mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORSHIP, TREATMENT, ACCESS, AND RESEARCH REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2022
Anna G. Eshoo (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-12-23

. Madam , I rise in support of S. 4120, the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act. As Chairwoman of the House Health Subcommittee, I'm proud to have advanced this bipartisan bill and I'm pleased to support it on the Floor today. prgtoken I thank Representatives Speier, Butterfield, and McCaul for their work on this important bill. I especially would like to recognize Representatives Speier and Butterfield for their longstanding dedication to helping children with cancer and to congratulate them on passing this vital bill on their last days of service in the Congress. prgtoken Every day families face the nightmare of a child diagnosed with cancer. Nearly 10,500 children in the U.S. under the age of 15 were diagnosed with cancer in 2022. Today we're delivering hope for those families. prgtoken The Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act is the most comprehensive childhood cancer bill ever passed into law. Since it was signed into law in 2018, the STAR Act has helped deliver over $120 million to fund childhood cancer research and assist patients and families battling cancer. It expands opportunities for childhood cancer research at the National Cancer Institute, improves efforts to track pediatric cancer incidences, and, importantly, enhances the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors. prgtoken Today's legislation is a simple reauthorization of these life-saving programs to ensure there is no lapse in funding or disruption in important research. Today, the ic House is delivering for the children and I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023
Doris O. Matsui (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-12-23

I strongly support the bill before us today which will keep our government operating and make transformative investments to tackle some of the Sacramento region's most pressing challenges. prgtoken Despite the progress we've made with this bill, I believe we missed an important opportunity to accomplish a bipartisan goal: securing American telecommunications networks by fully funding the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. prgtoken As an original cosponsor of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act which created the Reimbursement Program, I believe it is both an economic and national security imperative to implement it fully. prgtoken However, the significant funding shortfall in the Program has introduced severe uncertainty for small internet service providers and undercuts their ability to execute plans to rip and replace vulnerable network equipment. This poses a very significant national security threat and without additional resources, the program cannot fulfill its mandate. prgtoken That is why, in May, I led a bipartisan group of 20 Members urging our colleagues to fully fund this shortfall. As we continue to discuss a path forward on extending the Federal Communications Commission's auction authority and plans for the lower three gigahertz band, I believe it must include plans for addressing the shortfall in the Reimbursement Program. prgtoken I will be voting for this bill and look forward to working with my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to fully fund the Reimbursement Program.
HONORING JAMES HOLMES
Abigail Davis Spanberger (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2022-12-23

. Madam , I rise today to honor the lifetime of achievement of Mr. James Holmes. prgtoken Following decades of service to the Culpeper community and 35 years of service to the Culpeper County Electoral Board, Mr. Holmes is stepping down as current Chair of the Board at the end of this year. prgtoken Growing up in Culpeper, James Holmes attended George Washington Carver School and was among the first integrated classes at Culpeper High School. prgtoken Mr. Holmes' determination to improve our Commonwealth for future generations of Virginians brought him back to Culpeper after he graduated Cum Laude from Virginia Union University and earned his JD from Howard Law School. prgtoken A licensed ordained Baptist minister who has pastored in Culpeper for decades, Mr. Holmes has held many positions with the Wayland Blue Ridge Baptist Association. prgtoken From his service on the Electoral Board to casting an Electoral Vote in 2008 for our first Black president, James Holmes has demonstrated a commitment to civic engagement and elevating the voices of Virginians within his community. prgtoken Mr. Holmes has touched many lives throughout his career--as President of Culpeper Housing and Shelter Services, President of Culpeper County United Way, President of the Culpeper County Equalization Board, and as a caring member of his community. prgtoken Today, I thank James Holmes for his commitment to progress, equality, and community empowerment.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE SENATE AMENDMENT TO HOUSE AMENDMENT TO SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 2617, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES...
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2022-12-23

I thank the gentleman very much for yielding. prgtoken , there are no lameduck Americans. The lights are on, the doors are open, and they expect for us to work. prgtoken I am excited about this omnibus. I am excited about the $800 billion that were able to get for housing and safer communities. prgtoken I am excited about the STOP School Violence Act grants of $50 million for community-based violence intervention; $95 million for the background checks. prgtoken I am excited about 40 million children being able to have good healthcare under Medicaid. I am excited about the enhancement of Medicare and Medicaid for my constituents. prgtoken I am enormously excited about the $398 million--we have tried this over and over again--to transition the TSA workforce to pay parity with civil service employees performing similar work, as well as the dollars for refugees' processing and shelter. prgtoken I am excited about the dollars for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the 18th Congressional District; for Buffalo Bayou Park, $750,000, in the 18th Congressional District; for riverside planning for restoration; for the hospital, $750,000; $4 million to deal with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Transportation. prgtoken I am excited because we are doing things for families. prgtoken , vote for this bill. It is no lameduck. Happy holidays. It is for the American people, and the are standing tall.
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023
Frank Pallone, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2022-12-23

I rise in strong support of this final omnibus package. This bill includes important health care and consumer protection provisions out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. prgtoken The bill invests in our children's health with 2 years of additional funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and, for the first time, guarantees 12 months of continuous coverage for kids on CHIP and Medicaid. This will, safeguard access to health care for 40 million young people across the nation. It also permanently extends the option for states to provide new moms with Medicaid coverage for 12 months postpartum, a critical part of our effort to address the unacceptable maternal mortality crisis that disproportionately affects women of color. prgtoken I am also pleased that we reached bipartisan agreement to ensure Puerto Rico and the U.S. Territories have the Medicaid funding they need to ensure access to care for their residents. prgtoken The government funding agreement also provides additional resources to address the mental health and substance use disorder crises facing the Nation, especially among our young people. It reauthorizes key programs that support Americans' mental health and substance use recovery needs, expands access to medication assisted treatment, bolsters workforce capacity and training, and establishes important new programs and services including a national maternal mental health hotline and task force. prgtoken The omnibus also strengthens our nation's public health agencies. It modernizes the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) accelerated approval program to give the agency more oversight over drugs and biologics that receive approval through this pathway. It also provides the agency with new authority to improve the diversity of populations participating in clinical trials, and finally updates FDA's authority to oversee the safety of cosmetics and personal care products. This is something I have been working on for more than a decade and now it is a reality. This omnibus also applies the lessons learned from the COVID- 19 pandemic to help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepare to respond to future public health emergencies. prgtoken Finally, the omnibus includes a number of important consumer protection provisions that will guard consumers against counterfeit and dangerous products, bolster U.S. manufacturing, and continue to promote our economic competitiveness on the world stage. prgtoken I am proud that this final bill includes so many important health care and consumer protection provisions that came out of the Energy and Commerce Committee in a bipartisan fashion over this last Congress. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill that invests in the health and well-being of the American people. I include in the Record additional supplemental materials on the intent of certain Medicaid provisions that I authored in the omnibus. The bill before
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2022-12-23

I rise today in support of the FY 2023 omnibus that will come before this chamber shortly having passed the Senate with bipartisan support. While this legislation--and the process that produced it--is far from perfect, there are a number of priorities that this legislation addresses that are critical to my constituents. prgtoken I want to take a moment to talk about one of those priorities including in this bill, a provision creating a Great Lakes Authority to help put the Great Lakes states and region on equal footing with other regions of our country that already have similar entities working to coordinate regional economic development and growth. prgtoken I want to thank my friend and colleague Marcy Kaptur for her leadership in this effort. prgtoken I remind my colleagues of how critical the Great Lakes are to our country. While the Great Lakes--Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario--are an environmental treasure with their connecting channels forming the largest fresh surface water system on earth making up one- fifth of the world's fresh surface water supply, the region is an economic powerhouse as well. prgtoken According to the Great Lakes Chamber of Commerce, with one-third of the U.S. population, nearly 39 percent of all U.S./Canadian trade to the world, 19 of the world's best research universities and much of its inventive power, the bi-national Great Lakes Region is the world's most important economic engine--in GDP terms, the third largest economy in the world. prgtoken But while other regions of our country have some form of federally endowed regional entity or commission to support economic cooperation and infrastructure and other investments, no such entity existed for the Great Lakes until now. prgtoken This new commission should help sharpen, target, and increase coordination among numerous federal programs and agencies, including those already working in the Great Lakes, and bring in stakeholders from each state and tribes in the region with the goal of helping to keep moving the region forward on energy, environment, innovation, and job creation, among other critical priorities. prgtoken This work will be critical to supporting my vision of a Great Lakes region that continues to foster innovation, creates good paying jobs, that provides high quality education and job training that prepares individuals for better jobs, and that is equipped to address Great Lakes challenges that often span state, and even international, borders. prgtoken In this Congress, we have worked hard to invest in our nation's infrastructure and to help create good paying jobs in our country while working to bring manufacturing and more of the supply chain in critical industries, home. A new Great Lakes Authority will help better position the region to take advantage of those new opportunities. prgtoken This new Great Lakes Authority can help target transportation and other infrastructure needs in the region which
INTRODUCTION OF BLOCKED RAIL CROSSINGS SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2022
André Carson (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2022-12-23

. Madam , I rise to introduce the Blocked Rail Crossings Safety Improvement Act of 2022. This language reflects policies developed in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where I am proud to serve. prgtoken There is a serious and dangerous problem of blocked railroad crossings across the country, with freight trains blocking at-grade crossings in urban and suburban communities across the country. In my district, Indianapolis is experiencing an increasing frequency of blocked railroad crossings by freight trains. Trains are growing longer and longer. Downtown rail crossings have been blocked for unacceptably long periods, including one incident that lasted over 3 hours. This not only interrupts business operations and normal traffic, but it threatens public safety--especially when emergency vehicles must be re- routed. prgtoken This is why we must pass legislation to address this problem. The Blocked Rail Crossings Safety Improvement Act will help fix this problem. The language is based on provisions passed by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and passed by the House in the INVEST Act. These provisions, which I recommended, place limits on how long crossings can be blocked, and impose penalties for blocking crossings. While I appreciated and supported the limited provisions included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I don't believe they went far enough. More must be done. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Blocked Rail Crossings Safety Improvement Act.
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023
Barbara Lee (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-12-23

I rise in support of this omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2023. As Chair of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, I thank Chair DeLauro, my fellow Cardinals and the for their tireless work to get this bill to the floor. prgtoken I also want to thank my talented and hard-working subcommittee staff that put this bill together--Clelia Alvarado, Craig Higgins, Jean Kwon, Marin Stein, Jonathan Stivers, Jason Wheelock--and my Clerk, Erin Kolodjeski. prgtoken This bill strengthens global partnerships, bolsters public health, fights the climate crisis, supports displaced and vulnerable people, promotes democracy, and brings us closer to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. These critical investments in the people and programs of our foreign affairs agencies deserve all of our support. prgtoken In total, the bill provides $59.7 billion in funding for State Department, USAID, and related programs--an increase of $3.6 billion above fiscal year 2022. prgtoken In addition, the legislation includes $16.6 billion in emergency humanitarian, economic, and security assistance for Ukraine, countries affected by the situation in Ukraine, and other assistance to vulnerable populations and communities. prgtoken This bill also contains crucial investments to help the world confront the climate crisis. As a country responsible for a huge portion of global emissions, we have a moral obligation to support developing countries impacted by climate change and I will continue to fight for more resources for those feeling the greatest impacts. prgtoken This bill funds the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, at its highest levels on record, including fulfilling the $2 billion pledge for the Global Fund. As we approach the 20th anniversary of PEPFAR, this investment gets us closer to the goal of an AIDS free generation by 2030. prgtoken The funds included in this bill support the commitments made by the - Administration during June's Summit of the Americas and last week's Africa Leaders Summit, cementing these partnerships for the next decade. I am especially pleased that this bill provides unprecedented support to our closest neighbors in the Caribbean, including in the areas of security, economic growth, and climate resiliency. prgtoken At a time when reproductive rights have been stripped from millions, supporting gender equity could not be more important. This bill advances gender equity and equality by increasing funding for programs that support women and girls. However, I am deeply disappointed that this bill does not provide the resources women around the world need to make decisions about their bodies and families. This is unjust and affects women, their families, and communities negatively. prgtoken Overall, this bill represents a major step forward in diversity, equity, and justice across the globe. s, and I urge us all to supp
FUNDING THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2022-12-23

we are here today to fulfill one of Congress' most basic responsibilities: to fund our government and keep it working for the people. prgtoken We are not doing that very well. It is the 23rd of December, the day before Christmas Eve. The weather is bad, Members--we will see how many--are here to fulfill their duty. This sweeping package is anything but garbage, as the previous speaker intoned. prgtoken It is, in fact, the essence of supporting our national security, our domestic security, and the welfare of our people. That is not garbage. prgtoken This sweeping package secures full-year appropriations for fiscal year 2023. prgtoken In reality, , this bill should have been passed in September of this year. prgtoken Why? prgtoken Because the fiscal year ends on September 30, and fiscal year 2023 begins on October 1 of this year. prgtoken The Senate had not passed a single appropriation bill by the end of the last fiscal year to provide for the fiscal year in which we are now operating. That ought to be unacceptable for the 535 of us who have been sent here to represent the American people in a responsible way and in a way that reflects that we are adults seized with the responsibility that the American people expect us to meet. Today, too late--but never too late to do the right thing--we will meet that responsibility. prgtoken I thank Chairwoman DeLauro, Ranking Member Granger, their colleagues and staff on the House Appropriations Committee, and the staff director, all who have worked round the clock to help us achieve an end which must be achieved every year. This does not come as a surprise to any of us that we have to fund the government of the United States of America. prgtoken So I thank each and every member of the staff of the House Appropriations Committee. prgtoken Indeed, I thank Mr. Leahy and Mr. Shelby, the chair and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee in the United States Senate. They wanted to get this job done. They wanted to get this job done in a timely fashion. But unfortunately, the United States Senate has become enamored with doing an omnibus at the last second. That ought to be a disappointment for every Member of this body and every American. prgtoken As an appropriator myself, I know how much work the committee and the staff perform behind the scenes to keep our government operating, and I commend them all for advancing all 12 of the regular appropriation bills for fiscal year 2023 out of their committee in June of this year--in June--while our colleagues in the Senate had not passed any by September 30. prgtoken We passed six of those bills through this House, . We sent them to the Senate, and they have not been taken up. prgtoken Indeed, for the last 4 years, our House majority has passed legislation to fund almost all of the government by the end of summer. Only, , by fulfilling this most basic duty can Congress start to make progress on its other obligations to the America
CELEBRATING KEY DEMOCRAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Sylvia R. Garcia (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2022-12-23

I rise today to celebrate the key accomplishments will deliver in today's Federal Government funding bill. prgtoken Expanding healthcare is a top priority for my district. prgtoken are putting people over politics by investing in our public health system and expanding access to quality healthcare. prgtoken will deliver permanent, mandatory, and continuous coverage for the 40 million children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. prgtoken We are making investments in mental health, which will improve access to medication-assisted treatment, expand our mental health workforce, and increase coverage of mental health services. prgtoken Investing in physical and mental health care is investing in our families, our workers, and our communities. It is about putting people over politics. It is about investing in our children. prgtoken I am proud that we will be voting on this bill today, and I plan to vote for it.
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023
Daniel T. Kildee (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2022-12-23

the Great Lakes are essential to Michigan's economy and our way of life. They foster billions of dollars in economic activity in our local economies and support millions of jobs in the fishing, boating and tourism industries. That's why I am pleased the Great Lakes Authority was included in the FY2023 Omnibus. By investing in job training and workforce development, this new federal entity will empower our workers, lift up the Great Lakes region and build back our communities. The regional plan will help us combat climate and create more good-paying jobs here in Michigan. I look forward to developing the Great Lakes Authority further in the next Congress and working across the aisle to advance meaningful community engagement and economic growth for our region.