mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
FOOD AND DRUG AMENDMENTS OF 2022
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , I rise in support of H.R. 7667, the ``Food and Drug Amendments Act of 2022,'' which will reauthorize user fees for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar products from fiscal 2023 through 2027. prgtoken Congress has successfully supported the reauthorization of this important legislation with bi-partisan support for over 80 years. prgtoken We must continue in our efforts to generate guidance and regulation on the healthcare products and pharmaceutical drugs available to the American people we serve. prgtoken Let it be known, however, that today, the 117th Congress brings forward new requirements of racial and cultural diversity. prgtoken In addition to providing reauthorization for pharmaceutical drug, equipment, and trial funding, H.R. 7667 recognizes the millions of Americans who are racial and ethnic minorities who have been too long mistreated by medical trials and studies--to the detriment of our health. prgtoken Today we add amendments to this Act that will ensure medical care reflects people across all groups so that we may receive healthcare that is developed and designed to serve us. prgtoken The law that we are reauthorizing today will require pharmaceutical manufacturers to submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services detailed Diversity Action Plans. prgtoken These plans must outline their initiatives to include in clinical studies participants across various subgroups including: age, sex, geographic location, socio-economic status, ethnicity and race. prgtoken America has an ugly history of racialized medical testing. prgtoken As I am sure many of you know, People of Color, Black people specifically, have been used and abused by the American medical system. prgtoken White doctors once claimed that Black patients couldn't feel pain--so they used us as medical experiments. prgtoken J. Marion Sims, the ``father of gynecology'' perfected his craft by repeatedly slicing open enslaved Black women for painful medical surgeries without anesthesia. prgtoken On one unmedicated woman, he performed 30 surgeries. prgtoken For forty years--until 1972--Black men in Tuskegee, Alabama were studied and experimented on without their consent. prgtoken Out of 600 men, over 120 died from what was a treatable disease. prgtoken In yesteryear, People of Color were treated as expendable research material. prgtoken In recent times, we have been left out of medical trials entirely. prgtoken When Moderna first began research for their life-saving COVID-19 vaccine, it was discovered that Black participants made up only 7 percent of their clinical trial despite making up twice that percentage nationally. prgtoken This is not an isolated problem. prgtoken Nationally, though People of Color make up about 39 percent of the U.S. population, we are represented by only 2 percent to 16 percent of patients in trials. prgtoken Nearly 50 percent of the residents of Houston are People of Color. prgtoken We are parents
AUTHORIZING TESTIMONY AND REPRESENTATION IN UNITED STATES V. WILLIAMS
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-6-8

another criminal trial arising out of the events of January 6, 2021, is scheduled to begin on June 27, 2022, in Federal district court in the District of Columbia. The Federal indictment prgtoken charges the defendant with five counts: obstructing the counting by Congress of the electoral ballots for President and Vice President; entering and remaining in a restricted area within the United States Capitol grounds; unlawful parading, demonstrating, and picketing; and two counts of engaging in disorderly and disruptive conduct. prgtoken The government has requested trial testimony from Daniel Schwager, formerly counsel to the Secretary of the Senate, related to the obstruction count, including his knowledge and observations of the process and constitutional and legal bases for Congress' counting of the Electoral College votes. Senate Secretary Berry would like to cooperate with this request by providing relevant testimony in this proceeding from Mr. Schwager. prgtoken In keeping with the rules and practices of the Senate, this resolution would authorize the production of relevant testimony from Mr. Schwager, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.
Tribute to Kenny Klein (Executive Session)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2022-6-8

every Senator here has a serious responsibility to make sure that our veterans get the support and help they are promised after their service to our country, and that includes making sure that those who have been harmed by toxic exposures during their service get the service and care they deserve. It seems pretty simple, but I hope we can hold up our end of the bargain today. prgtoken My dad was a World War II veteran--he was a Purple Heart recipient-- and when he got really sick with multiple sclerosis, help from the VA made a huge difference for my family. So I want to really thank Senators Tester and Moran for their persistent work on this bill. I am glad we have come to a bipartisan agreement on the PACT Act because it does matter, it will help people, and it will save lives. prgtoken Right now, the reality is that too many veterans are living with chronic illness and respiratory diseases as a result of toxic exposures from their time serving our country in uniform. I have heard countless stories about the challenges they have faced struggling to get access to VA care and benefits they have earned, and that is unacceptable. prgtoken I believe very strongly that no one who put their life or health on the line for our Nation should face hurdles getting the care or medical treatment they need as a result of that sacrifice. When they signed up to serve, we told them we would have their backs long after their service, so if we are going to live up to our promise, then we need to pass comprehensive legislation to ensure all veterans have access to the VA services they deserve. Simply put, we need to pass this PACT Act. prgtoken With this bill, generations of toxic-exposed veterans would finally be able to get the high-quality care they need, and the VA will get the resources needed to process claims efficiently and better serve our veterans. prgtoken I remember, back when I was 22 years old, I interned at the Seattle veterans hospital. I have visited with and met with VA staff in every part of Washington State. The doctors, the nurses, and everyone else working at our VA medical centers really care about this work, they care about this Nation, and they care about their mission, but they need us here in Congress to care just as much and fight just as hard for their patients, our veterans. That is really what this bill is about. prgtoken When VA was considering closing or reducing services in Walla Walla, I fought back to make sure that our veterans in rural Washington were able to see a doctor without having to drive 2 hours or longer, sometimes through a lot of rain and snow. prgtoken About 1 in every 10 residents in Washington State is a veteran, and I am privileged enough to serve on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. It is my job to be a voice for Washington State veterans who are in Seattle or Spokane or Walla Walla or anywhere, and that is a job I take seriously. That is why I have been co
PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT
Lucille Roybal-Allard (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , we have a gun epidemic which is unique to America. prgtoken As a mother and grandmother, like the rest of the nation, I am heartbroken by the horrifying killings of innocent Americans, especially our children. prgtoken In 2021, homicides hit a 15 year high in Los Angeles. And this year, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, people are being killed at a faster pace than last year. prgtoken According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2020, 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries. Of these, 19,384, died violently. prgtoken These are not just numbers. They represent individuals whose lives were cut short as a result of gun violence. They were moms, dads, sons, and daughters. They belonged to a family, they were loved, and will forever be missed. prgtoken They should be here today. prgtoken Mass shootings must not be an acceptable norm. prgtoken Changing our culture of gun violence will not happen overnight. We must start the process now. There is no excuse for failing to try. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to put partisan politics and special interests aside and join us in support of this commonsense legislation to help keep our children and fellow Americans safe. Our thoughts and prayers are not enough if we fail to act and continue to ignore the gun violence which forever shatters the hearts of families across our nation. prgtoken Martin Luther King Jr reminded us that ``the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'' prgtoken To my colleagues, you do not need more time. Americans need you to bend towards justice now and help us to prevent another Uvalde, another Buffalo, Tulsa, El Paso, Parkland, Sandy Hook, and Columbine. prgtoken Enough is enough. prgtoken We must pass this legislation and the Senate must get it to the President's desk, without delay. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to make our children's lives a priority and support this commonsense legislation.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2377, FEDERAL EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDER ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7910, PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Mary Gay Scanlon (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , since the Judiciary Committee marked up the Protecting Our Kids Act last Thursday, dozens more Americans have been killed or wounded in shootings, including in Philadelphia. prgtoken Saturday night was a beautiful summer evening in the South Street entertainment district when a fistfight broke out. It ended with 3 deaths and 11 injured after multiple people pulled guns and fired into the bustling crowd. Most of those gun owners were licensed to carry. One had a ghost gun, which, of course, is the subject of our legislation today. prgtoken The point is that the current approach to gun violence in this country, which has encouraged a flood of guns to our streets, is not working. We need to do more, and we need to do it now. prgtoken This isn't about being progun or antigun. Gun violence is not a partisan issue. It is a sickness infecting this entire country. prgtoken Whether Philadelphia, Uvalde, Tulsa, Buffalo, or anywhere else in between, none of us should sit idly by and watch preventable gun deaths happen every single day, and I know that I, for one, cannot. prgtoken We are not helpless. We can change this. The needle on this issue has moved, and it is not going back. The only question is whether Members of Congress and the Senate will listen to their constituents or the NRA. prgtoken Our fellow Americans are demanding action. There is nothing unconstitutional about the bills we consider today, and they will help stop the routine slaughter of children, neighbors, teachers, doctors, and seniors in our schools, neighborhoods, churches, temples, mosques, and supermarkets. prgtoken I refuse to tell our children that they must be sacrificial lambs to a radical, twisted theory of armed Second Amendment liberty that is decoupled from personal responsibility and refuses to recognize the overriding purposes of the Constitution, to ensure domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare, and that also refuses to recognize that there are constitutional limits to the Second Amendment. Our Constitution is not a suicide pact. prgtoken Our children know as well as we do that we can do something. We have the power to pass this bill, and we must.
Gun Violence (Executive Calendar)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-6-8

yesterday, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I had the honor of welcoming a group of important guests to Washington. prgtoken The committee was joined by the families of some of the victims in last month's mass shooting in Buffalo, NY, when a White supremacist marched into the Tops Grocery store with an assault rifle and massacred 10 Black Americans in cold blood and wounded three others. Just weeks after laying their loved ones to rest, these families flew to Washington to deliver one very simple, straightforward message to Congress: Do something. Do something to prevent the next mass shooting, to combat the lethal threat posed by violent White supremacists, to honor the memory of those who were slain in this horrifying act of racist violence. prgtoken One of the family members who attended yesterday was Garnell Whitfield, Jr and his brother Raymond. Their mother Ruth Whitfield was the eldest victim in this Buffalo shooting. She was 86 years old. prgtoken In the hours before her murder, Mrs. Whitfield just finished her regular daily ritual, visiting her husband, Mr. Whitfield's father, at his nursing home. The two had been married for 68 years, and in an instant, she was gone. Her family is shattered. prgtoken During yesterday's hearing, Mr. Whitfield courageously voiced what millions of Americans feel about the devastating run of mass shootings in America: outrage. He asked me and the fellow committee members there a really important question: What are you doing? You were elected to protect us. Is there nothing that you [can] personally [be] willing to do to stop the cancer of White supremacy and the domestic terrorism it inspires? prgtoken Mr. Whitfield concluded his testimony with the following words I hope every Member of the Senate will hear. He said: Mrs. Ruth Whitfield's life mattered. Your actions here will tell us if and how much it mattered to you. prgtoken We heard the same sentiment from across the country--from Uvalde, TX, to Chicago, IL. It is impossible to keep track of these mass shootings. They have claimed so many innocent lives. prgtoken During this past weekend alone, our Nation was hit with at least 10 of them--10. Think about it: In this country, 10 in one weekend. In many countries--most countries around the world--there are none. No other developed Nation on Earth experiences this degree of bloody carnage every day, every week. And if we want to prove to Americans like Garnell Whitfield that the lives of their loved ones who were lost really do matter to us, we have to do something in the Senate. prgtoken The first thing is simple: close the loopholes on the purchase of guns. Currently, there is a bipartisan group of Senators working on this issue. I commend this group, especially Senators Murphy and Cornyn-- and --who are leading this effort. prgtoken We are also going to hold a hearing next week in the
PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT
Adriano Espaillat (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , I rise in strong support of the Protecting Our Kids Act. This overdue legislation will tighten gun regulations. prgtoken Unfortunately, in the world's wealthiest country, we have the 32nd highest rate of death from gun violence across the planet. This is a horrific statistic that is impacting all of our districts--blue districts and red districts. prgtoken In my district, gun violence has taken far too many lives, including the young life and brutal murder of Krystal Bayron-Nieves, working the midnight shift in an East Harlem Burger King. The brutal murder of two police officers in Harlem's 32nd Precinct. prgtoken An 11-month-old gunshot victim in the Bronx. Yes, Madam , only 11 months old. prgtoken Madam , I am here to tell my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that this epidemic is serious. In fact, it is a public health crisis. For this reason, Congresswoman Escobar and I urge our colleagues to join us in a resolution declaring gun violence a national public health crisis. prgtoken This is just the beginning, Madam . We will continue to pass more gun regulations.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2377, FEDERAL EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDER ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7910, PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Lori Trahan (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , many of us in this Chamber have young children. For us, today's vote comes down to simple questions: Can you as a mom or dad imagine getting a call that your child's school was locked down because of an active shooter? Can you imagine standing helplessly behind a police line as gunshots are fired near your daughter's classroom? Can you imagine having to identify the unrecognizable body of your missing baby boy by his favorite shoes? Can you imagine standing in line for a DNA test praying to God that it does not come back a match? prgtoken I ask those questions because that is what 19 families in Uvalde just had to do. That is their reality and it has been the reality for 14 families in Parkland, 20 families in Sandy Hook, 12 families in Columbine, and the list goes on. prgtoken If you imagine that reality, then do today what should have been done 25 years ago. Pass the legislation so no parent in America ever experiences this horrific reality again. Our children are counting on us and they are watching.
COMMEMORATING THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF GRANITE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
John Garamendi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , I rise today to congratulate Granite Construction Company on its centennial anniversary and honor the lasting contributions of founder, Walter J. Wilkinson. Granite Construction Company is a leader in the construction industry, paving the way for innovation and progress. The company's Founder Walter J. Wilkinson was a man of integrity, perseverance, and dedication. He not only lived by these principles, but also instilled them in the culture and work of the Granite Construction Company; these quality ethics and values remain today. prgtoken After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in engineering, Mr. Wilkinson began his career as an engineer for the Lakeport Ice Company. In 1901, at the age of 20, he joined the Granite Rock Company and would eventually lead the construction division as superintendent. When Granite Construction Company was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of Granite Rock in 1922, Mr. Wilkinson was chosen as Vice President and Arthur R. Wilson as President. prgtoken In 1936, the Wilson family sold their shares of Granite Construction to Mr. Wilkinson, who then became President. In those early years of the Great Depression, Mr. Wilkinson and his wife, Carrie B. Earle, struggled to keep the company afloat, making personal sacrifices, including mortgaging all that they owned to help sustain the business. This perseverance and personal commitment left a lasting imprint on the company. prgtoken With the advent of World War II, the business turned around and the company began to reach unprecedented levels of growth. Projects such as the $400,000 contract to build Camp Ord, now known as Fort Ord, in 1940 allowed Granite Construction to not only produce a profit, but also become a leader in the construction industry. In 1942, Mr. Wilkinson retired from active service with the company, and Bert Scott took over as President. Mr. Wilkinson sold his shares to his two sons, Walter Junior and Jack. prgtoken A scrupulous but fair businessman, Mr. Wilkinson adhered diligently to the code of conduct he established for the company, prioritizing integrity, hard work, and determination in his professional and personal life. His colleagues called him a ``visionary'' as he successfully steered Granite Construction Company through rocky times to recovery. prgtoken Outside of his professional work, Mr. Wilkinson was devoted to serving his community. He kept a daily diary, written in impeccable penmanship, chronicling his life and the founding of Granite Construction. He was a skilled orator, storyteller, and speech writer. Active in civic organizations, Mr. Wilkinson was a charter member of the Watsonville Exchange Club and President of the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Rotary Club. Moreover, as President and Founding Member of the Association of General Contractors of Northern California, Mr. Wilkinson was instrumental in establishing the Association's first bylaws. prgtoken Walter J. Wilkinson co
ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022
Jon Ossoff (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2022-6-8

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. Thursday, June 9; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 388, H.R. 3967; further that at 1:45 p.m the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of Executive Calendar No. 728, vote on confirmation of the Bagenstos nomination as provided under the previous order, and that upon disposition of the nomination, the Senate resume legislative session; 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 action.
PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT
Robin L. Kelly (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-6-8

. Madam , for years I have heard that tired argument that gun violence prevention legislation won't work. ``Just look at Chicago,'' they say, ``where residents have some of the strictest gun laws but the highest rates of gun violence.'' prgtoken The reason for that is simple--gun trafficking. More than 60 percent of guns used in crimes in Chicago come from out of State, and we are not the only city where this happens. prgtoken According to the ATF, from just 2016 to 2020, one-third of the more than 1.3 million crime guns recovered and traced by law enforcement were brought in across State lines. These guns are purchased in States with lax laws, trafficked across State lines, and then sold to people in our State who we know should not have a gun. prgtoken In Illinois, we are doing everything we can to protect our residents. Our neighbors are failing us. That is why I introduced the Prevent Gun Trafficking Act, and why I am so glad this solution is included in the Protecting Our Kids Act. This is a simple, commonsense solution. Making straw purchasing a Federal crime will help stop the flow of guns into our communities from out of State. Most importantly, it will save lives. prgtoken Stopping gun trafficking and straw purchasing is just one step we can take to eliminate gun violence. The Protecting Our Kids Act is a smart, broad approach to a complex issue. Passing this bill is the next step forward in saving children, and we cannot wait. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to support this bill.