra $2 trillion. As I said, even though 10 percent of that money was related to the pandemic, 90 percent, then, was unrelated. prgtoken Then the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which the President was celebrating yesterday when the stock market fell 1,200 points--this partisan bill amounts to another $240 billion in unnecessary spending, while raising taxes at the same time. prgtoken As I said, our colleagues ironically call this bill the Inflation Reduction Act, and the White House chose yesterday--the day that the latest disappointing inflation figures were released--to celebrate its passage. prgtoken Inflation Reduction Act is false advertising. The Penn Wharton economic review of the Inflation Reduction Act said there is no reduction of inflation for at least 2 full years, and, indeed, it may actually get worse. But we all knew this intuitively,
RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE OF LARRY HOFF
Jaime Herrera Beutler (Republican, WA) \u2014 2022-9-14

. Madam , today, I rise to honor and recognize my friend and fellow Southwest Washingtonian and State Representative Larry Hoff, who is retiring at the end of this term. prgtoken Larry has been just an upstanding member of Southwest Washington's community for over 40 years. After serving in the Navy and graduating from college, Larry moved to Vancouver, where he was an executive in the financial services industry before successfully running to serve Clark County in the 18th Legislative District. prgtoken In Olympia, Larry fought hard to get things done for Southwest Washington's small businesses, for our farmers, families, and our communities. But it is really Larry's heart for serving our community that is what stands out to all of us who know him. prgtoken Whether it is his role on the board of the Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation, or the Clark County Department of Community Services, or the countless other stories of coming alongside his neighbors, Larry's infectious optimism and selflessness are apparent to all who meet him. prgtoken Thank you, Larry, for your many years of service and hard work to make our Evergreen State a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Recognizing the Service of Brandon Vick
CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF CLEARFIELD WHOLESALE PAPER COMPANY
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2022-9-14

. Madam , I rise today to congratulate Clearfield Wholesale Paper Company on their 100th anniversary. prgtoken Since 1922, CWP has provided top notch janitorial and paper supplies to hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and local businesses across Clearfield County and the Commonwealth. prgtoken As fourth generation businesses owners, Joel and Cindy Peterson know the key to success is customer satisfaction. prgtoken They pride themselves on strong customer relations, some of which dates back 95 years. prgtoken For generations, CWP has served not just their community, but the larger area as a key employer to the community. prgtoken CWP recognizes the importance of great employees and are thankful for their everyday commitment and hard work. prgtoken Congratulations to Clearfield Wholesale Paper on this impressive anniversary. May they continue to serve the community for another 100 years.
A FAIR AND ACCURATE CENSUS ACT
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2022-9-14

. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this bill. The intention of this bill is clear: It is to prevent a future President from adding a citizenship question to the United States Census. prgtoken And yet the question of citizenship was first offered by President Thomas Jefferson in 1800; and from its introduction in the Census of 1820 through 1950, that question was included on every Census. prgtoken Now, when you think about the language of the Constitution itself, it gives Congress the authority to call a Census to enumerate the population. And for what was the purpose? The main purpose, of course, was for apportionment, for representation of the citizens of the United States. prgtoken The reality, though, is it has become far more than that, and that seems to be permissible within certain limits of the Constitution itself. prgtoken Since 1950, there have been additional Federal surveys that have included some form of the question of citizenship, not necessarily included in the Census itself. prgtoken But in the recent case cited by Chairwoman Maloney just moments ago, where she said that they threw it out and said you can't ask that question, it was not because of the question. In fact, the Supreme Court specifically said in Department of Commerce v. New York that Congress has the right to ask that question, and the Department of Commerce has the authority to include the question of citizenship. The decision states, ``The enumeration clause permits Congress, and by extension the Secretary, to inquire about citizenship on the questionnaire.'' prgtoken That rationale does not work from the chairwoman. I realize a lot of my colleagues don't realize and understand and appreciate what is happening on our southern border. From October of last year through the end of July, Border Patrol has reported nearly 2 million encounters along our southern border, that does not include who entered and have gotten away. prgtoken Nearly a quarter of the encounters feature a person who had at least one prior encounter in the past 12 months. We, as policymakers, if we are going to get policy and data, which was just alluded to by Mr. Connolly, we should have some of the most important data, and that is who is in this country illegally and who is a citizen and who is not. prgtoken Whether someone is a citizen is an important datapoint that should be recorded on the Census and on other Federal surveys. It is well past time that Congress direct the Census Bureau to ask this question like it did for over 100 years. prgtoken This bill is, instead, an attempt to cynically block the inclusion of the citizenship question on the Census and seeks to insulate career staff at the Census Bureau from any accountability. This is not--this is not a good bill. prgtoken This bill does not help us get to where we need to get in terms of understanding what is going on in this country so we can make policy that is good.
Inflation (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-9-14

the American people's No. 1 priority is runaway inflation that is smashing their family budgets and crushing our economy. prgtoken Yesterday, the latest inflation report showed that soaring prices are still completely out of control. Inflation has totaled 13.2 percent since the day President took office. We just had the worst 12 months for both food inflation and electricity inflation since the fallout from the Carter administration. prgtoken President and our ic colleagues chose to celebrate-- celebrate--this awful inflation report with a so-called inflation reduction party yesterday at the White House. While the Dow Jones plummeted over 1,000 points, while the S&P 500 lost more than 4 percent of its value in 1 day, while American families can't afford gas, groceries, or electricity, Washington partied on the White House lawn to celebrate their policies. That is what happened yesterday. prgtoken This is what do while our economy crumbles. They subsidize luxury electric cars; they make plumbers and retail workers eat the graduate school debt of doctors and lawyers; and they throw a party for themselves on the White House lawn.
Railway Labor Management Dispute (Executive Calendar)
Richard Burr (Republican, NC) \u2014 2022-9-14

it is clearly apparent by listening to this debate, if Senator Sanders had been on the PEB board, the PEB board wouldn't be making a recommendation and the President wouldn't be behind it. But that is where we are, short of a breakthrough in the negotiations that are occurring and going on. prgtoken I grew up listening to Paul Harvey. Paul Harvey had a show, the rest of the prgtoken news, the stuff you didn't hear. Let me do Paul Harvey on Senator Sanders. prgtoken The railroad workers today get 3 weeks paid leave on average, plus 11 paid vacation days. PEB made a recommendation that they get 1 additional paid leave day. We will add that in. That is almost a month of paid leave. Regardless of what you call it, there is a month there. prgtoken You now mentioned this wasn't as lucrative as Germany and UK. I was home all of August. Nobody was asking: Geez, can you pass legislation that makes us look more like the UK or Germany or the rest of Europe? And I would be willing to bet that 27 paid leave days probably is more than some of the European countries.
Railway Labor Management Dispute (Executive Calendar)
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-9-14

first off, my colleague never addressed the issue that this is a transfer of obligation. I mean, you can have a conversation about what we should have done with regard to tax cuts in the past, but this is a transfer of obligation. This is a transfer of obligation of people who decided to go to school. prgtoken We should do everything we can to help people, but we are not addressing the problem here. I addressed it when I was Governor. When I became Governor in January of 2011, tuition in Florida was going up 15 percent a year, plus inflation. I stopped it. We didn't see tuition increase while I was Governor, and we became the No. 1 higher education system in the country according to U.S. News & World Report. prgtoken We solved the problem of the cost of higher education to make sure people could afford education. We did it because we invested, we kept tuition low, and we paid our universities based on three things: do you get a degree, how much money you make, and what does it cost to get a degree. So, guess what, all of our universities became more efficient and more accountable. prgtoken That is how you fix the problem. This does not fix the problem. This does nothing to reduce tuition. This does nothing to hold our universities accountable. This does nothing to stop our universities from raising tuition. This does nothing to require our universities to make sure our kids get a job. This does nothing to make sure our kids get good-paying jobs. prgtoken So I am very disappointed in my colleague in that she would still not address the issue that that is a complete transfer of obligation from some people who decided to go get a higher education to people who decided not to. prgtoken .
Railway Labor Management Dispute (Executive Calendar)
Roger F. Wicker (Republican, MS) \u2014 2022-9-14

I seek recognition to speak on the same matter that Senator Burr has raised and will raise on the unanimous consent request. prgtoken Think of the economy right now, . Inflation is at 8.3 percent or higher, our GDP is shrinking, and supply chains have not recovered from the pandemic. The last thing we need is a shutdown of this Nation's rail service, both passenger and freight. Yet that is what we are facing in less than a day and a half from this moment: a massive rail strike that will virtually shut down our economy. prgtoken Now, this didn't have to happen, but I will tell you, it has been going on since 2019. So we are in our third year of this matter. There has been negotiation among the rails, some 37 companies--including 7 major freight carriers--and 12 unions. They reached an impasse. So, pursuant to statute, the President of the United States, President , appointed a PEB, a Presidential Emergency Board, to help resolve this issue. They brought the parties together and have worked with the suggestions from both sides--both labor and management--and come up with their recommendation, which the President of the United States has endorsed in full. prgtoken We are now at the point where we are asking both labor and management to agree to this recommendation of the PEB. One hundred percent of management has agreed to this recommendation of the -appointed Presidential Emergency Board. Of the 12 unions, 8 of the unions have agreed. So we have an overwhelming majority of the unions agreeing to this and 100 percent of management agreeing to it, but under the law that Congress, in its wisdom, passed years and years ago, we have to have 100 percent of the 12 unions, and there are 4 holdouts at this point. prgtoken Pursuant to the statute, when we get to a situation like this, Congress can step in, and that is what my friend is going to ask us to do in just a few minutes. Congress can pass the recommendation of the PEB in full. The Senate can pass it, send it over to the House, send it to the President, who has endorsed the recommendation in full, and we can avoid this strike. And that is what we ought to be doing. prgtoken So I want to commend my friend from North Carolina for his leadership in this case. If the trains stop running, our economy grinds to a halt. And that is the very reason this law is in place, and it is the very reason why it is incumbent on us as Senators and Representatives to pass a resolution implementing the PEB. prgtoken I yield to my friend.
WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2021
James Comer (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-9-14

. Mr. Chair, whistleblowers in the Federal Government are covered by some of the most comprehensive protections for employees in the country. prgtoken Whistleblowers serve a valuable role in our government, especially in an administration like the administration, which is subject to almost no oversight by Congress. prgtoken But giving this bill a great title, Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act, does not and should not provide cover for the actual requirements and consequences of this bill. Bill titles don't govern our government, but the substance within them does. prgtoken The Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act is a step too far and would help further entrench Federal Government employees in their jobs. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I oppose H.R. 2988, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
Railway Labor Management Dispute (Executive Calendar)
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2022-9-14

. I thank Senator Scott. prgtoken , President 's student loan debt transfer does not cancel or forgive anything. These debts will still be paid. It is not like they go away. prgtoken What else does it say about the whole idea that, when you take on an obligation and you agree to it, you can just shirk it or get rid of it? There are many people across the country who would want to be in on that gambit as well. He has simply shifted the cost of repayment on to everyone, including to the 65 percent of American workers who chose not to get a college degree. What about the aspiring plumber or electrician who borrowed $20,000, $30,000, or $40,000 for his or her own business? There would be no end to it. prgtoken We should focus on getting more value out of colleges rather than giving them another reason to hike prices. Sadly, the only place where that has been focused on is in my own home State, where Mitch Daniels, the ex-Governor of Indiana, froze tuition into 10 years. That is getting more value out, and that is why their enrollment has gone way up. prgtoken With a national debt of nearly $31 trillion, we can't continue to pile on more debt. When Senator Scott and I got here just a little over 3\1/2\ years ago, we were $18 trillion in debt. We throw ``trillions'' around now like we used to ``hundreds of billions,'' and it is on the backs of our kids and grandkids every time we do it. prgtoken Today, Federal Student Aid owns $1.6 trillion in outstanding Federal assets--in other words, student loans. The loan program needs to be completely redone so that colleges will be motivated to lower costs. This is an excuse to do the opposite. prgtoken Finally, President 's actions are illegal in the first place. The President doesn't have the authority to cancel all of this debt. I am hoping it gets taken to court, because what does it say, again, for future generations or anyone who makes a commitment to take on debt who can shirk it with the stroke of a pen? prgtoken Even Pelosi agreed on this point, saying she didn't think it was legal. Yet it doesn't make any difference in this day and age as we plow forward. prgtoken This is why the Debt Cancellation Accountability Act requires the Department of Education to get express appropriation from Congress to pay for any Federal student loan the Department proposes to waive, discharge, or reduce. prgtoken to Senator Scott.
NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Don Bacon (Republican, NE) \u2014 2022-9-14

. Madam , I rise today during Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize Carolina Padilla and the Intercultural Senior Center in my district. prgtoken Historically, National Hispanic Heritage Month has been a way to appreciate the contributions and influence Hispanic Americans have made to our history, culture, and achievements of the United States. I can think of no better way to recognize the achievements of Hispanic Americans in our district than by recognizing Carolina and the Intercultural Senior Center, which provides language interpretation, cultural insight, community events, as well as social workers, to better connect community members with outside resources. prgtoken Carolina, who was born in Guatemala City, immigrated to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1993 with her husband and three children. She then started her career in the United States by spending 12 years working for One World Community Health Center, a nonprofit primary healthcare facility. During her time at One World, she worked in a variety of health departments in both administrative and leadership positions. prgtoken Additionally, she worked for Catholic Charities, where she was the director of their Latina Resource Center. In this role, she worked to develop social service programs for women in need of assistance with English as their second language, as well as women facing issues of domestic violence. prgtoken During this time, Carolina realized that one segment of the population, the Latino elders, were largely overlooked and underserved. Inspired by her aging family in Guatemala and her need to serve others within her own community, Carolina founded the Intercultural Senior Center in 2009 in the Latino neighborhood of South Omaha. The Intercultural Senior Center, however, has extended much farther than the Latino community as it now welcomes refugee communities, including Sudan, Somalia, Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Burma, as well as native English speakers. prgtoken Today, the Intercultural Senior Center is a unique place where seniors find enrichment and belonging, regardless of language, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and any other differences that too often create separation and isolation. prgtoken As Omaha's population ages and becomes more diverse, Ms. Padilla's mission and the Intercultural Senior Center will continue to embrace the elderly and bring awareness to the community about the aging population. prgtoken Congratulations again to Carolina Padilla and the Intercultural Senior Center on this amazing work you are doing within the Omaha community. Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
REMEMBERING SANDRA DEAL
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2022-9-14

. Madam , it is with a very heavy heart that I rise today to recognize and honor the life and service of a true American patriot in my district, Lieutenant General Donald E. Rosenblum. prgtoken Rosie was born on June 3, 1929, in Flushing, New York, and was raised during the Depression in Hell's Kitchen in New York. prgtoken In 1948, Rosie graduated high school and followed his older brother, Bob, to the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. At the Citadel, Rosie was a member of the varsity baseball team and sports editor of the college paper. Upon graduation, Rosie was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and deployed to lead an infantry platoon in the Korean war. prgtoken After Korea, Rosie was placed in command of an infantry company in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and served as a staff officer in Berlin, Germany, when the wall was built. prgtoken In between his tours in Vietnam, Rosie also managed to graduate from the U.S. Army War College and later served as the executive officer to the Army's director of operations at the Pentagon. It was there that he received his first of three general officer stars, and he was then transferred to Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. prgtoken Rosie became an institution in our community, serving on boards for the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Savannah, and the Citadel Foundation. prgtoken His legacy is one of patriotism, dedication, selflessness, and love for his neighbors. My prayers reside with his family and friends during this time of sadness. Honoring the First Baptist Church in Port Wentworth