mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Introductory Statement on S. 801
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2023-3-15

I rise today to talk about the importance of March 15, which for the first time has been designated ``International Long COVID Awareness Day.'' prgtoken This is a topic of importance to millions of Americans who deal with long COVID every day and tens of millions of people around the world who are dealing with long COVID, from mild symptoms to symptoms that are so debilitating that they are unable to work. prgtoken There is still an awful lot to learn about the condition, but what we do know is that long COVID is comprised of ongoing health problems that people experience after being infected with COVID-19. For some, long COVID can last weeks or months. For others, like me, long COVID has now lasted for 3 years. prgtoken Long COVID symptoms can vary. Some people experience general symptoms like fatigue, neurological symptoms like headache or difficulty concentrating, digestive problems, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and other neurological conditions. prgtoken The prevalence of long COVID is a best estimate, but the recent survey by the Census Bureau, in partnership with the National Center for Health Statistics, shows that about 5.8 percent of Americans have long COVID, and that amounts to about 11 percent of Americans who have had COVID who continue to experience long COVID symptoms. prgtoken I am on my own long COVID journey. My symptoms are mild, but they have been continuous for 3 years. When we were working in the Capitol in March of 2020 at the very beginning of COVID, most of us had dispatched our staffs and sent them home. So I was working in my office together just with my chief of staff. It was kind of a lonely time, as those of us who were here remember, but we were working hard. We were working hard to pass the first COVID relief bill, the CARES Act, and we did good work, in a bipartisan way, to provide relief to individuals and our businesses and hospitals and universities and schools in those early days. prgtoken I noticed one day that my nerve endings turned on like a light switch was flicked, and all of them started to tingle like my skin had been dipped in an Alka-Seltzer--24/7, every nerve ending in my body. It has not gone away in 3 years. prgtoken I had a mild case of COVID. I never had respiratory problems. I never had fatigue. Within a few days after getting this, I was fine except for the nerve tingling, and I assumed because of the pollen on my car that it was hay fever gone wild. Other symptoms were more like allergic symptoms--pinkeye and skin rashes. prgtoken That all went away, but when I went home, I gave COVID to my wife-- just one more thing for a husband to feel guilty about. She got the standard case of COVID, and that is what made us realize that that is what I had. We both had mild cases. Within a very few days, we were up and at `em and feeling great, but this nerve tingling sensation has never gone away. prgtoken I kept waiting, thinking next week it
Order of Procedure (Executive Calendar)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-3-15

I ask unanimous consent that the confirmation vote on the Taylor-Kale nomination be at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the leader; further, that the cloture motions filed during yesterday's session ripen at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 16; that following the cloture vote on the Clarke nomination and notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate resume legislative session and vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to prgtoken proceed to Calendar No. 25, S. 316; further, that if cloture is invoked on the Clarke nomination, at 1:30 p.m the Senate resume legislative session, all postcloture debate time be considered expired, and the Senate vote on the confirmation of the nomination; finally, if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.
Second Anniversary of Atlanta Spa Shootings (Executive Calendar)
Raphael G. Warnock (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2023-3-15

I rise today to reflect on a dark day in Georgia. It was 2 years ago today that a hateful act of violence shook metropolitan Atlanta and reverberated across our State, our Nation, and the world. prgtoken In the span of a few hours, our sense of safety and sanctuary was ripped apart by bullets born out of hate and fear--an issue, , you know very well and have engaged on many sad occasions. prgtoken Two years ago, in Georgia, eight people lost their lives--eight people loved by their families, their friends, by their children. They should never become numbers or statistics--eight souls, eight people, with their own successes and struggles, their hopes and dreams. We speak their names: Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng. prgtoken My heart aches for these Georgians and for their families, for whom these wounds still fester. The comfort provided by a family is still not enough to fill the empty seat at the dinner table or those times when a family member, out of routine, picks up the phone to dial and remembers in the moment that there is nobody on the other end of that call. prgtoken As a pastor, I believe in the sacred worth of every human being. I believe that we are a mixture of dust and divinity, of sod and sky, beauty and possibility. That is why I ask now that everyone who is here will join me in a moment of silence. Let us remember these eight Georgians and pray for their families. (Moment of silence.) prgtoken God, in Your mercy remember them and strengthen us to do the work. Amen. prgtoken Importantly, I must mention, this attack was meant to harm Georgia's Asian-American community, and especially women of Asian descent. Unfortunately, this awful act that happened in Georgia is not isolated but, rather, part of the same trend of growing hate and violence which has caused pain to so many of us, especially members of the AAPI community. prgtoken In recent years, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased significantly--more than 300 percent, according to media reports. And, at the same time, we have seen acts of hate rise against our Jewish brothers and sisters; against our Muslim friends and neighbors; yes, against the LGBTQ-plus community and our trans brothers and sisters; and against the sense of safety our students have felt at our historically Black colleges and universities. prgtoken So I think back to how Georgians charted a path forward for our Nation 2 years ago. Two years ago, we came together and reminded each other that the only way to face the future is to love one another, to be respectful of our different histories, while focused on our shared future. prgtoken Georgia's greatest son, that great American, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said it best. He said: We are tied in a single garment of destiny, caught up in an inescapable network of mutuality. Whatev
Fallon Smart Rule (Executive Session)
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2023-3-16

I rise today to highlight a new rule by the State Department that honors a 15-year-old Portland girl whose life was cut short by a hit-and-run driver in 2016. The girl's name is Fallon Smart, and the man accused of manslaughter in her hit-and-run death was a Saudi national. prgtoken Subsequent reporting by my hometown paper, The Oregonian, uncovered that the Saudi national likely fled the country with the assistance of the Saudi Government. The paper's reporting later revealed that this Saudi affront to American justice was not--repeat, was not--an isolated example when its nationals face criminal charges in our country. prgtoken Our paper found 17 cases in the United States and Canada of Saudi nationals who fled justice while facing criminal charges. These cases-- some go back decades--are not for parking tickets. The charges against these Saudi men include rape, manslaughter, and felony hit-and-run. prgtoken In Oregon alone, journalists identified seven cases of Saudi nationals absconding justice. Their crimes included first-degree manslaughter, unlawful firearm possession, intoxicated driving, third- degree felony assault, and multiple sex crimes including sexual abuse, first-degree rape, and numerous counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse. prgtoken In Montana, two Saudi nationals fled after accusations of sexual assault. prgtoken In Ohio, two Saudi nationals fled after being accused of third-degree involuntary manslaughter and beating people with weapons at a college bar. prgtoken In Oklahoma, a Saudi national fled after being convicted of first- degree rape. prgtoken In Pennsylvania, a Saudi national fled after being accused of attempted rape. prgtoken In Utah, a Saudi national fled after being convicted of rape. prgtoken In Washington State, three Saudi nationals fled after respective accusations of rape, sexual assault of a child, and beating and stabbing a classmate. prgtoken In Wisconsin, a Saudi national fled after being accused of two counts of sexual assault. prgtoken In most of these cases, local law enforcement confiscated the passports of the accused criminals and set bail at thresholds the individuals were unlikely to be able to pay themselves. Yet we now know that many of these individuals somehow made bail and quickly received the resources and travel documents necessary to board a plane and leave, only to resurface in Saudi Arabia. prgtoken How did they leave the country without a passport? prgtoken Based on this evidence, it appears that the Saudi Government was assisting their citizens in evading prosecution in the United States. prgtoken I repeatedly pressed Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the State Department to explain what they knew about this pattern of cases. Despite all my efforts to get some answers, the administration failed to even acknowledge the disturbing pattern or explain what, if anything
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2023-3-16

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
Authorization for Use of Military Force (Executive Session)
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2023-3-16

to my colleague from Indiana, I am so glad to be on the floor with you as we approach a most historic vote, a vote that has not been conducted in the Senate since 1971, a vote to repeal a war authorization. prgtoken We will start the first procedural steps to formerly end the Iraq war. Right now, we still have not one but two active war authorizations against the Government of Iraq that is no longer an enemy, but, in the Biblical phrase, we have beaten the sword into a plowshare. Iraq is now a strategic partner of the United States. prgtoken The bill that Senator Young and I have worked on in close coordination with other colleagues would repeal both authorizations. It is a clean and simple bill, barely a page long. It has attracted bipartisan support, as my colleague mentioned, not only in the Senate and House but from stakeholder groups who care about Americans' military national security and the health and fate of our troops and veterans and their families. It is a very, very broad ideological spectrum of America that support this bill. It is a rare coalition, and it speaks to how painfully evident it is that the repeal of these authorizations is long, long overdue. prgtoken This Sunday, March 19, marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March of 2002. That war ended 12 years ago. The Persian Gulf war of 1991, Operation Desert Storm, ended 30 years ago. prgtoken I want to thank my friend from New Jersey, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Menendez, for his longstanding support for this repeal effort. I want to thank my colleague from Indiana for partnering with me for years and his indefatigable effort to move us to this day. I also want to acknowledge the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Risch, who does not support my bill, who voted against it in committee, but who has worked in a cooperative way on the committee both in the 117th Congress and in the 118th Congress to make sure that this bill would be heard, that there would be a robust process for amendments in committee, and now that it can be heard on the floor. prgtoken The discussion over Congress's role in determining how and when the United States utilizes its military power--having that discussion--is so important, maybe even more important than ultimately how people vote on this bill, because, too often, the article I branch has deferred on matters of war, peace, and diplomacy to the article II branch, to the executive, even though these powers are some of the most specific and somber powers granted to Congress in article I of the Constitution. Congress must exercise our article I authority over war, peace, and diplomacy, and that is what this bill and this debate is about. prgtoken I think we need to repeal the Iraq war authorizations, first to recognize reality: An enemy that we were trying to push out of Kuwait in 1991, an enemy whose government we voted to to
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Cory A. Booker (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2023-3-16

this Saturday, March 18, will mark the 60th anniversary of the unanimous and landmark Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, which held that every American has the constitutional right in criminal cases, regardless of their wealth and where they were born--they have a right, fundamentally, to the public defense system that we know today. prgtoken Before Gideon was decided, people accused of crimes were left to fend for themselves, having to navigate arraignments, plea bargains, jury decisions, trials, cross-examination of witnesses--every part of the criminal prosecution, they had to do it themselves while facing government prosecutors who had the legal upper hand. prgtoken Clarence Earl Gideon was a 51-year-old with an eighth grade education who ran away from home in middle school. History describes him as a ``drifter'' who spent time in and out of prison for nonviolent crimes, but history would also come to know him as someone who fundamentally transformed our legal system so that any person without resources accused of a crime has a due process right to a fair trial. You can't have a fair trial without counsel. prgtoken In 1961, Gideon was arrested for stealing $5 in change and beer, allegedly doing so from the Bay Harbor Poolroom in Panama City, FL. As James Baldwin would write the same year as Gideon's arrest, ``Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.'' prgtoken Gideon, who had spent much of his life in poverty, was too poor to hire an attorney and asked the trial court to appoint one for him. The court denied his request, saying that only indigent defenders facing the death penalty are entitled to a lawyer. prgtoken Gideon assumed the burden of defending himself at trial, becoming his own lawyer. He made an opening statement to the jury and cross-examined the prosecution's witnesses. He presented witnesses in his own defense. He declined to testify himself and made arguments emphasizing his innocence. prgtoken Despite his valiant efforts, the jury found Gideon guilty of this $5 theft, and he was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment. But Gideon felt he had been fundamentally deprived of his due process rights. prgtoken Determined to prove his innocence, Gideon penciled a five-page, handwritten petition asking the nine Justices of the Supreme Court to consider his case. Against all odds, the Supreme Court granted Gideon's petition. prgtoken Gideon would tell the Supreme Court: It makes no difference how old I am or what color I am or which church I belong to, if any. The question is I did not get a fair trial. The question is very simple. I requested the court to appoint me [an] attorney and the court refused. prgtoken In the Court's unanimous decision, they held that ``reason and reflection require us to recognize that in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hi
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2023-3-16

as Tax Day approaches, Americans families have begun calculating their taxes and filling out returns. They face a Tax Code that is frustratingly complex and at times unfair. The bill that I am introducing today would remedy a major discrepancy. The SALT Deduction Fairness Act would ensure that limits on State and local tax deductions, also known as SALT deductions, do not unfairly penalize married filers. prgtoken Currently, the amount of State and local taxes that both single and married filers may deduct from their annual income taxes is capped at $10,000. Married people who file their taxes separately are limited to $5,000 each. In other words, people would be better off not getting married at all when it comes to the SALT deduction. My legislation eliminates the marriage penalty by treating married couples fairly by doubling their deduction to $20,000 when they file jointly or $10,000 each for married individuals who file separate returns. prgtoken The SALT deduction has been in the Tax Code since 1913 when the income tax was established. It is intended to protect taxpayers from double taxation. When the Senate considered the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, I worked to keep the SALT deduction in the Federal Tax Code because of the increased tax burden its elimination would have imposed on Mainers. They already pay taxes on their homes and seasonal properties, annual excise taxes on their vehicles, sales taxes, and State income taxes. The Senate adopted my amendment, preserving the deduction for State and local taxes up to $10,000. prgtoken Maine has one of the Nation's highest State income tax rates, making this deduction especially important to families in my State. Last year, an analysis by WalletHub found that Maine had the third highest overall tax burden behind only New York and Hawaii. Yet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maine's median household income ranks only 32nd in the Nation and is approximately $5,000 below the U.S. median household income. Many Mainers are also subject to high local property taxes. The SALT deduction helps to offset the burden these taxes place on Maine families, providing critical relief for those who itemize their deductions. prgtoken More broadly, our Tax Code must be fair to the more than 60 million married couples living in our Nation. A couple should not face a tax penalty for being married. One way to do that is to not penalize the deductions they can take for State and local taxes. The SALT Deduction Fairness Act remedies this. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill to fix this marriage penalty.
Authorization for Use of Military Force (Executive Session)
Todd Young (Republican, IN) \u2014 2023-3-16

the Founders of our country understood the dangers of concentrating military power in the hands of a single individual. prgtoken They had seen how dangerous this can be, thanks to their experience with King George III. In fact, the specific charges against the King in our Declaration of Independence, as so many know, lay out ``a long train of abuses'' by the military. prgtoken When it came time to draft the Constitution of the United States, the Framers had to strike a balance between giving the President the flexibility to respond to attacks and imminent threats and safeguarding against military adventurism, so they gave Congress--they gave this body--the power to declare war. prgtoken The practices of our early Presidents recognized the distinction between defensive military action--over which the President has control--under Article II of the Constitution and offensive operations, which must be approved by Congress in advance. prgtoken Fast forward to today; this process has broken down. And for the last three decades, this body has often neglected what is arguably its most important responsibility. prgtoken I think many Americans will be surprised to learn that these authorizations for use of military force--or AUMFs--especially the 1991 Gulf war resolution, are still on the books. prgtoken Today, these are, in the words of my friend Tim Kaine, who joins me on the floor today, ``zombie resolutions.'' They have fulfilled their purpose, and now they should be removed from our law. prgtoken Importantly, the repeal of the 1991 and 2002 resolutions would affect no current military operations. So the issue for us to consider is both what these AUMFs actually do authorize and what they could be used to authorize in the future. prgtoken It has been well over a decade since any administration has cited the 2002 AUMF to authorize any military action; however, leaving these authorities on the books creates an opportunity for abuse by the executive branch and bypasses Congress on the most important issue we consider as a body, which is how and when to send our men and women in uniform into harm's way. prgtoken On the topic of Iran as it relates to this effort, I share the views of so many of my colleagues on the need to counter Iran. I really do. But reimagining a more than 20-year-old authorization that was passed to combat a totally different enemy is not the way to do it. prgtoken Practically, repeal of the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs is very important because of the message that we send to our partner Iraq and to our other partners in the region and beyond. prgtoken Let us be clear. Saddam Hussein is dead, and we are no longer worried about the threat posed by Iraq, as stated in this AUMF, which we propose repealing. prgtoken Iraq has faced pressure from Iran for the past 20 years. The presence of the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs has not changed that. Going forward, as Iraq continues to face Iranian coercion and violence, <
Introductory Statement on S. 839
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2023-3-16

I am also introducing legislation today to help prevent economically damaging regulations from going into effect in the first place. My bill, the Regulatory Transparency Act, would require Federal Agencies to conduct a more transparent and objective analysis of the impact a proposed regulation would have on the economy, especially on small businesses. It would also require Agencies to justify the need for the regulation and consider other less burdensome ways of meeting the same goal. And, importantly, it would require Agencies to consider whether a sunset date for the regulation would be appropriate, which could help reduce the long-term buildup of irrelevant or outdated Federal regulations. prgtoken There is a lot more that I could say about the regulations the administration has implemented or is trying to put in place, but I will stop here. Suffice it to say that President has made use of the regulatory system to advance an agenda that will negatively affect our Nation, and I will continue to do everything I can to push back against the administration's many troubling regulations and to protect our economy and the American people from the regulatory burden the administration has put in place. prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.