mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Filibuster (Executive Calendar)
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2021-6-23

my State proudly calls itself the Land of Steady Habits. Some people in Connecticut think it is kind of a funny thing to be proud of--being resistant to change--but honestly, in the Northeast, in the crucible of America, we know there is real value to consistency and tradition. prgtoken A nation as unique as ours--multicultural, democratic, ever expanding in scope and ambition--we probably can't hold together unless there is some agreement between all of our different peoples about the expectations that we have for each other in the conduct of our national business. Without tradition, our Nation's defining dynamism, it might break us. prgtoken Yes, it is wildly old-fashioned to hold town meetings, where every citizen has to show up on one particular day, to make decisions about how you spend money or what rates you pay in taxes, but that way of governing, created in New England some four centuries ago, is still the method of decisionmaking in many of our towns. It may not be the most efficient means of government, but tradition matters. It helps to hold us together as a country. prgtoken I know and appreciate the value of consistency. I don't deny it. So earlier this week, I read with interest an opinion piece, penned by one of my friends in the Senate ic caucus, making the argument that amongst the most important reasons to preserve the 60-vote threshold in the Senate is to advance the value of consistency and tradition in American politics. prgtoken I was glad to read it. I am proud of my colleague because for too long, the punditry and the activists have had near exclusive domain over the debate about the wisdom of changing the rules of this body. So it has been strange, given how much this place means to the 100 of us who serve here, that we have mostly left the dialogue over its future to those who don't work inside this Chamber every day. prgtoken Yes, right now, there is a disagreement amongst Senate and between the majority of Senate and the majority of Senate s about how the Senate should operate, but there is no merit in hiding this dispute. There is no valor in letting others define the terms that lay out the conflicting arguments, which I readily submit are compelling on both sides. So let's have the debate. Let's have it right here. No more shadowboxing. The stakes, I would argue, are too important. prgtoken Let me start here. The argument to keep the 60-vote threshold, to guarantee policy consistency or to uphold Senate tradition, is downright dangerous because this argument essentially prioritizes consistency over democracy. prgtoken At the very moment when Americans have less faith than ever before that this place has the capacity to implement the will of the people, the 60-vote threshold is a slap in the face of majoritarianism, which is the bedrock principal of American democracy, the idea that the majority of people get to prgtoken decide t
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2021-6-23

reserving the right to object, right now, experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are continuing to update their mask requirements based on the latest developments, including requirements related to travel. They need us to be reinforcing their science-based work to keep people safe, not overruling it. prgtoken We cannot pretend this pandemic is over. This virus is still spreading; it is still mutating; it is still costing lives; and it is still leaving survivors with long-haul symptoms. And the new Delta variant is more contagious, more likely to send people to the hospital, and already in our country. prgtoken We have made great progress on vaccinations, but there are still people who are not vaccinated, as well as people who cannot yet get vaccinated. We know masks remain a simple, effective way to protect everyone, especially in small crowded spaces--in an airplane, on a bus, or a train. prgtoken Getting rid of mask requirements for travel before the experts tell us it is safe to do so is not going to get people to their destinations any faster, and it is not going to end this pandemic any faster. Instead, it will draw things out. It will cost time, and it will cost lives. To get everyone safely through this pandemic, we need to listen to the experts and let them do their jobs; therefore, I object.
RECOGNIZING FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE NEW JERSEY OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND PREPAREDNESS JARED MAPLES ON HIS RETIREMENT
Andy Kim (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2021-6-23

. Madam , I rise today to honor former Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Jared Maples on his retirement. prgtoken Director Maples retirement from public service is much deserved. Prior to working at New Jersey's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, Director Maples served his country for over a decade at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.S. Department of Defense. prgtoken As Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security, Jared Maples committed himself to making life safer for all residents of New Jersey. He led New Jersey's counterterrorism efforts, and cybersecurity efforts and served as a critical link in New Jersey's COVID-19 response. Director Maples was a staunch advocate for the interfaith community and worked hard to ensure that they remained safe from bias crimes. I was honored to participate on numerous events with Director Maples and found him to be an individual who truly cares about the safety and well-being of all residents in my district and throughout New Jersey. prgtoken I commend Director Maples for his work, and I know I speak on behalf of my constituents when I say congratulations.
Joseph D. Morelle (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-6-23

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , I want to just talk for a moment about H.R. 239, the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act, which is actually before us today. Although some might want to make this debate about other issues, it is not. prgtoken Comprehensive healthcare for women, including access to contraception, is critically important. Access to contraception is an economic issue. It helps people stay in the workforce, earn wages, support stronger families. It has even been shown to lift women out of poverty. prgtoken Even relatively small copays have been found to be a barrier to accessing contraception. Costs associated with contraception result in women foregoing it completely, choosing less effective methods, or using it inconsistently. prgtoken Congress eliminated copays for contraception as part of the Affordable Care Act. And, as I said, for members of the Defense Department, for people in military service, there is no copay. It is time we did the same for those brave women who entered armed services and now are veterans. prgtoken We also want to make sure that we have equal access. Women represent the fastest growing subpopulation of veterans in the Nation, yet they lack access to the basic preventative healthcare needs like contraception. prgtoken So I want to make sure that we focus on what is before us, the bills before the House, what this conversation is about, and not to be distracted by things not before us and part of an extreme agenda. prgtoken This is a simple issue. It has passed by voice vote in the last Congress, and it is not clear to me what has changed. This is an important issue for women all across America, and we owe that to our veterans to make sure that they don't have additional barriers to contraception that no one else in American has. prgtoken Madam , .
Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar (Executive Session)
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2021-6-23

I rise today in support of two critical nominations: Jen Easterly's nomination to be the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency--commonly referred to as CISA--within the Department of Homeland Security, as well as Robin Carnahan to be the Administrator of the General Services Administration, or GSA. prgtoken Our country is under attack. Nation-state actors and criminal organizations are relentlessly targeting our government, critical infrastructure, and key industries to infiltrate networks, steal information, conduct espionage, and demand ransom payments. prgtoken These cyber attacks pose a serious threat to our national security. As we saw from the SolarWinds hack, as well as the Colonial Pipeline and JBS ransomware attacks, cyber criminals are constantly looking to exploit cyber security vulnerabilities and find the weakest link. We must be vigilant about preventing these attacks, and we need a strong, coordinated approach from across the Federal Government to better secure America's networks. That means the Senate needs to confirm qualified cyber security nominees so that they can get to work immediately. prgtoken CISA is the lead domestic Agency for cyber security in the Federal Government. It is responsible for ensuring that Federal Departments and Agencies--our private sector critical infrastructure partners--and the American people have the resources to detect, to withstand, and to respond to cyber attacks. GSA provides a wide range of support to Agencies across the government. One of GSA's key functions is to provide funding and expertise to help Agencies both modernize and secure their IT systems and their networks. We need Senate-confirmed leadership at the top of these critical Agencies, and we need it today. prgtoken Ms. Easterly has served for over three decades in the Federal Government and the private sector. prgtoken Since 2017, Ms. Easterly has led the operations center for Morgan Stanley's cyber defense strategy. She was also a critical member of the Cyber Solarium Commission, which has made 80 recommendations for cyber deterrence, 25 of which have already become law. prgtoken Prior to joining the private sector, Ms. Easterly served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism, the Deputy for Counterterrorism at the National Security Agency, and was instrumental in the design and creation of the U.S. Cyber Command. prgtoken On top of all of these incredible accomplishments, Ms. Easterly is a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star and retired from the U.S. Army after more than 20 years of service in intelligence in cyber operations. prgtoken Ms. Easterly is more than qualified for this position, and this body needs to confirm her nomination today to lead CISA. prgtoken Every day that this body delays confirming critical leaders like Ms. Easterly and Ms. Carnahan leaves our Federal system and our Nation vulnerable to
JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-6-23

now on another matter, this week, the Senate will continue restoring balance to the Federal courts by considering more of President 's judicial appointments. prgtoken Over the next 2 days, we will consider Deborah Boardman to serve as district judge in Maryland and Candace Jackson-Akiwumi to serve as judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Together, Ms. Boardman and Ms. Jackson-Akiwumi have had over 20 years of experience as Federal defenders. prgtoken I believe that bringing professional diversity as well as personal diversity to the bench should be and is now a top priority. There are plenty of former prosecutors and corporate lawyers wearing black robes. It is time that some voting rights attorneys, civil rights attorneys, and former Federal defenders, like these two nominees, bring their perspectives to the bench. prgtoken A final vote on Ms. Boardman's nomination will come this afternoon, and then we will proceed to the nomination of Ms. Jackson-Akiwumi, which we will finish before the end of the week. Again, the Senate will not leave for the week until we finish considering these judges. The ic majority in the Senate will continue to swiftly fill judicial vacancies. prgtoken On a related note, today, Chairman Peters will ask the Senate to approve two critical cyber security nominees: Jen Easterly to be the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Robin Carnahan to be the Administrator of the GSA. Both of these Agencies play a critical role in our Nation's cyber security. prgtoken The threat of ransomware attacks and other cyber crimes is on the rise from State actors as well as cyber bandits who were given sanctuary by our adversaries. We need people at the helm on these important Agencies to focus on hardening our Nation's cyber security. This should be a completely nonpartisan issue, and my friends should not object
NATION-BUILDING HERE AT HOME
Brian Higgins (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-6-23

. Madam , I rise today in support of the Innovation Centers Acceleration Act, introduced by my friend and colleague, Joe Morelle. prgtoken This bill creates an $80 billion national competition that could direct new resources for communities like Rochester, Buffalo, and western New York to foster innovation and create new jobs and opportunities. prgtoken I am also a cosponsor of the Endless Frontiers Act, a version which passed the Senate with the support of our Senators, that would create similar opportunities and competition. prgtoken For too long, Congress has lacked the vision to nation-build here at home. Now we can enact a plan to compete with China and foster new opportunity and growth. prgtoken Groups like the Northland Workforce Training Center, the M&T Bank's technology hub, and the Thomas Beecher Innovation Center are leading the way in creating tech ecosystems in my region. prgtoken Enacting this bill could help propel these entities to achieve their full potential for the benefit of the entire community that could last for generations. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
HONORING FORMER CONGRESSMAN PAUL MITCHELL
Dean Phillips (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2021-6-23

from Michigan and all my friends for this Special Order hour. prgtoken Paul, you might not know this, but you are an important mentor of mine, one of the most important mentors I have had in my brief career in this Chamber. You represent the very most precious and sometimes rare of attributes in the U.S. Congress, and that is principle. prgtoken You are a man of principle at a time when our country needs that and you more than ever. You are a man of great intelligence and success and decency and empathy and honesty and integrity. prgtoken I remember my first conversation with Paul, we were speaking about higher education. And it was that conversation that reminded me that we can learn so much more from people of different perspectives than we do from those who are cut from the same cloth. prgtoken And when Paul made the difficult but very principled decision to become an Independent at the end of his career here in Congress, he wrote a letter to the House Clerk to announce the change in affiliation, and the last line of the letter read: ``While admittedly symbolic, we all know that symbols matter. We all know that symbols matter.'' prgtoken And when you retired from Congress, Paul, you said: ``I can't begin to express to you how difficult it is to say something like `I am done' because I have never been done before.'' prgtoken And let me tell you, my friend, you are not done yet, and we sure as heck are not done with you. We love you, Paul, and America joins me in sending our love to you and yours as well.
PROTECTING OLDER WORKERS AGAINST DISCRIMINATION ACT OF 2021
Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2021-6-23

1 minute. prgtoken , there are two amendments in this en bloc amendment. prgtoken Mr. Brown has offered an amendment to require the EEOC to submit an annual report to Congress on the number of age discrimination claims brought under this act. prgtoken Ms. Williams has offered an amendment to require the EEOC to submit a report to Congress on any remaining disparities faced by workers pursuing relief under the mixed motive standard whose cases were covered by the ADEA, as well as other antidiscrimination laws. prgtoken , .
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-6-23

I won't speak long, but I wanted to echo the comments of our distinguished Judiciary chairman, because I have had a similar experience. prgtoken As we were going through COVID, I was hearing from our domestic violence groups in Rhode Island that two things were happening at once. Instances were going up. People were trapped together. It was very difficult to find sanctuary houses to go to, and the experience of domestic violence was soaring. And while that was going on, the funding coming into these agencies through VOCA was declining. prgtoken Now there is a pretty simple--well, first let me thank the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sojourner House, which provides sanctuary services, and Progreso Latino, which works in this space in our Latino community, for their great work. There are a lot of organizations in this space, and I want to start by appreciating them. prgtoken The problem has nothing to do with domestic violence or domestic violence victims as to the money. The problem is that more and more of these cases are resolved by deferred prosecution and nonprosecution agreements, but the funding for VOCA comes out of criminal sentences, criminal prosecutions. So because of that change in the way these cases are treated--which is actually a good thing, generally--the money is diverted, and, as a result, the Crime Victims Fund has reached its lowest level in 10 years. prgtoken The victim assistance grants in Rhode Island fell 50 percent--5-0 percent--cut in half from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2021, from $7.6 million to $3.8 million, which means that many of these local organizations that put their heart and soul into protecting these victims at the worst time in their lives have to deal with 50-percent cuts. prgtoken This is simple. It will allow monetary penalties in those deferred prosecutions and nonprosecution agreements to flow the same way they flow when traditional prosecutions take place. prgtoken This is endorsed across the board. This is as noncontroversial as you get--56 State and Territorial attorneys general, more than 1,700 local, Tribal, State, regional, and national advocacy, government, and law enforcement organizations. prgtoken Just this year, $545 million has been lost to the VOCA fund because we haven't corrected this. So I would echo my chairman's remarks and urge my friend, the Senator from Pennsylvania, to find another point of leverage, another fulcrum, for his efforts to solve unrelated problems, but let this problem be solved and let these victims be served. prgtoken .
REMEMBERING JAMES TIMOTHY ``MUDCAT'' GRANT, JR.
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2021-6-23

last week, America lost a baseball legend, a pioneer in civil rights, Jim ``Mudcat'' Grant. prgtoken He joined the Cleveland Indians in 1958. He spent 14 years in the Major Leagues. I remember watching him play when I was a kid growing up in Cleveland in the 1960s. prgtoken Cleveland has been, more than any other franchise, perhaps, a pioneer for change in baseball. Cleveland had the first Black player in the American League, Larry Doby, Hall of Famer. He came into the league only about 2 months after Jackie Robinson integrated the National League. Cleveland had the first Black manager, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. Cleveland also had ``Mudcat'' Grant, who refused to be silent in the face of segregated hotels and racist slurs and discrimination from management. prgtoken Grant was an accomplished singer with a beautiful voice. He organized the singing group ``Mudcat and the Kittens'' to make up the income he was denied that other players had, that White players had, in advertising and endorsements. Companies wouldn't hire a Black player. They toured the country during the off-season, performing with Johnny Carson and in places a little less known. prgtoken I remember Grant in later years serving as an announcer for Cleveland Indian games with a southern drawl that was unmistakable. prgtoken He didn't just use that voice, though, for entertainment or commentating on plays; he used it to speak out for civil rights. prgtoken During the national anthem at one game, predating Colin Kaepernick, Mudcat Grant--in the 1960s, before civil rights and voting rights had passed this Congress, he said this during the national anthem. He said: This land is not free. I can't even go to Mississippi and sit down at a lunch counter. prgtoken A Major League Baseball player. prgtoken In 1958, he and his White teammate Gary Bell roomed together for away games, becoming the first time--players, in those days, when they were paid less than management, charged less, whatever, players roomed together. Two players would room together. Gary Bell and Mudcat Grant were the first Black and White roommates in the major leagues in 1958. prgtoken While running for President, Senator John F. Kennedy invited Mudcat Grant to breakfast. Grant didn't hold back. He talked openly with Senator Kennedy, with the future President, about the poverty he grew up in, the racism he endured every day--this was 1960--as a Major League Baseball player. prgtoken Of course, it wasn't only his activism we remember Mudcat Grant for. We know his talent on the field. He was Minor League's Rookie of the Year in 1954, only 7 years after baseball was integrated. prgtoken In 1965, he was the first Black player to win 20 games in the American League. He should have been the first, but listen to this: For years, major league managers conspired to prevent Black pitchers from becoming 20-game winners. That almost doesn't make sense. prgtoken Well, Grant said
RETAIN ACT
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-6-23

. As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the leader, the Senate Armed Services Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 1520 and the Senate proceed to its consideration; that there be 2 hours of debate, equally divided in the usual form, and that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on the bill with no intervening action or debate.