mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CARDIOVASCULAR ADVANCES IN RESEARCH AND OPPORTUNITIES LEGACY ACT
Bill Huizenga (Republican, MI) \u2014 2021-12-8

. Passionate, patriot, fierce--not mean, but fierce--and focused. She was a leader of teams, but a leader of her family, too. prgtoken And, Madam , that is Andy. He has been forced into some roles that he was not expecting he was going to have to take care of. And this is what he does best. He throws himself in. He dives in, and he works hard to help others. And that, too, is a legacy, a legacy for Carol and for the girls. prgtoken And for Eleanor and Mary Clay, may they know that their mom loved them. She loved them. And their dad loves them. And Carol is not with us today, but she is not gone because we won't forget her. And we will make sure her legacy continues. prgtoken Madam , we love Andy, and we are here for him. I am so grateful we can help so many others around the country.
PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2021-12-8

this week, we pay tribute to the lives lost on December 7, 1941. prgtoken Eighty years ago, Japan launched a surprise sneak attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack on Pearl Harbor took well over 2,000 military and civilian lives. prgtoken This unprovoked act of war served as a rallying cry for all Americans to stand up for their brothers and sisters in the name of freedom, liberty, and security. prgtoken In my home district, a local treasure, Lou Conter, one of the last two living survivors of the USS Arizona, resides in Grass Valley. We could not be more proud of Mr. Conter and what he fought for. It is my honor to be his Representative. prgtoken This last September, Lou turned 100 years old. He is still full of vigor, verve, and a smile for everybody. He is truly a pleasure to be around. prgtoken Lou's efforts and our eventual triumph as a country over the evil at Pearl Harbor and all through World War II is proof of the unbounded determination of people like Lou and of the American people. prgtoken , I recognize today the lives lost at Pearl Harbor and salute all who served to ensure the safety then and now of all of our families in this great country.
KAZAKHSTAN'S 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE
Robert B. Aderholt (Republican, AL) \u2014 2021-12-8

. Madam , on December 16, 2021, the Republic of Kazakhstan will celebrate its 30th year of independence from the former Soviet Union. I congratulate President Kassim-Jomart Tokayev and Kazakhstan's people for the notable progress they have made as a nation in that short period of time. prgtoken Strategically located between Europe, China, Russia, and the Middle East, Kazakhstan has been a global crossroads for centuries. Clearly, its place in the world today is more significant than ever. Kazakhstan's vibrant economy--the largest by far in Central Asia-- enhances the country's strategic importance. prgtoken One of Kazakhstan's greatest and most enduring achievements since independence has been its renunciation of nuclear weapons. Upon dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan possessed the 4th largest nuclear arsenal in the world, and since then has maintained a consistent policy advocating nuclear non-proliferation. In 2006, Kazakhstan joined with the four other central Asian countries to sign The Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, committing to ban production, acquisition, or deployment of nuclear weapons across their territory. The Republic continues to lead in non-proliferation efforts. prgtoken Kazakhstan has been a good friend to the United States over these thirty years, standing with us after 9/11, supporting our military efforts both in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and working actively with the U.S. and other countries to counter global terrorism. Since 2013, Kazakhstan has been an active participant in the CS+1 format, which is the platform for dialogue and cooperation between the U.S. and the five Central Asian nations. Further, in 2018, the United States and Kazakhstan entered into an Enhanced Strategic Partnership. prgtoken In just 30 years, Kazakhstan has achieved great things and has taken its place in the international community of nations. I appreciate the engagement of Kazakhstan with the U.S. on defense, security, counterterrorism, and on many other areas of mutual interest. I offer my best wishes to President Tokayev, to Ambassador Ashikbayev, and to the people of Kazakhstan on their Independence Day.
CONDEMNING THE ONGOING GENOCIDE AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY BEING COMMITTED BY THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
August Pfluger (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-12-8

I rise today to shed light on the horrific genocide that Communist China is committing against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities. prgtoken Right now, over one million Uyghurs are enslaved by the People's Republic of China in the Xinjiang region, where they are subjected to horrific human rights atrocities like forced sterilization and abortions, slave labor, and even execution. prgtoken Communist China is actively attempting to wipe out an entire people group, and the United States must not allow it. prgtoken A few months ago, I--and other members of the Foreign Affairs Committee--heard directly from Ms. Tursunay Ziyawudun, a survivor of a CCP's concentration camp. She told us harrowing stories of the horrific atrocities she suffered through. prgtoken It was absolutely heartbreaking. I cannot imagine my wife or daughters being subjected to an environment like that. prgtoken Today's resolution sends the message directly from the United States to the Chinese government, that they must immediately end their ongoing crimes. prgtoken I applaud Leader McCaul and Chairman Meeks for their work to address this heartbreaking atrocity.
Nomination of Rachael S. Rollins (Executive Session)
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-12-8

I rise today to strongly oppose the confirmation of Rachael Rollins to be U.S. attorney in Massachusetts. prgtoken Many Americans have probably never heard of Rachael Rollins, but they are becoming very familiar with the kind of lawlessness and dangerous crime that radical, leftwing district attorneys like her have generated. Under prgtoken their watch, we have seen looting and larceny and violent crime rates rise in cities all over the country the past couple of years. prgtoken Ms. Rollins is part of a web of leftwing district attorneys across the country who see it as their job not to prosecute crime; rather, to protect criminals. There is Ms. Rollins in Boston, Chesa Boudin in San Francisco, Kim Gardner in St. Louis, Kim Foxx in Chicago, Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, and John Chisholm in Milwaukee, among others. prgtoken What has happened with these prosecutors who refuse to prosecute crime? prgtoken Well, all too predictably, crime rates have skyrocketed. prgtoken Last year, the murder rate went up nearly 30 percent overall, and it went up 40 percent in cities with populations between 100,000 and 250,000. prgtoken We have seen horrific crimes and tragedies that could have been prevented if these DAs had simply done their jobs. prgtoken Take John Chisholm, the DA in Milwaukee, who released Darrell Brooks, a repeat and dangerous criminal, on $1,000 bail. prgtoken What was the crime he was charged with? prgtoken Using his vehicle--a red SUV--to run down a woman, the mother of his child. prgtoken Released on $1,000 bail, what happened? prgtoken Brooks, as we all know, drove that same red SUV through a Christmas parade, murdered six people, including an 8-year-old boy. prgtoken That man should not have been on the streets, should not have been behind the wheel. The DA knew he was a violent criminal who used that SUV as an instrument of violence and, for $1,000, the leftwing DA let him go. Had Brooks not been out on such a low bail, this horrific tragedy wouldn't have occurred; that 8-year-old boy would still be alive. prgtoken Our communities don't need prosecutors who endanger the very communities they are supposed to serve by refusing to prosecute or detain criminals. They don't need leftwing prosecutors who let violent criminals walk the streets. prgtoken The damage that these so-called prosecutors can do has, thankfully, been somewhat limited by the fact that, when they choose not to prosecute criminals, the Federal Government has the ability, in many instances, to step in and charge criminals federally. prgtoken But and Senate are working to change that by elevating one of these radical, leftist, soft-on-crime district attorneys, Rachael Rollins, to be the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts-- the chief Federal prosecutor in the entire State of Massachusetts. prgtoken Let's talk a bit more about what exactly Rachael Rollins believes prosecutors should do and what her record is. prgtoken Rachael
Vaccine Mandate (Executive Calendar)
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2021-12-8

I come to the floor today to join my colleagues to oppose President 's vaccine mandates. prgtoken Last December, President-elect told the American people that he would not issue a vaccine mandate. Just a year ago, as President-elect, said: I don't think they should be mandatory. prgtoken He said: I wouldn't demand it to be mandatory. prgtoken Last October, as a Presidential candidate, said: You can't say ``Everyone has to do [it].'' prgtoken Then, this summer, his Press Secretary said it is ``not a role the federal government even has the power to make''--``not a role even the federal government has the power to make.'' prgtoken In July, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control said: There will be no nationwide vaccine mandate. prgtoken Then, in early September, with this Nation in shock and reeling because of the disastrous collapse in Afghanistan, suddenly and unexpectedly and completely opposite of everything this administration has promised, the administration broke the law, and in doing so, violated the rights of the American people by calling for this vaccine mandate. prgtoken issued a nationwide mandate, and in doing so, he has taken a sledgehammer to the American workforce and the American economy. Because of the President's irresponsible policies, we now have the worst labor shortage in American history, and we have broken new records for unfilled jobs. As a result, we also have the worst supply chain crisis in 40 years. We don't have enough goods on the shelves. We don't have enough workers to fill the shelves. prgtoken The President must have known that many wouldn't comply with his mandate. He must have known people would be forced out of their jobs as a result of the mandate. He didn't seem to care. He imposed the mandate anyway. prgtoken Now people are losing their jobs, shelves are empty, and prices continue to rise. Inflation is the No. 1 concern of the American people. prgtoken Now, I am a doctor. I am vaccinated, so is my entire family. I am pro-vaccine and anti-mandate. Vaccines work. Nationwide mandates don't work. prgtoken Courts have already ruled that the President's mandates are illegal. Yesterday, a Federal judge in Georgia blocked the mandate on Federal contractors. Not only are these mandates illegal, they are ineffective. prgtoken 's mandates have only hardened people against the vaccine. They have increased resistance to getting vaccinated because President has politicized the vaccines, and all the mandates have accomplished is making people lose their jobs. prgtoken In the world, his mantra seems to be, vaccinate or terminate. prgtoken What we ought to be doing, instead, is giving people information. Let them work with their doctors to make the right decision for them and their families. prgtoken That is what I have been doing for decades in Wyoming as a
Vaccine Mandate (Executive Calendar)
Bill Hagerty (Republican, TN) \u2014 2021-12-8

on September 9, President announced that his Department of Labor, through OSHA, would issue a vaccine mandate covering more than 80 million privately employed Americans. Violators would be subject to significant financial penalties. prgtoken This mandate makes medical decisions for much of the American people with the stroke of a pen, and it immediately struck me as severe Federal overreach. Therefore, the next day, I wrote to the Secretary of Labor to confirm that he would submit this mandate to Congress for review under the Congressional Review Act. In that letter, I noted that Americans' elected representatives should review an order that threatens the livelihoods of many of their constituents. prgtoken I am pleased to join Senator Braun and a majority of my Senate colleagues in supporting this resolution to disapprove President 's vaccine mandate. prgtoken Regarding the mandate itself, I want to first say that I support the vaccine, which is a product of President 's Operation Warp Speed. I visited my doctor, and I made the personal choice to take the vaccine. I have spoken to many Tennesseans and have urged them to do the same. But the decision to take the vaccine is a personal one. It is a decision that each American should be allowed to make in consultation with his or her doctor, not under Federal threat of job loss and financial penalty. This mandate improperly puts the Federal Government between Americans and their doctors and between Americans and their jobs. prgtoken Tens of millions of essential workers were asked to risk their health for the good of the country during the pandemic. They courageously responded to this call. Many of them--many of them--contracted the virus. Yet now we are telling these heroes, from frontline healthcare workers to the employees who made sure we had access to groceries and essential goods, that they will be fired unless they comply prgtoken with the vaccine mandate. They deserve better. prgtoken Not only is this vaccine mandate wrong, but it was promptly declared unlawful by the U.S. Court of Appeals. Other administration vaccine mandates are meeting similar fates in the courts. Yet the administration refuses to relent or reevaluate the damage that it is doing. prgtoken Sadly, the administration's use of Federal Government power to control the American people's lives is not limited to vaccine mandates; it is a basic element of their strategy to remake America. Don't believe me? Just look at the ' so-called Build Back Better proposal. The administration is marketing this legislation to transform America by using a cartoon depicting a mom and her son and the government programs on which they would depend under this plan from the very beginning of their lives to the very end. That is the definition of cradle-to-grave, Big Government dependency, and that is the stated goal of the ' legislation. prgtoken
Democrat Legislative Agenda (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-12-8

I want to take just a few moments to go back to March of this year. After a very tough year fighting COVID-19, the American people had many reasons to be optimistic about the future. Millions of people were being vaccinated every day. The winter surge was fading away, and travel was slowly ramping up. Families were able to get back together who hadn't seen their loved ones, particularly those who were the most vulnerable to the virus. People were able to visit face-to-face and resume their lives, gradually discovering what I will call the new normal. prgtoken We knew the war against the virus was not over, but our communities were well-resourced to keep up the fight, thanks to the five bipartisan bills that were signed into law in 2020. prgtoken Yes, it is true. Just last year, we passed five bipartisan relief bills with broad bipartisan support--in some cases, unanimous consent support. My, how quickly things changed. After President was sworn into office, our friends on the other side of the aisle began to view things quite differently. Where s saw progress, saw, as one House Member put it, a ``tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit [their] vision.'' tried to capitalize on the pandemic to check items off their liberal wish list. They crafted a nearly $2 trillion bill that included some of the far- left's highest priorities and tried to brand it as pandemic relief-- backdoor funding for Planned Parenthood, a blank check for mismanaged union pension funds, money for ``climate justice''--whatever that is. Less than 10 percent of the money for COVID-19 was directly related to the pandemic, and less than 1 percent supported vaccination efforts. prgtoken In addition to being wasteful and irresponsible, this level of spending has brought with it serious risks. Leading economists who are , like Larry Summers and Steve Rattner, warn this level of spending could trigger inflation. Most of the young people who were not alive during the seventies, during the tremendous inflation in the country, have never experienced anything like that or even like what we are experiencing today. But Larry Summers presciently warned that this level of Federal spending could ``set off [some] inflationary pressures of a kind we have not seen in a generation.'' Still, our ic colleagues couldn't be persuaded to change course. prgtoken They moved forward with their nearly $2 trillion spending bill, and lo and behold, guess what happened. Well, Larry Summers was right, and the Federal Reserve that called inflation transitory was wrong. We are now experiencing inflation at a level we have not seen in a generation, exactly as Larry Summers predicted. prgtoken In October, inflation hit a 31-year high. Consumer prices jumped 6.2 percent compared with a year ago, making this the highest inflation rate we have seen since 1990. If you were to ask the average Texan if th
RECOGNIZING MAYOR ANTHONY WILLIAMS
Jodey C. Arrington (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-12-8

I rise today to recognize and congratulate my friend, Mayor Anthony Williams, on 20 years of excellence in public service to the Key City, Abilene, Texas. prgtoken Mayor Williams has grown up, received his education, and raised his family in the Key City community his entire life. Anthony has dedicated his life to public service and has had a tremendous impact on the community that he dearly loves. prgtoken Mayor Williams' record reflects that he believes that a thriving community stems from a free and responsible citizenry, strong faith and families, and a growing economy. prgtoken A big country, west Texas thank you, , to his wife, Lynette, and their four children for their sacrifice for giving him the leeway to spend time in the community and make Abilene a better place to live for all of us. prgtoken I thank Mayor Williams for being a great friend, brother in Christ, and partner in our public service venture for liberty and prosperity for all Americans. prgtoken , I congratulate Anthony. God bless him and his family. And go West Texas.
OCEAN SHIPPING REFORM ACT OF 2021
Young Kim (Republican, CA) \u2014 2021-12-8

I thank Representative Johnson for yielding, and I thank him for his passion to address the supply shipping crisis that we are facing in our Nation today. prgtoken I, too, rise today in strong support of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021. This is a bipartisan bill I was proud to cosponsor that would help address the container ship bottlenecks at the San Pedro Complex, which includes the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in southern California near my district, California's 39th Congressional District. prgtoken While this bill is not a silver bullet to resolving all of our supply chain issues like major labor shortages and warehouses overcapacity, it does take meaningful steps to address uncompetitive practices by some ocean carriers. prgtoken H.R. 4996 provides the Federal Maritime Commission with more tools to address practices that discriminate against U.S. exporters, importers, truckers, and other players in our supply chain. prgtoken Bottlenecks at the San Pedro Complex continue to cause supply disruptions that are raising prices for workers, families, and small businesses and hurts the ability of our manufacturers and farmers to export goods overseas. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4996.
Government Funding (Executive Calendar)
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2021-12-8

I really appreciate my colleague's remarks, I do. I don't agree with his objection, but I appreciate it. prgtoken I just want to say a couple more words. I didn't make a deal. Now, let me say it again. Let me say it a different way. prgtoken I don't hate anybody. Lord knows I look for grace wherever I can find it. I like every one of my colleagues; I really do. The Senate is the most interesting group of people I have ever been around. prgtoken I am not part of management. I am labor, and I meant what I said. I belong in labor because I don't always fit in, and I do believe it is one of my best qualities. prgtoken The truth of the matter is--and this is what we are disagreeing over--President , Senator Schumer, Pelosi, my other ic friends have proposed the Build Back Better bill. prgtoken Now, any economist with a pulse will tell you that it is going to cost about $5 trillion without the gimmicks. It is going to raise taxes a couple of trillion. We will probably end up having to borrow another 3 trillion to pay for it. We will have to borrow the money. We don't have the 3 trillion. We don't even have 5 percent of it. prgtoken Now, I think that the bill represents a spending taxation and borrowing orgy that we don't need, but I understand my ic colleagues disagree. I get that. prgtoken My ic friends can't pass and implement the bill without raising the debt limit. That is just a fact, because they won't be able to borrow the money. prgtoken Now, if I don't support the bill, why do I want to support allowing them to borrow the money, especially when Senator Schumer--my friend Senator Schumer--can do it on his own? prgtoken He can do it before the weekend is out. All he has got to do is do a simple amendment to the budget resolution. prgtoken What am I missing here? prgtoken And I know a deal has been made and some people are going to vote for it. You are not looking at one of them. And I respect their right to make a deal, but I didn't make a deal. But I have been put in the position of saying: OK, Kennedy, we are going to show you. You have got to choose between keeping your word to your people or cutting Medicare. prgtoken And we wonder why Congress polls right up there with skim milk. That is why they look around, they see frauds and liars in every direction. prgtoken I really regret that my bill didn't pass because it would have protected our elderly, and I do support protecting our elderly. And it would have protected our farmers, and I do support protecting our farmers. And this so-called deal puts them both at risk.