mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021--Continued
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-7-1

today is July 1. For millions of Americans, the rent is due. Utility bills don't stop, either. But too many New York families and too many American families will be unable to make the payments amid the pandemic that has already hurt my city and its people. prgtoken The first of the month should not be the end of the financial line for working families, and that is why we are here. We must continue to put real pressure on Leader McConnell to pass the COVID 4 legislation that would include critical rent relief to families who desperately need the help. prgtoken Our working families--many of color and other minority groups--are in desperate need of this basic assistance so they can continue working, feeding their families, making ends meet. That is our push today. prgtoken Enact the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act--which has a $100 billion promise to renters across the country-- and the promise is real help during the real and unprecedented crisis. prgtoken Let me give you some background. The Heroes Act would authorize $100 billion for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program led by Sherrod Brown, the ranking member of the Banking and Housing Committee, who has just done a great job letting people know the crisis and now acting on it. What it does is it helps families and individuals pay their rent and utility bills and remain in their homes during and after the COVID- 19 crisis. prgtoken The bill was already included in the House-passed and bipartisan Heroes Act, but, unfortunately, once again--as he does with so many other important issues--Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to bring it to the floor, so Senator Brown has come to ask the unanimous consent. prgtoken Without basic assistance, even those renters who are currently shielded by temporary Federal and local eviction prgtoken bans may still face eviction. Let me tell you, once someone is evicted and homeless, they regress. The kids can't go to school. Healthcare becomes even more remote. Getting to a job through public transportation is so difficult. prgtoken This actually is a stitch in time that saves nine. If people can stay in their homes because they can't pay the rent through no fault of their own, they have a better chance of reestablishing their lives and maybe even climbing up that American ladder. If they are kicked out of their homes because they can't pay the rent, through no fault of their own, it is very, very difficult. They are in a deep, deep hole. prgtoken We must, must do something for them. Senator Brown, with his persistence and passion, has put together the right plan. We talk about numbers, sure, but behind those numbers are the faces of countless New Yorkers we see each and every day on mass transit, walking the streets, working among us. These folks are fine, hard-working people. All they want is a little dignity in their lives and ability to keep a roof over their heads
HONORING PLEASANT GREEN MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2020-7-1

. Madam , I rise today to honor Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church (PGBC), located at 505 East College Street, shepherded by Reverend Darrel McQuirter, as they celebrate 150 years of religious service in the Clinton, MS community. prgtoken On June 28, 1852, the First Baptist Church of Clinton was incorporated, ending that first year with fifty-six members, twenty- eight Whites and twenty-eight Blacks. For the first eight years, the congregation worshipped together on the Mississippi College campus in Clinton, MS. After the campus chapel was built in 1860, Blacks were allowed to worship independently in the chapel basement. Led by Mississippi College Professor Reverend T.A. Parrish and college president Walter Hillman, in 1867 a Sunday School was formed for the Black congregants. Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church was established in 1870 under the leadership of Reverend Dunbar, who was associated with Mississippi College. The college allowed Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church (PGBC) to meet on the Robinson's Athletic Field until property was purchased and a wood frame structure was built, incorporating stained glass windows at what is now 505 East College Street. As time progressed, a brick building with modern amenities was erected. prgtoken Currently, Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church (PGBC), acknowledges the struggles and accomplishments of the spirit-filled and faithful people and events of the past that have made a bright future for the current members. Now, the church's legacy continues, ever growing and building, while striving to keep all plans within God's will and reaching out to all people. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church (PGBC), as they celebrate 150 years of service.
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-7-1

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his extraordinary leadership on H.R. 2. prgtoken on the other side of the aisle, but I am urging a ``no'' vote on his amendment. We are in the midst of a national emergency caused by the coronavirus, and it is having a dire effect on the Postal Service. prgtoken Despite better-than-expected revenues in recent months, the Postal Service is still at risk of running out of money. It could be forced to cease operations if it does not receive financial assistance from the Federal Government soon. This amendment would eliminate the critical funding that the post office needs. prgtoken Throughout the pandemic, the Postal Service has continued to deliver lifesaving medications and vital supplies, especially to rural America. If the Postal Service ceases to exist, rural Americans will suffer the most, because it is the only delivery company that serves them. prgtoken If any issue should be bipartisan, it is this one, because the post office affects every American and is critical to many of us. The Postal Service helps bind us together and delivers to every address in the Nation, no matter how remote. prgtoken But the dedicated staff that braves the coronavirus pandemic every day cannot continue to do their job without reliable transportation or funding. We must fulfill our constitutional duty and act now to save the Postal Service. prgtoken I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to oppose this amendment.
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
Jesús G. "Chuy" García (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-7-1

I rise today to say a few words about the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise--or DBE--Program. While our progress toward equal opportunity for minority and women entrepreneurs has been slower than I would like, the DBE program is a big part of the reason we are at least moving in the right direction. In a recent study in my home State of Illinois, researchers examined business opportunities associated with the Pace Suburban Bus agency. This agency connects my district to the suburbs surrounding Chicago and also provides paratransit services to people with disabilities. This study didn't just examine Pace's own spending, but also examined how businesses in the broader Illinois construction market are faring. This is very important because Pace operates the DBE program which at least opens the door to businesses owned by women and minorities, while the broader construction market is dominated by the private sector which generally lacks such equal opportunity measures. The study performed regression analyses to determine what business earnings were for women and minority business owners even after adjusting for a number of factors such as education, age, occupation and industry. The results were startling: business earnings for Latino firm owners as compared to white male firm owners were 6 percent lower, for Asians they were 10 percent lower, for white women they were 19 percent lower, for Native Americans and African Americans, they were 26 percent lower. Pace Suburban Bus Disparity Study 2015, Colette Holt & Associates, 2015, at 96. These statistics make clear why it's so incredibly difficult for women and minorities to get ahead in business--and why the DBE Program is so necessary.
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
Elissa Slotkin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-7-1

. Madam , I rise in support of the Moving Forward Act as a critical investment in our Nation's infrastructure. prgtoken No matter where you stand politically, the state of our crumbling infrastructure is something that all people, and certainly all Michiganders, agree on. prgtoken The disastrous breaching of two major dams in my State last month is all you need to know. It is a cautionary tale for everyone. prgtoken We are in need of generational investment in our infrastructure, and this bill includes many of the priorities I have fought for for our district, including major money for high-speed broadband for all Americans, significant funds for upgrades to our schools, and $40 billion for clean water investment projects, including PFAS treatment. prgtoken I am also pleased that the House adopted two of my amendments which protect Michigan's most precious gifts, which is our waters and our water. prgtoken One of my amendments is directly related to an issue called Line 5, a pipeline in our beautiful Great Lakes. It prgtoken will require the Federal agency responsible for pipeline safety to share information related to pipeline leaks, damage, or disruption with relevant State and local governments. prgtoken This is enormously relevant, given the recent disruption of Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. The people of Michigan deserve to be sure of the safety of the pipeline. My amendment would make sure they have the relevant information. prgtoken Investing in our country's infrastructure can and should be a bipartisan issue. I urge my colleagues to support on both sides of the aisle.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-7-1

I come to the floor this morning on an issue that is topical. It is an issue that, over the last several days, has become a national centerpiece of conversation. prgtoken It reflects a decision of just a few days ago by the Supreme Court that rejected President 's efforts to repeal deportation protections for Dreamers--young immigrants who came to the United States as children. In an opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court held that the President's decision to rescind DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, was ``arbitrary and capricious.'' prgtoken It was 10 years ago that I joined with Senator Dick Lugar, of Indiana, on a bipartisan basis, to call on President and beg him to use his legal authority to protect Dreamers from deportation. President responded by creating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA. It provided for Dreamers temporary protection from deportation--2 years at a time--if they registered with the government, paid substantial fees, and passed criminal and national security background checks. More than 800,000 Dreamers came forward and received DACA protection. prgtoken DACA unleashed the full potential of these Dreamers, who are contributing to our Nation in a variety of ways--as soldiers, as teachers, as nurses, as small business owners. More than 200,000 DACA recipients are currently ``essential critical infrastructure workers.'' That is not my term. It is the way President 's Department of Homeland Security describes the work of these DACA recipients now-- 200,000 of them ``essential critical infrastructure workers.'' Among those DACA recipients, 41,700 of them are in the healthcare industry. This includes doctors, intensive care nurses, paramedics, and respiratory therapists. They are the healthcare heroes we salute, and at the same time, they are the DACA recipients this President loathes. prgtoken On September 5, 2017, President repealed DACA. Hundreds of thousands of Dreamers faced losing their work permits and faced being deported to countries many of them barely remembered, if they remembered at all. Thankfully, the Supreme Court stepped in and rejected that strategy by President . prgtoken What was the President's reaction? prgtoken To no surprise, the President responded by attacking the Court and threatening to try to repeal DACA, even again, in the closing months of his first term. prgtoken Congress must step in immediately. prgtoken After that Supreme Court decision, President tweeted, ``I have wanted to take care of DACA recipients better than the Do Nothing , but for two years they refused to negotiate.'' prgtoken Here is the reality. The President has rejected numerous bipartisan proposals to deal with DACA and the Dreamers. prgtoken May I be specific? prgtoken On February 15, 2018, the Senate considered bipartisan legislation that was offered by Republi
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2020-7-1

I came before the Chamber yesterday and made the case as to why Congress needs to begin negotiations on another COVID-19 emergency supplemental bill and to do it now. The needs are real. They are immediate. In fact, when the House passed the Heroes Act, we should have begun those negotiations in the first week after it had passed it, but we didn't. We should have begun the negotiations in the second week after it had passed it, but we didn't. We should have begun the negotiations in the third week after it had passed it, but we didn't--and the fourth and the fifth and the sixth. prgtoken Every day, I talk with Vermonters, sometimes hundreds at a time in statewide conference calls. From small businesses, to families, to schools, to hospitals, to Federal employees, I hear their urgent needs. So I want to talk today about just one of those urgent needs--funding for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS. prgtoken It plays an important role in our Nation's immigration system. It processes requests for immigration benefits, American citizenship, and it screens asylum seekers. The agency is staffed by more than 19,000 dedicated men and women across the country, including roughly 1,700 in my home State of Vermont. prgtoken Last Friday, furlough notices were sent out to 13,350 of the 19,000 USCIS employees. They are effective next month, on August 3. That is just 4 weeks from now. In Vermont, 1,111 men and women received this notice, which is over 65 percent of the USCIS workforce in Vermont. These are men and women who, day after day, do important work for the Nation. They have continued to do that work every day even during the COVID-19 pandemic. prgtoken And they have been told, even though they have been doing the work loyally and effectively, after August 3, a month from now, they can no longer do their job; they will no longer receive a paycheck. prgtoken Nationwide these are 13,350 new and urgent reasons why the Senate must act on our Nation's real and immediate needs, and the Senate majority must make that possible now. We have lost 6 weeks since the House acted on this. It is time the Senate acts. prgtoken I have been ringing the alarm bells for more than a month on this issue. We know that due to declining revenue, immigration-related application fees coming into USCIS, the agency is facing a budget shortfall of $1.2 billion, and the furlough notices that were suddenly sent out last week are the result of this shortfall. USCIS is simply saying they can't pay employees with revenues they do not have. prgtoken I would remind everybody the shortfall is not entirely due to COVID- 19. The agency has not lived within its budget for the last 3 years of this administration, and, frankly, the administration's mismanagement and extreme immigration policies have only worsened the situation. prgtoken As part of the President's efforts to erase our identity as a nation of immigra
SENATE NEEDS TO PASS HEROES ACT
Andy Levin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-7-1

I rise today because the coronavirus is winning. There are 2.5 million U.S. cases and more than 126,000 Americans dead. That is more than double the number of American lives lost during the Korean war, tens of thousands more than the two- decade Vietnam war, and 10,000 more than World War I. prgtoken The United States has 4.25 percent of the world's population but 25 percent of the COVID-19 deaths. Tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs or faced pay cuts. And in the coming weeks, economic lifelines passed by Congress that have cushioned the blows are going to expire. prgtoken It does not have to be this way. Right now, as I speak, the Senate is sitting on the HEROES Act, a bill that Majority Leader McConnell has refused to consider for more than 45 days. prgtoken What could have been done in those 45 days? prgtoken Moody's Analytics said: ``If quickly passed into law, the HEROES Act would provide a substantial boost to the economy during the second half of this year, when the economy is most vulnerable to the pandemic and at most risk of sliding back into recession. The legislation would also return the economy to full employment much more quickly.'' prgtoken Moody's also said: ``How well the economy does in the next several years depends critically on what lawmakers decide to do in the next few weeks.'' prgtoken That was more than a week ago, yet the Senate still refuses to pass a bill that puts money in the pockets of workers with a second round of direct payments to families, a bill with new payroll protection measures to keep 60 million workers connected with their jobs, a bill that extends weekly $600 Federal unemployment benefits through next January so families can pay their bills. prgtoken But HEROES isn't just a bill to provide relief from the pandemic; it is a bill to end it. HEROES contains $75 billion for more COVID-19 testing and contact tracing and $500 million to help our workforce system place new contact tracers, focusing specifically on Americans who are out of work and drawing from the communities they will work in with the diversity reflecting those unique communities and the language competencies necessary to serve them. prgtoken This last part is so important and a core piece of my Coronavirus Containment Corps Act, my bill with Senator Warren that is included in the HEROES Act in substantial part. prgtoken Last week, Dr. Fauci said that U.S. contact tracing isn't going well. Why? Well, Dr. Redfield, the CDC Director, says that we have 27,000 or 28,000 contact tracers when we need, in his own estimation, 100,000, and when other experts believe we may need double that. prgtoken We have public health departments that are underfunded. We have communities that, after decades of discrimination, are understandably weary of trusting health authorities. The Coronavirus Containment Core Act addresses every one of those issues. We have solutions ready. No single one of the solutions is a
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
Ayanna Pressley (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2020-7-1

I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, and thank my colleagues for their work on this legislation. prgtoken Our Nation's transportation and infrastructure policies play a critical role in building healthy and safe communities, but for far too long, they have perpetuated many of our most entrenched inequities. prgtoken My amendment would require us to examine how our Nation's transportation policies have impacted and targeted our most vulnerable. It is critical that we understand how transportation policies are criminalizing Black and Brown communities. prgtoken Specifically, we have seen violent enforcement of fare evasion policies and the discriminatory placement of speed cameras and other surveillance technology in our lowest income communities. prgtoken , this is a moment of reckoning. There is a multiracial, multigenerational movement that, for the last month, has been affirming that Black lives matter, demanding an end to racist systems and policies that disproportionately criminalize our Black and Brown neighbors. prgtoken We have a mandate to center justice in all of our policymaking. Our transportation policies are no exception. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2020-7-1

I rise to speak about the disturbing reporting regarding Russian efforts to harm Americans in Afghanistan through payments to the Taliban and the Haqqani network. This is deadly serious and we--the Congress and the American public--must get answers to a number of questions. prgtoken When did the United States first receive information suggesting that Russia was providing financial support to Taliban or HQN operatives to kill American troops? prgtoken What investigation has been done by DOD or intel agencies to corroborate the charge? prgtoken What investigations have been done into the deaths of U.S. troops in Afghanistan during the relevant time period to determine whether they might be linked to Russian payments? prgtoken Was information about this allegation contained in the President's daily briefing in late February? If so, why are the President and the White House maintaining so strongly that the President was never briefed? prgtoken When did the United States first brief allies--specifically, the United Kingdom--on the intelligence concerning the Russian bounty allegations? prgtoken What events led to an administrative interagency meeting on this topic in late March? prgtoken What options were explored at that meeting? Were any undertaken? prgtoken To the extent that there is a difference of opinion about the existence of such a program among U.S. agencies, what explains the differing conclusions? prgtoken Did President discuss the matter in any of the numerous phone prgtoken calls he had with Russian President Putin from late March through this month? prgtoken If the President knew of the concern, why did he persist in trying to get Russia invited as a participant to the G7 meeting to be held in the United States this fall? prgtoken Why hasn't the President condemned the existence of any such program or at least pledged that there would be serious consequences if such a program existed? prgtoken That Russia might behave in a hostile manner toward U.S. troops in Afghanistan would not be a surprise based upon Russia's track record of bad behavior all over the globe, but what has been surprising has been the administration's actions regarding this explosive allegation, and I believe the Senate must get to the bottom of it. prgtoken . prgtoken .
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021--Continued
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2020-7-1

. Senator Stabenow, it is a pleasure to be here with you in this fight for something as fundamental as hunger. As I was listening to the conversation, your words and our colleague's from Ohio, Sherrod Brown, who was speaking, and our colleague from Minnesota and partner from Oregon, I thought: How many Senators have experienced hunger this last week, the inability to have a meal? What is your sense of that?
INVESTING IN OUR NATION'S INFRASTRUCTURE
Lisa Blunt Rochester (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2020-7-1

I rise today in support of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. This infrastructure bill invests in our roads, bridges, transit systems, schools, housing, clean water systems, and so much more. prgtoken Importantly, it will create good-paying jobs, repair critical infrastructure, address the climate crisis, and create healthier and safer communities. I am proud that this bill includes key provisions that I championed in Congress, including repairing our natural gas pipelines to prevent methane leaks, investing in our public buildings to make them more energy efficient, and incentivizing our Nation's ports to reduce harmful emissions. These investments are a down payment on our Nation's future, and they will, indeed, help us move America forward. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of H.R. 2.