mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Alex Padilla (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-3-5

I rise today in support of working men and women across the country, and I am proud to stand with Senator Sanders, who has been a champion for working people. prgtoken Let me be clear: Raising the minimum wage is COVID relief. The COVID- 19 pandemic has highlighted the immense underlying inequities in our Nation. It has also driven home how important essential workers are to our society and to our economy. prgtoken Millions of Americans do essential work but are not paid a living wage. They work as home health aides, assisting elderly family members to meet their basic needs with dignity. They produce our food, stock our grocery shelves, keep facilities clean and safe, care for our children, and so much more, so that we can go to work. prgtoken They are on the frontlines of this pandemic, risking their health, yet still struggling to keep themselves and their families healthy. They shouldn't also have to struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table. prgtoken Both of my parents worked jobs that are considered essential today. For 40 years, my father worked as a short-order cook. For the same 40 years, my mom was a domestic worker. And it is people like them all over America who work hard, with dignity, yet still struggle to make ends meet. That is not the American dream--far from it. prgtoken It is finally time that Congress does something about it. There is strong bipartisan support throughout the country for raising the minimum wage. I am proud to say that my home State of California has been a leader in the fight for 15, and just this past year, the voters of Florida--yes, Florida, the State that voted for not once but twice--approved a $15 minimum wage by a 20-point margin. That is because it is Americans, both and s, who know that one of the most straightforward ways we can help working people is by raising the Federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. prgtoken Now, California is a big State. We are a very diverse State, full of diverse communities, with local variations in cost of living and local business conditions, just like the rest of the country. And let me tell you, the sky did not fall when California enacted a $15 minimum wage. prgtoken Now, I know some of our colleagues have argued that raising the Federal minimum wage would reduce employment opportunities for American workers. The facts show otherwise. Forty years of studies have found little to no significant impact of wage increases on employment levels. prgtoken Some of our colleagues have also argued that eliminating the tipped minimum wage nationwide would harm earnings for workers. That also has not happened. Again, research has found that eliminating the tipped minimum wage has no significant impact on employment. prgtoken At the same time, median hourly wages for tipped workers are higher in equal treatment States like California compared to those with a tipped minimum wage. <|p|
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-3-5

I oppose this motion to recommit. This moves us in the wrong direction. prgtoken We have had bipartisan support recognizing that those who have been convicted of crime, once they paid their price, should be able to participate in our society. prgtoken The motion to recommit would suggest that someone who may have participated in a rally while they were in college 15 years ago and has a perfectly clear record could be prevented from participating in the SBA programs. That is moving in the wrong direction. I hope we would have strong rejection of this amendment. prgtoken , I want to correct the record or at least clarify the record for Senator Lankford. He raised the point in regard to administrative funds being made available to the SBA. There was a small amount, $70 million, put into the program. That is additional funds. prgtoken The EIDL loan program is $200 billion worth of loans, so it is a much larger program, and that was just some additional funds that were being put into the program.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2021-3-5

for 1 minute. prgtoken , knowing how much my colleagues on the other side love unelected bureaucrats, I want to make sure it is clear that this was a unilateral decision made by an unelected bureaucrat to change the way hospitals are compensated. And the result, at least in my State, is that our hospitals are paid 25 cents per dollar less than the hospital right across the border in Massachusetts and 30 cents per dollar less than the hospital right across the border 20 minutes down the road in Connecticut. prgtoken Dr. Barrasso and Dr. Cassidy can understand that a 25-percent hit in hospitals that close together, a 30-percent hit between hospitals that close together, is ridiculous. prgtoken And my friends on the Finance Committee will remember me showing this graph to every Health and Human Services witness who showed up.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2021-3-5

every time banks need help and every time large corporate interests need help, this body rises to the occasion, but when it is a bunch of workers or a bunch of small businesses, we are going to turn our backs? Unions, chambers of commerce, and small businesses--pretty much everyone--agree we need to get this done. prgtoken I have listened for years to my colleagues' speeches extolling the value of hard work and the virtues of small businesses. This is your chance, my friends, to live up to your own words and help these workers. prgtoken In collective bargaining, they negotiate at the bargaining table. They gave up money today to put money in pensions for the future. If you support working Americans, vote no on this motion. Let's pass a solution which actually honors the dignity of work.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-3-5

I share my colleague's interest in supporting the men and women at Customs and Border Protection, but this amendment does the opposite. In fact, what it does is strip them of critical emergency support to them and other frontline Federal employees who are working to protect our country. In fact, 8,000 of the Federal employees at CBP have tested positive for COVID-19. Twenty- seven have died. prgtoken Your amendment would strip away emergency medical leave for these men and women who are protecting us while keeping the provisions in the bill that provide a 100-percent tax credit to private employers to provide up to $511 a day in sick leave, a provision I support. prgtoken So here you are targeting the men and women who are protecting our country at the border and other places by stripping them of their ability to take sick leave and keeping in the provision that allows our private sector neighbors to provide sick leave. This is, unfortunately, just aimed at undermining the folks who are helping protect this country on the frontline. I ask my colleagues to oppose the amendment.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2021-3-5

I also proudly rise with my colleague on this piece of legislation. prgtoken There is not one of us in this room who doesn't have rising homelessness for our children in your State, not one of us. We are all experiencing that right now. We are 10,000 in the State of West Virginia alone. prgtoken These are children--basically, if you look at it, it is estimated that there are one in four homeless children. That is about 420,000 kids who are potentially unidentified and not even connected with a school system, not even connected. They are couch surfing. It is horrible what is going on. prgtoken I am so proud. This is such a bipartisan piece of legislation. Less than 1 percent, $800 million, is all we asked for to use for this, and everyone supported it. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Vote on Amendment No. 1233
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2021-3-5

to my good friend--we work together on so many things in agriculture--let me first say we all saw the devastation caused by the storm across the Midwest last year. That is why we have a strong crop insurance program in our bipartisan farm bill that quickly responds when disasters strike. prgtoken Iowa producers have already received nearly $600 million in crop insurance indemnities for damages in 2020. If crop insurance can't meet the need, the other opportunity is to consider something in appropriations. prgtoken It should not be here. I urge a ``no'' vote because it would take away, in this amendment, critical funds to repair our broken food supply chain; support our farmers, our food banks, our frontline workers, and our families in need. prgtoken We know the supply chain is broken. This provision is going to help fix that, and I would urge a ``no'' vote. Don't take money away from here, which is so critically needed for farmers and ranchers. prgtoken Thank you. Vote on Amendment No. 902
COMMEMORATING 56TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY
Mondaire Jones (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-3-8

56 years ago, 600 peaceful protesters, led by the late John Lewis, prepared to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the right to vote. On the other side stood Sheriff Jim Clark and his armed patrolmen ready to stop them. prgtoken The protesters marched on. Clark and his troopers put on their gas masks, blasted the marchers with teargas, and then brutally beat them with billy clubs and cattle prods. prgtoken Some of Clark's men mounted their horses and charged into the crowd trampling protesters while unleashing a rebel yell. They beat John Lewis so hard, they broke his skull. He and dozens of his fellow marchers were hospitalized. prgtoken , 5 months after Bloody Sunday, Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act. As we remember Bloody Sunday, let us also recognize the Jim Clarks who blocked the bridge to democracy today. prgtoken Five decades after Bloody Sunday, the Supreme Court struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act in a decision in 2013 called Shelby. As we commemorate our first Bloody Sunday without John Lewis, s in Georgia have passed a new law cracking down on the right to vote. prgtoken Today, as we answer John's call to cross the bridge to democracy once again, let us hope that no Supreme Court Justices stand in our way on the other side. If they do, may we, like our ancestors, march on.
COMMEMORATING 56TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY
Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2021-3-8

I rise today to pay tribute to Congressman John Lewis on the 56th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday March. prgtoken Congressman Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and fought for racial equality across the country during his storied and historic life. The civil rights icon died on July 17, 2020, after a tragic fight with cancer. prgtoken It was a devastating loss for me and our entire country. Congressman Lewis was such a great fighter for the right thing in our nation. With his passing, I lost one of my fathers on the floor of the House. He was a colleague of my father, Congressman Donald M. Payne, Sr. and one of the men who inspired me to run for office. I was in awe of how he could convey such power and strength with a gentle demeanor. His passion and love for his country and people brought out a ferociousness in such a mild-mannered man. He didn't just speak for civil rights, he stood up against abuse and suffered for it to make this country better for all Americans. prgtoken I learned so much from him and his leadership was evident in hundreds of actions in and out of the U.S. House of Representatives. One of my greatest honors happened when we held a `sit-in' on the floor of the House in 2016 to try and get a vote on gun control legislation after 49 people died during a shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, FL. It was his drive and dedication that inspired me and so many of my colleagues to join him that day. There were so many situations like that I could mention. Congressman Lewis always said it was important to `get into good trouble' and those words have inspired me to this day. He was a hero, a mentor, a leader, and a great, great friend.
HONORING ARIEL GIBBS
Adriano Espaillat (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-3-8

I rise today to commemorate the life and memory of Ariel Gibbs whom we lost 5 years ago. prgtoken Ariel was a beloved neighbor and friend to so many members of our East Harlem community. She loved working with seniors and children and helping improve the lives of those around her. She was a direct care worker at United Cerebral Palsy and often volunteered at after-school programs in her community. prgtoken Ariel will continue to be remembered as a strong, wise leader and a dedicated friend and daughter, as well as a loving mother. Her two energetic and inquisitive sons, now 6 and 7 years old, as well as her many friends and family members--including her dynamic dad, Eddie Gibbs, a leader in East Harlem--will always hold her in their hearts.
COMMEMORATING 56TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY
Joyce Beatty (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2021-3-8

it gives me great honor to thank our co- chair, the gentlewoman from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, the CBC's parliamentarian, a true constitutional scholar, and someone who is fighting for us every day to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, and her co-anchor, Congressman Ritchie Torres, from New York, but he would say the Bronx. Tonight, he is in the 's chair. prgtoken I am very honored to have as our guest co-anchor today Congresswoman Terri Sewell, another scholar, another lawyer, a person who has led us every year across that bridge. She is known as a daughter of Selma. prgtoken Tonight is about Our Power, Our Message. As we also celebrate Women's History Month and International Women's Day, it is fitting that our anchors tonight are women. prgtoken I rise this evening for the Congressional Black Caucus' Special Order hour, the first-annual John Lewis Special Order hour, on the 56th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march, and to echo Our Power, Our Message. You will hear that a lot tonight. prgtoken This is a solemn moment and gives us the opportunity to speak directly, , to the American people and reflect on the critical importance of voting and voting rights in our country and on why we must do everything in our power to fight attempts to curb voting participation and continue to promote and advance voting rights. prgtoken Fifty-six years ago, our late colleague Congressman John Lewis, a true prgtoken American hero, alongside hundreds of others, marched and risked his life to protect the voice of the many. His courage, and that of so many others, brought us the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a law passed by a bipartisan Congress whose conscience had been shocked awake. prgtoken These Members of the Congress, s and , could no longer turn their eyes from the brutality that they witnessed on television at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. They knew it was time in history to come together for justice against all the injustices. prgtoken Without the Voting Rights Act, , our democracy would be in name only. prgtoken We are here tonight at another inflection point in this country, where we shall decide to follow the forces of partisanship, divisiveness, and anger, or we will do the right thing. I am so pleased to be here today for that right thing. That right thing is for us to do good and to make good trouble because history will judge all of us on our good trouble. prgtoken Let me end by saying, tonight, the Congressional Black Caucus stands here to remind you, as our late great brother, friend, and colleague John Lewis said: I say to the people here today, we must be prepared because if you believe in something, if you believe in something, you have to go for it. As individuals, we may not live to see the end. prgtoken Tonight, through our message, the Congressional Black Caucus will continue his fight in his name and the names of all others who laid t
SUMGAIT, KIROVABAD, AND BAKU MASSACRES
Brad Sherman (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-3-8

. Madam , I stand in solidarity with the Armenian American community in commemorating the pogroms against Armenians in the cities of Sumgait (February 27-29, 1988), Kirovabad (November 21- 27, 1988) and Baku (January 13-19, 1990). prgtoken Thirty-three years ago, in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait, peaceful Armenian residents were brutally targeted on the basis of their ethnicity and subjected to unspeakable crimes. The New York Times reported Armenians being ``hunted'' down and an account of a pregnant Armenian woman, who had been disemboweled. The U.S. Senate passed an amendment in July of 1989, noting that even the Soviet government had termed the murder of Armenians in Sumgait a ``pogrom.'' prgtoken The Sumgait Pogroms were the beginning of an escalation of violence against the Armenian minority, with a wave of anti-Armenian violence spreading to Kirovabad in November 1988 and to Baku in January 1990, which culminated in the forcible expulsion of 390,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and the 1991-94 war over Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). prgtoken In response to the Sumgait and Kirovabad pogroms, over 100 leading academics and human rights advocates, including the Executive Director of the NAACP and Elie Wiesel, placed an advertisement in The New York Times titled: ``An Open Letter to International Public Opinion on Anti- Armenian Pogroms in the Soviet Union.'' The letter appealed to the international community to condemn the atrocities and prevent further violence by stating: ``The international community of states . . . must prove the authenticity of its commitment to human rights in order to ensure that, due to indifference and silence bordering on complicity, another genocide does not occur.'' (July 27, 1990, The New York Times) prgtoken Unfortunately, Azeri attacks against Armenian civilians have only continued. In its latest bout of aggression against Armenia and Artsakh in the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan carried out indiscriminate attacks against civilians. A report by Human Rights Watch found that Azeri forces used inherently indiscriminate cluster munitions and artillery rockets or other weapons that did not distinguish between military targets and civilian objects. Multiple strikes hit residential homes in less than a minute, suggesting bombardment of civilian areas. prgtoken Today, Armenians are still held captive in Azerbaijan, with no planned date to be returned to Armenia. Armenian prisoners of war have been subjected to physical beatings and other inhumane treatment at the hand of Azerbaijan. The government of Azerbaijan must be held accountable by the international community, and I will continue to work in Congress to shed light on and learn the lessons of such past and present atrocities.
HONORING JOSEPHINE MORSE
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2021-3-8

. Madam , I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the extraordinary service of Josephine Morse, who served in the House Office of General Counsel as a Deputy General Counsel. During her tenure, Ms. Morse, a District of Columbia resident, played an integral role in safeguarding the legal interests of the House and its Members, Officers, and employees in federal court litigation involving issues of the highest institutional importance. prgtoken Ms. Morse provided invaluable legal counsel and representation to numerous House committees, greatly assisting them both in fulfilling their constitutionally authorized oversight functions and defending those prerogatives in litigation. Ms. Morse provided vital legal counsel to the House in both impeachments of President and in defense of longstanding institutional prerogatives. Those prerogatives included the House's constitutional authority under the Appropriations Clause and the power of House committees to issue subpoenas for both documents and testimony from the White House and Executive Branch agencies. prgtoken Of particular importance to the District of Columbia, Ms. Morse's legal work in litigation involving the District's quest to obtain the fundamental right of voting representation in Congress was exceptional, and her oral advocacy on behalf of the House's position in support of voting representation for the District before a three-judge district court was highly effective. prgtoken Ms. Morse's work on behalf of the House was of the highest caliber, and I have no doubt that the Office of Management and Budget, which she recently joined, will benefit from her outstanding legal counsel. On behalf of the entire House community, I thank Ms. Morse for her dedicated service to the House, and I wish her the very best in all of her future endeavors.
COMMEMORATING 56TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY
Steven Horsford (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2021-3-8

I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding. prgtoken , I thank the designees for this Special Order hour, Congresswoman Sewell and, of course, our chair Joyce Beatty and all of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus. prgtoken Today I rise to honor my friend, my mentor, my colleague, the late Congressman John Lewis and all of those who marched for justice across the Edmund Pettus Bridge 56 years ago. prgtoken As they marched, each of those heroes carried an unshakeable belief that America would answer their call for racial equality. But at the end of that bridge they were met with a violent mob that was determined to preserve the status quo of brutality against Black Americans. Bloody Sunday shocked the world, and it shamed our government into action. prgtoken Just days after Bloody Sunday, President Johnson sent a voting rights bill to Congress. By August of 1965, the Voting Rights Act had passed the House and Senate with bipartisan majorities. prgtoken For decades, the Voting Rights Act protected the right to vote and was reauthorized. But 8 years ago, a conservative majority on the Supreme Court turned their back on decades of progress and struck down critical sections of the law. prgtoken After the Supreme Court's decision, State governments began to immediately purge voter rolls and institute burdensome requirements on voting to block communities of color from the ballot box. prgtoken In the last election, many States refused to expand vote-by-mail options that would have kept voters safe. Instead of using billy clubs and dogs, they used the pandemic's deadly toll on communities of color to try and suppress the vote. prgtoken In the face of this cruelty, we fought back with record setting voter turnout. But voter suppression continues to be a stain on our democracy. prgtoken So we must restore every inch of the Voting Rights Act, and we must do it now. prgtoken Two years ago, House introduced and passed H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act. This bill, which is now named for Congressman John Lewis, would restore the protections that were eliminated in Shelby v. Holder and end voter suppression. prgtoken Last Congress, this bill passed with just one vote. This session, I am calling on all of my colleagues to follow the example that our predecessors set back in 1965 and to come together for the American people. Because the right to vote is fundamental. prgtoken I wanted to share in closing this picture that I treasure in my office. As a freshman Member, I had the honor to stand with Congressman John Lewis and Steny Hoyer, the minority leader at the time, when we introduced the Voting Rights Act. prgtoken And the picture captured me in the middle as we were talking about the Voting Rights Act, and its importance, and it is something that I look at for inspiration. And so to Congressman John Lewis I say to you my friend, We will carry on your baton. We will carry on your legacy.