mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING ARVIN HIGH SCHOOL
David G. Valadao (Republican, CA) \u2014 2024-1-29

I rise today to recognize Arvin High School on their 75th anniversary and thank them for their significant contributions to the Arvin community. Arvin High School began serving students in the rural communities of Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch in 1949 as part of the Kern High School District. Since their founding, Arvin High School has been committed to serving their students through a diverse array of educational programs, extracurricular activities, and college-level courses. Today, the school's student body is made up of nearly 3,000 students. The mission of Arvin High School is to encourage P.R.I.D.E--participation, responsibility, integrity, determination, and empathy, and to provide students with the skills they need to succeed in their futures. Under the leadership of Principal Ed Watts, Arvin High School has received full accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, recognizing their dedication to high-quality education and school improvement. Through their Career Technical Education program, students at Arvin High School have the unique opportunity to gain experience in the career path of their choice. In these twelve pathways offerings, students learn how to succeed in numerous fields including health sciences, building and construction, agriculture, and engineering. The CTE program also includes a ROTC pathway, providing students who are interested in serving in the armed forces with the experience they need to thrive after they leave Arvin High School. The staff and faculty at Arvin High School are committed to the educational outcomes of every student. In 2023, 89 students were recipients of a California Scholarship Federation membership, which is awarded to students who demonstrate a high-level of academic achievement. The class of 2023 also received nearly 200 Biliteracy Seals and Golden State Seal of Merit awards, and 16 National Honor Society recognitions. This school year, in partnership with Bakersfield College, Arvin High School is offering almost 70 sections of Dual Enrollment course offerings--giving students a chance to earn college credits before they even graduate prgtoken high school. In just the past three years alone, Arvin High School has helped 25 students receive their Associate of Arts for Transfer degree in Communication Studies through this initiative. In honor of their work to provide students with dual enrollment opportunities, Arvin High School was one of nine schools recognized as an Exemplary Dual Enrollment School by the California Department of Education in 2023. Arvin High School has been nationally recognized for their academic extracurriculars, including Academic Decathlon, Mock Trial, and the ``We the People'' Constitution Team, which was started by former teacher Larry Hallum in 1987. Mr. Hallum was one of the many teachers at Arvin High School who has received accolades for his dedication to his students. To celebrate the legac
GERRYMANDERED CONGRESSIONAL MAPS
Deborah K. Ross (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2024-1-30

last year, s in the North Carolina General Assembly enacted egregiously gerrymandered congressional maps that effectively silenced the voices of North Carolina voters. prgtoken North Carolina is a purple State, and we finally have a congressional delegation that reflects the rich ideological and racial diversity of our great State. prgtoken However, with these new maps, s have dismantled the important progress we have made toward fair representation, and they did this behind closed doors and with minimal public input. prgtoken That is why I led the entire North Carolina ic delegation in introducing the Redistricting Transparency and Accountability Act. This critical legislation would establish extensive opportunities for public input in redistricting and for congressional maps to be fair. It would require disclosures regarding individuals and groups that participate in the map-drawing process. prgtoken We cannot have government by and for the people as long as politicians determine election outcomes long before voters get to the polls.
TRIBUTE TO MARY LAWLER
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2024-1-30

I am honored to recognize Mary Lawler of Jaffrey as January's Granite Stater of the Month. After retiring from a 50-year nursing career, Mary has continued to volunteer at Monadnock Community Hospital--MCH--for the past 12 years, helping to welcome new employees and set them up for success. prgtoken Mary has always had a close connection to the hospital, which is where her mother worked as a nurse and where Mary herself started her career, working in the operating room. MCH is also where Mary gave birth to her children. She says that the hospital staff is very close- knit, with everyone making an effort to be friendly and make people feel comfortable. The hospital's focus on taking excellent care of patients and building such a strong community is a big part of what draws her to continue volunteering even at age 86. prgtoken Mary hopes to keep volunteering as long as possible. Her medical experience lends itself to many different potential roles at the hospital, but she most often volunteers in the human resources department because that is where they need her help the most. Mary is driven by the example that her mother set when she worked at the hospital; Mary was inspired to become a nurse in part after seeing her mother's career, and she has always admired her mother's compassion for others. prgtoken Mary's work ethic, generosity, and kindness is emblematic of the Granite State spirit of rolling up our sleeves and pitching in to help out, recognizing that, regardless of our stage in life, we can always make a difference. I am proud to recognize Mary's dedication to supporting the staff and the patients of Monadnock Community Hospital.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5585, AGENT RAUL GONZALEZ OFFICER SAFETY ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6678, CONSEQUENCES FOR SOCIAL SECURITY FRAUD ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION...
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2024-1-30

I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and such time as I may consume. prgtoken , let me set a couple of things straight. prgtoken The border is not open. Now, maybe some people think it is because my colleagues every day for the last 2 years have come to the floor screaming, ``The border is open. The border is open. The border is open.'' prgtoken However, the border is not open, and that is just a fact. Today, there are approximately 38,000 people in immigration detention, which is 4,000 more than what DHS is funded for and roughly what the administration averaged in fiscal year 2018. prgtoken The administration has also significantly increased removals in ways that many on our side of the aisle are concerned violates due process. Since the end of title 42 last year, the administration has removed or returned to Mexico close to 500,000 individuals. The total is nearly equivalent to the number of people removed in all of fiscal year 2019 under the administration. prgtoken Please, please, stop making things up and stop claiming the border is open. It is not. prgtoken Do we have a problem at the border? Absolutely. Absolutely, we do. However, listening to the gentleman, he seems to have no solutions. I mean, I think he thinks this is Beetlejuice, if you say ``crisis'' three times, the problem goes away. No; you have to take some action. You have to work to try to address the issue. prgtoken and President want to find real, comprehensive solutions to fix it. What we need is s to stop playing political games, and that is the exact opposite of what is happening here and what has been happening under this -controlled House of Representatives. It is shameful. prgtoken I know that because we called their bluff. said, yeah, we care about border security, too. Let's get to work. Now s tell us that they would rather wait until after the election. They don't actually want the thing they have been talking about for the last year. It is all a big lie. It is all a big lie. prgtoken Why? Why would they want to wait? Why don't they want to work with us to fix the border right now? I think we all know the answer. called--the guy they all worship, the guy they are all frightened to death of. He called, and he is demanding that they do nothing. No action at all on the border, that is what he said because he wants to campaign on it. I mean, what the hell is wrong with them? prgtoken The Senate is working on a bipartisan border security bill, and s tell us here in the House that they don't care what is in it. They will oppose it no matter what. From what I hear, I am not sure that I can even support the bill they are working on over in the Senate. It has things in it that cause me a lot of angst, but s are sure that they are against it because told them to be ag
HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
Lois Frankel (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2024-1-30

I rise to recognize the Holocaust Learning Experience, hosted by MorseLife in my Congressional District. This year, International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks 79 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau by the Red Army and Allied troops. On January 27, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly officially reminded the world of the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution. We should never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust. At liberation, allies witnessed the devastation of human remains and the destruction of the human spirit. This is the day we also acknowledge the multigenerational impact of the horror and terror perpetrated against innocent women, men and children. prgtoken Globally, we are witnessing an alarming rise in antisemitism, and it is more important than ever to recognize the critical lessons from the Holocaust. I am proud to recognize the Holocaust Learning Experience, to continue to develop, deploy and deliver Holocaust education to public schools. Last year, the Holocaust Learning Experience was awarded seed funding from the state of Florida to cast the education statewide, scalable, and the Holocaust Learning Experience is poised to be in the 67 school districts, impacting approximately 2.1 million students. prgtoken I wish to congratulate and encourage the Holocaust Learning Experience to continue changing lives of our nation's young people. Each day, the Experience teaches students to stand up, not stand by.
One-Year Anniversary of the East Palestine Derailment (Executive Session)
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2024-1-30

I rise today on a pretty solemn occasion in Eastern Ohio. Frankly, I rise today to recognize a town in Eastern Ohio, one that most of my colleagues probably didn't even know existed a year ago. prgtoken On February 3, 2023, less than a year ago, 38 railcars from a train spanning 1\1/2\ miles--think about that: a train spanning 1\1/2\ miles--derailed and overturned right outside the center of East Palestine, OH. Flames flared and thick, black plumes of smoke billowed into the sky. Toxic chemicals started spewing into the air and the water and the ground. We saw the footage. We all saw that footage that dominated the news. People read the articles. They scrolled through it on social media. prgtoken Americans watched it, but the people of East Palestine lived it. They had to pack up and evacuate their homes in the middle of the night. They didn't know if the air they were breathing and the water coming from their faucets was safe. Their lives were turned upside down. prgtoken My job is to always, always fight for Ohio. When disaster struck, we got to work. prgtoken Residents in the surrounding area needed air, water, and soil testing. We secured it. prgtoken They needed initial health screenings. We made it happen, and we got the Centers for Disease Control to support a free health clinic. prgtoken They needed answers and help with cleanup. We got that done. prgtoken Local business owners and farmers and manufacturers needed investment to keep their community alive. We delivered through a loan program through the Department of Agriculture. prgtoken Now, essentially, the reporters have packed up and the cameras left the community to chase the next big story, but the people of East Palestine are still there, trying to move forward. Over the last year, I have visited East Palestine a number of times. Our staff is there even more often. Each time, we ask residents what we can do. prgtoken They want the contamination cleaned up completely. They want continuous monitoring of the air they breathe, the water they drink, and screenings to see if their long-term health has been impacted. They want assurance that they won't be hit by a surprise tax bill this season, and we included a provision in the bipartisan tax deal to guarantee that--that tax deal that included breaks for our research and development and the child tax credit, voted out of the House Ways and Means Committee 40 to 3. prgtoken We are fighting for all of it. We are not giving up. We will keep asking and listening and making sure they get what they need. prgtoken As we sat at roundtables of their local businesses and toured the health clinic and walked through the fields of their family farms, I had the privilege of getting to know better this town and the people who call East Palestine home. prgtoken They have a rich history. For decades, this community, this county, manufactured ceramics in this area, and their economy boomed. And like my hometown o
Supplemental Funding (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2024-1-30

all through the weekend, negotiators continued their work on the national security supplemental. We are approaching the finish line, but the work is not done. We will continue to finish the supplemental. We will do everything we can to get the supplemental done because, for all the day-to-day intrigue, the big picture has not changed: This is an inflection point in history, where the balance of power in Europe, the future of Israel in the Middle East, and the fate of the Indo-Pacific hang in the balance. And, for the first time in over a decade, we have a golden opportunity to make meaningful, lasting changes to the southern border--the best chance we will likely have in a good while. So we have an obligation to the American people to get something done. prgtoken Now, s in the House and Senate have insisted for years that Congress must make border security a top priority. The speeches, statements, op-eds, and tweets that s have issued on border legislation could fill entire libraries. And we agree. We want to get something done on the border. We have negotiated with our counterparts for months to get something done. prgtoken Look, it is entirely unsurprising and truly disappointing, at the same time, that many on the hard right, including , are now trying to thwart this bipartisan effort for the sake of electoral politics. But here in the Senate, both sides have an obligation to tune the partisan noise out and to continue working. Bipartisanship is the only way that action on the border is going to happen, that aid to Ukraine will be secured, that help to Israel and to the Indo-Pacific and aid to innocent civilians in Gaza will happen. prgtoken So for all the noise and partisan posturing, the big picture here does not change. The Senate will continue working on the supplemental this week. We know this is hard--very hard--but and s in this Chamber have an obligation to tune out the outside noise and finish the work of protecting our national security.
Nomination of Joshua Paul Kolar (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-1-30

today, the Senate will vote to confirm U.S. Magistrate Judge Joshua Kolar to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. prgtoken After receiving his B.A. and J.D. from Northwestern University, Judge Kolar worked in private practice and clerked for Judge Wayne R. Andersen on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. From 2007 to 2018, Judge Kolar was an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana. He prosecuted a range of cases, including public corruption, terrorism- related offenses, violent crimes, narcotics conspiracies, and firearms offenses. Over the course of his legal career, Judge Kolar tried 16 cases to verdict and briefed or argued 20 appeals before the Seventh Circuit. prgtoken In 2019, Judge Kolar was selected by the district judges of the Northern District of Indiana to be a magistrate judge, where he presides over civil and criminal cases. Since 2009, Judge Kolar has also honorably served his country as a Reservist and on Active Duty in the U.S. Navy. Judge Kolar has the strong support from his home State Senators, Mr. Young and Mr. Braun. In addition, he was unanimously rated ``well qualified'' by the American Bar Association. prgtoken Taken together, Judge Kolar's service to his country in the military and as a prosecutor, his extensive appellate experience, and his service as a magistrate judge make him well-suited to serve on the Seventh Circuit with distinction. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support Judge Kolar's nomination.
ONGOING HOSTAGE CRISIS
Daniel S. Goldman (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2024-1-30

I thank my friend from Florida, who has been such a terrific mentor and model for so many of us. I also thank you, , for allowing us this Special Order hour to highlight the horrific conditions, 116 days in captivity, that more than 100 hostages are enduring. prgtoken I stand before you today to highlight the tragic case of Noa Argamani, a 25-year-old Israeli woman who many know from a video posted by Hamas on October 7 of her being abducted by terrorists and taken away on a motorcycle, screaming ``Don't kill me.'' prgtoken This is a still photo from that video. You can see the absolute terror in her eyes as she is being kidnapped into Gaza by armed terrorists who had brutally murdered, raped, and tortured her friends and fellow Israeli citizens. prgtoken This is a photo of her before October 7--a beautiful smile, full of life, hope, and a bright future ahead. prgtoken Noa should have been released with the other female civilians--one of the categories that Hamas had agreed to release--who were released during the temporary cease-fire 2 months ago, but she was not, and we know why. Hamas broke the agreement with Israel because they did not want Noa to describe the rape and violence that she endured in captivity. We know from other hostages that were released at that time that the same awful sexual violence that occurred with horrific brutality on October 7 continued in the dark, damp, cramped tunnels in Gaza, and that was 61 days ago. Two months. prgtoken At least as of 16 days ago, we know that Noa is still alive. We know because Hamas released a psychological terror video of her sitting with two other hostages, but we know nothing about her condition because Hamas refuses to allow the International Red Cross into Gaza to check on the medical conditions of the hostages. prgtoken That is required by international law, but somehow for many the fact that Hamas is a designated terrorist organization that has violated countless international laws--and cease-fires, I might add--seems to give them a pass at adhering to international law about medical checks and wellness visits. prgtoken Since when do we allow terrorist organizations to dictate how international law operates? prgtoken What makes this even worse is that we haven't heard anything from Qatar nor Egypt nor Turkiye nor any other country with influence on Hamas to push and prod them to allow international medical professionals to access the innocent civilian hostages, even though we know from those who have come out that their conditions violate a host of international laws. prgtoken I have met with families and mothers of some of the young women who remain in captivity. They, of course, are devastated, worried, and distraught about their daughters. Do you know what keeps them up at night? They assume that their daughters are pregnant with babies of Hamas terrorists. Imagine that being a mother's final thought before she falls asleep and her first thought
Energy (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-1-30

the administration, in the last few days, has made another reckless attempt to try to appease its more radical aspects of its political base--in this case, leftwing climate activists. prgtoken Last week, the administration halted new liquefied natural gas projects, effectively chilling new investments in the industry that powers the United States and many of our closest allies. Had the administration announced this decision 3 years ago, it would have been dangerous and shortsighted. But given the state of the world today, this step is almost unthinkable. prgtoken Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine is nearing the 2-year mark. Iran's terrorist proxies are unleashing chaos on the Middle East, and China is responsible for growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific. This is an extremely fraught time--I think we would all have to agree--given that the instigators of each of these conflicts are three of the world's largest natural gas producers. prgtoken This is an extremely risky time for energy security. Fortunately, the United States is in a uniquely strong position to temper those risks. We are the world's largest natural gas producer, and, last year, we became the largest LNG exporter. That means energy produced in America, creating American jobs, helping to grow our economy, is being exported to countries all around the world that don't have access to those natural resources. prgtoken Around the globe, American LNG supports the energy security of our friends and allies. If they are importing American energy, they don't have to worry about some rogue dictator cutting off the gas with a moment's notice. prgtoken Sadly, many of our friends in Europe had to learn this the hard way, after the invasion by Russia of Ukraine, because much of Europe had a single supplier of their energy needs. In 2009, Russia effectively turned off the gas to Ukraine for almost 3 weeks, using that energy supply as a weapon. This affected at least 10 countries in Europe whose natural gas traveled in a pipeline through Ukraine. prgtoken In many ways, this should have been a wake-up call for the United States and our allies about the dangers of energy dependence, the lack of diversity in the supply. Relying on anyone--any country--for basic needs like heating, electricity, and fuel creates serious vulnerability, but relying on an adversary, as Europe did, is downright dangerous. prgtoken Over the last 15 years, our friends in Europe have been working to diversify their energy supply and reduce their reliance on Russia. prgtoken I remember John McCain, our former colleague, saying: ``Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country.'' It is their principal export and what they use to fuel their economy and, unfortunately, what they use to arm themselves when they invade neighboring countries like Ukraine. prgtoken So oil and gas is how they do that, and they somehow had convinced the Europeans that they were a reliable, sole