mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 8404, RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT
Chip Roy (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-12-7

obviously, I rise in opposition to the rule. I made my position clear in the Committee on Rules earlier this week, and I think it is very much a position held by a large number of my colleagues. prgtoken It is a shame that we are sitting here debating the institution of marriage but without actual debate. We are here, we are going to debate this rule, it will be a few minutes, and then boom, we are going to go vote. We are not going to have any real debate on this tomorrow either. prgtoken I offered an amendment in the Committee on Rules, an amendment to add protections for religious liberty, and it was killed on a budget point of order, a budget point of order that it said would cost around $500,000 or more. For what? For damages that an individual American might receive if successful in challenging the Department of Justice if their rights were being infringed. prgtoken Let me be clear. It was going to be killed on a point of order out of the Committee on Rules because it could be successful in protecting the rights of Americans, when you have got a piece of legislation that has a private right of action put into it, a sword to be used against the American people if they exercise their closely held religious beliefs. And that is the truth. prgtoken It is a bill that was passed off of this floor with no hearing in the House Committee on the Judiciary, sent to the Senate in July, with no protection for religious liberty in it, and then provisions were added in the Senate to provide some very bare minimum, narrow religious liberty protections, only for the solemnization of marriage. prgtoken When an individual tries to offer an amendment to try to protect the rights of all Americans to be free from persecution--if, for example, you are a school, a religious school, that might not want to hire somebody in a same-sex marriage because it is against your closely held religious beliefs, you might have to litigate that now. The response by the other side is: Oh, my gosh, the Constitution exists; oh, my gosh, RFRA, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, exists. prgtoken So the shield that people had before is now the thing that you have to go litigate in court and hire lawyers to defend yourself for exercising your closely held religious beliefs against the prgtoken sword that this legislation provides. That is the truth of what we are dealing with here. prgtoken We offered an amendment in good faith, just like Senator Mike Lee did, a bipartisan amendment, by the way. We are getting no debate, no ability to offer that amendment on the floor, no ability to have a debate on that amendment, no ability to actually have a conversation about the free exercise of religion and protecting people's closely held religious beliefs. prgtoken That is why people are sick of this institution. We do not debate. We do not amend. We simply jam stuff through the Committee on Rules and then we walk away and go give speeches on the steps. Th
Ukraine (Executive Calendar)
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-12-7

I come to the floor for the 27th consecutive week since the invasion of Ukraine to give another update to the American people on the brutal, illegal, and totally unprovoked attack by Russia on its neighbor Ukraine. This is at a time when brave Ukrainian freedom fighters continue to successfully fend off the third largest army in the world. prgtoken What Russia thought was going to be a weeklong invasion, successfully occupying Ukraine, is now past the 9-month mark. Against all odds, Ukraine has not only survived, but they have pushed back a much larger Russian army--more than half of the land that Russia occupied in Ukraine. Remember, they were all up here in the area of Kyiv and all down here. More than half of the land has been liberated already. prgtoken Here in the northeast part of Ukraine, near Kharkiv, in this province, the Kharkiv Oblast, the Ukrainian forces continue to make progress pushing back against the Russian forces. prgtoken It has been slow--a combination of things. One is, it is mud season. It is very difficult for them to get through the mud with their armored vehicles. The second is, the Russian forces who were pushed back from here in September have now dug in along this line. So it is slower going, but they continue to fight. prgtoken They are continuing with the momentum that started when they took over Kharkiv. prgtoken Further south, near Bakhmut--and Bakhmut is in this area, and I was actually in Bakhmut back in 2018 at the so-called line of contact-- there is very intense fighting going on. This is where you have had months and months of fierce combat, lots of artillery. It has turned this area, the Bakhmut area where I was, into a battlefield reminiscent of what you might have seen during World War II--just total destruction, as you can see from this photograph. prgtoken This is the Bakhmut area today. There you have the Russian forces, mostly the Wagner Group, which is a mercenary group, making steady but very slow progress. Ukraine has made them pay dearly for every meter, but that is, again, kind of in that central part of eastern Ukraine. prgtoken In the south of Ukraine, near Kherson, they have also made good progress. You can see here in the blue where the Ukrainian forces, in the fall, earlier this fall, were able to liberate parts of occupied Ukraine. prgtoken This is an interesting area. I think it is relatively quiet right now. We had a briefing today about that. But I don't think it is going to stay quiet for long. This is an area to watch. There are already reports of Ukrainian raids, actually, on a small peninsula there. prgtoken This is a little closer look at this. Ukrainian raids have now been made on this peninsula which goes out into the Black Sea. Also, we know that Ukrainian forces have crossed the river here, the Dnipro River, and planted Ukrainian flags on the other side of the river, letting the Russians know they are not safe in this region; this
RECOGNIZING THE HARKNESS HOTEL
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2022-12-7

as a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each month I recognize and celebrate the American entrepreneurial spirit by highlighting the success of a small business in my home State of Idaho. Today, I am pleased to honor the Harkness Hotel as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for December 2022. prgtoken Aaron and Arianne Hunsaker opened the Harkness Hotel in July 2014. The Harkness Hotel was a personal project for the couple, who decided to move from Washington, DC, back to Aaron's home State and open a luxury hotel after they stayed in a memorable but mediocre establishment for their honeymoon. prgtoken They searched statewide for a historic building to renovate, before finally purchasing the old McCammon Investment Company in 2013. Built in 1906, the McCammon Investment Company was located less than a block away from the original Harkness Hotel, lost in a fire over 100 years ago. The Hunsakers drew inspiration from the legacy of the Harkness Hotel and set out to transform the old bank--which included apartments, a general mercantile store, and a post office--into an award-winning boutique hotel. prgtoken The Harkness Hotel blends the historic beauty of the past with modern comforts with an on-site spa and salon for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. Both ran and designed by the Hunsaker family, the Harkness Hotel serves as a symbol of pride for the McCammon community and highlights Idaho's natural beauty and genuine hospitality. prgtoken Congratulations to the Hunsakers and all of the employees at the Harkness Hotel for being selected as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for December 2022. Thank you for serving Idaho as small business owners and entrepreneurs. You make our great State proud, and I look forward to your continued growth and success.
SUPPORTING MEDICARE PROVIDERS
Pete Sessions (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-12-7

as we end this session of Congress in the next few weeks, I remind all Members we are acutely aware that without congressional action, the entire healthcare clinician community faces a cumulative Medicare payment cut in reduction of approximately 8.5 percent on January 1, 2023. prgtoken Without congressional action, these cuts will continue to drive hospital consolidation, limit patient access, and harm physicians' ability to run their own small businesses. prgtoken These outdated cuts in a time when considerable stress is placed upon physicians has meant that they are affected. They are affected because of the costs that they have on their business. prgtoken So at a time when we look for this access and the care for our most vulnerable populations, it is up to Congress to make sure that we pass H.R. 8800, the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022.
REPUBLICAN CONTROL WILL PROVIDE ACCOUNTABILITY AND PRODUCE RESULTS
Mike Johnson (Republican, LA) \u2014 2022-12-7

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for fitting into the hour and honoring Mayor Keith McDonald. He sounds like a faithful public servant and one I wish I had the pleasure of knowing. We commend him on his long public service, and it is fitting that we do that on the night that we are bidding farewell soon to our friend and colleague, Congressman Louie Gohmert, as well. prgtoken These are the kind of faithful public servants that the Founding Fathers had in mind, that they would serve selflessly for a long tenure and give themselves to their community. prgtoken Madam , I know the clock has wound up and I am out of time, and .
National Defense Authorization Act (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-12-7

yesterday evening, the Senate and House Armed Services Committee released its strong, bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act. prgtoken As s have said for months, and I repeated yesterday, our servicemembers, commanders, and civilian leaders should not have had to wait until mid-December to gain certainty for a fiscal year that is already more than 2 months over. We have to take our national defense military modernization, and defense industrial base as seriously as our rivals take theirs. prgtoken Fortunately, this strong, bipartisan NDAA is a huge step in that direction. The bill tees up a significant and badly needed increase in defense funding--$45 billion above President 's insufficient request and roughly $75 billion over last year's level. Once again, Congress agreed on a bipartisan basis that President 's defense budget request was anemic and insufficient. prgtoken This NDAA authorizes crucial projects like nuclear modernization. It directs critical investments in our defense industrial base so America can both defend ourselves and remain the arsenal of democracy for the world. It delivers for our servicemembers, their families, and our military installations and communities around the country. prgtoken Thanks to the leadership from our colleague Senator Blackburn, among others, this NDAA will repeal the President's military vaccine mandate--a policy which this ic administration had stubbornly clung to, even as it had clearly undermined readiness and hurt retention. prgtoken And just as s insisted, just as our servicemembers deserve, this NDAA is not getting dragged down by unrelated liberal nonsense. Good, smart policies were kept in, and unrelated nonsense, like easier financing for illegal drugs, was kept out. prgtoken I am glad this ic-led Congress finally realized that defending America is a basic governing duty. It is not some priority that can demand unrelated goodies to be wheedled into. prgtoken Neither party, let alone a sitting President's party, can ever have the mindset that they need to be goaded or bartered into supporting our troops. We made it clear we wouldn't be going down that road; our ic colleagues finally accepted it; and Senators Reed and Inhofe did a great job landing the plane. prgtoken Now, that same lesson must carry over into our subsequent conversations about government funding. must be ready to actually fund the national defense, which this bipartisan NDAA authorizes. prgtoken Just like on this bill, neither party has any standing to demand unrelated goodies in exchange for doing our job and funding defense. And let's hope this new acceptance of reality also helps shape President 's next defense budget request. We have yet to see a proposed budget from this administration that takes growing threats very seriously. prgtoken Why do bipartisan majorities in Congress
HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES EXPAND EXPORTS
Young Kim (Republican, CA) \u2014 2022-12-7

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 8844, the STEP Improvement Act of 2022. prgtoken I was proud to join Representatives Flood, Evans, and Newman to introduce this bill to help our small businesses expand exports and reach new markets. prgtoken The STEP Improvement Act would reauthorize the State trade and export program from fiscal year 2023 to 2026, for 3 more years, and improve the program by streamlining the application process for small businesses and implementing strong metrics so the program works as intended. prgtoken Since STEP's creation in 2011, my home State of California has received $8.5 million in STEP funding, helping more than 1,200 small businesses create jobs and generate more than $85 million in export sales. That is 10 times the return on our investment. prgtoken , I thank all of my colleagues who helped to pass this legislation yesterday in the House.
RECOGNIZING JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE
Mitt Romney (Republican, UT) \u2014 2022-12-7

I rise today to honor Jewish Family Service on their remarkable sesquicentennial celebration, an organization whose spirited generosity and longstanding charity continues to benefit the health and well-being of our Utah communities. prgtoken Over two decades before Utah statehood, a group of Jewish women founded the Hebrew Women's Benevolent Society in 1872. During this time, many families journeyed West to escape persecution and build new lives, often with little to no resources. With open arms, the Hebrew Women's Benevolent Society welcomed new arrivals at their most vulnerable and ensured that their critical needs were met. prgtoken The organization abides by the same selfless mission today as Jewish Family Service, still grounded in the traditional values of tikkun olam, kavod, and tzedek--repair the world, honor, and justice. These values translate into action while the group runs food pantries, provides senior care, and offers mental health counseling to anyone in need, regardless of religious affiliation or financial means. prgtoken Today, we recognize and thank Jewish Family Service for their outstanding and indelible impact on Utahns as they continue to inspire us to turn outward and serve our brothers and sisters.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican, MS) \u2014 2022-12-7

I am pleased to commend Mr. Bill Cotter for his service and contributions to the State of Mississippi in his 23 years of service with the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. prgtoken Bill is retiring as CEO, but his record of leadership with the commission extends well beyond his latest role. In addition to CEO, Bill has served as the director of Stennis International Airport, as well as the chief operations officer for the facility as a whole, which includes the airport, its surrounding commercial property, and the Port Bienville Industrial Park, located on the Pearl River in southwest Mississippi. prgtoken While advancing into greater positions of responsibility, Bill's guidance helped the Hancock Port and Harbor Commission meet challenges head-on and achieve enormous success. As airport director, Bill led Stennis Airport's recovery from Hurricane Katrina, and he coordinated the tasks necessary for transitioning the airfield into a disaster response staging area during the BP Deepwater Horizon crisis. prgtoken Bill's contributions to the agency are also felt through his project management undertakings. Since 2005, Bill has overseen nearly $40 million in capital improvements at Stennis International Airport, which have proved invaluable in enabling the facility to serve as a resource in meeting the aviation needs of both the military, businesses, and industry. prgtoken The Port and Harbor Commission's maritime business has also thrived under Bill's leadership. During his tenure as chief operating officer, existing docks at Port Bienville were refurbished and improved, and construction is underway on a new 600-foot dock. prgtoken The Hancock Port and Harbor Commission has consistently fulfilled its economic development mission, and Bill is a big reason why. Through his efforts, numerous companies have located on commission properties, including the U.S. Department of Defense contractor Tyonek Service Group, which performs a wide range of aircraft service operations and has been a vital catalyst in the success of the Stennis International Airport in attracting and serving military customers. prgtoken In conclusion, the value provided by Hancock Port and Harbor Commission has been made more appealing through Bill's leadership and hard work. The resulting economic growth and development is felt on multiple layers throughout Hancock County and has brought about a quality of life revered by residents and visitors alike. prgtoken With his retirement from the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission, I thank Bill Cotter for his long and dedicated service to Hancock County, my State, and our Nation. I wish him a retirement filled with opportunities for him and his wife to spend time with their children and grandchildren.
ESG Regulations (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-12-7

when it comes to the actions of a party or a Presidential administration, legislation sometimes grabs the lion's share of the attention. But it is equally important to pay attention to what a Presidential administration does with its regulatory power, and the administration has been characterized by a lot of deeply troubling regulations. prgtoken The so-called Inflation Reduction Act may be ' most prominent Green New Deal effort, but the administration's radical environmental agenda doesn't stop there. The President has also been using regulations to push through ' Green New Deal fantasies, and these ill-considered, overreaching regulations could have serious consequences. prgtoken Later today, I will be sending a letter to the President about the attempts to use financial and securities regulators, like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve, to push through environmental, social, and governance--or what are referred to as ESG--regulations that seek to choke off investment to essential industries like oil and natural gas and American farms and ranches. Notable among these is the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed climate disclosure rule, which would require publicly traded companies to disclose information not only about their own emissions but also about the greenhouse gas emissions of their suppliers and even their customers. It would also require companies to determine the effects of climate-related risks on each line item of their consolidated financial statements. prgtoken Well, to start off with, this rule is obviously unworkable. Companies have zero control over the emissions of their suppliers and customers and little to no ability to accurately gauge those emissions. But the most serious aspect of this proposed rule is the fact that it represents a clear effort to coerce companies to sever ties with certain industries--notably, of course, the conventional energy industry, but also with other industries like agriculture. prgtoken It is hardly the only regulatory action of its kind proposed by the administration. The Department of Labor just finalized a rule that would in practice require pension fiduciaries to consider climate change and ESG factors when making investment decisions, irrespective of their pecuniary relevance. prgtoken The Federal Reserve, which I believe has zero business inserting itself into debates over climate policy, recently established a pilot program to analyze climate-related financial risks for the Nation's largest banks, something that clearly--clearly--exceeds the Fed's statutory authority. prgtoken Similarly, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Fed have issued draft principles for large banks on ``climate-related financial risk management.'' prgtoken And the list goes on. prgtoken Private companies, of course, have the right to
FIRE VICTIMS TRUST
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2022-12-7

. Throughout California there are tens of thousands of residents who lost their homes, their belongings, and, for some, even their loved ones due to wildfires. prgtoken In 2020, the fire victims trust was established to compensate survivors of the 2015 Butte, the 2017 North Bay, and the 2018 Camp fires with a total of $13.5 billion of settlement award money. prgtoken Survivors have waited years for compensation to rebuild their lives, and they have long awaited these funds. Instead, to add insult, many of them are facing immense tax burdens and navigating the uncertainty of our ambiguous tax code trying to find concrete answers of how much they may or may not owe the Government in taxes. prgtoken We should not force survivors to pay Federal taxes on compensation they would otherwise use to rebuild their lives, and we certainly should not be forcing them to pay taxes on funds that are going to the lawyers involved as well. prgtoken Congressman Mike Thompson and I have introduced H.R. 7305 to correct this injustice. I am urging all my colleagues in the House to support this bipartisan legislation and bring much-needed financial reprieve to these wildfire survivors. prgtoken They shouldn't have to live with this uncertainty over their heads. This needs to be passed by the end of this year.