mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Methane (Executive Calendar)
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2021-4-27

in Colorado we have come out of one of the worst wildfire seasons that we have ever seen. In fact, you can't really call it a season, I think, when the fires are still going on when the snow falls, but that is what happened this year, incredibly. prgtoken Three of the largest fires in our history all happened in the same year, and these fires displaced thousands of people in my State. They obscured the views of the mountains for weeks at a time. They forced families to pack their entire lives into duffle bags while their homes went up in flames. They shut down major highways for weeks and paralyzed local economies and blanketed our communities with smoke. prgtoken If you ask anyone in Colorado why this is happening, they will tell you it is because our State is becoming hotter and drier each year. If you ask farmers and ranchers in Colorado--and a lot of them are --they will tell you they are facing drought that is longer and more intense than their parents or grandparents ever had to deal with. prgtoken Our mountain towns will tell you that they are struggling with ski seasons that are growing shorter each year. Our water officials will tell you that they are planning for a future with a lot less water to go around, and there wasn't enough water to begin with. And the reason for all of this is climate change. prgtoken That is why in Colorado, a purple State, a swing State in the middle of the country, there is absolutely a consensus that we have a moral responsibility to deal with climate change as a threat to our economy, to our environment, and to our way of life. prgtoken That responsibility extends to the U.S. Senate, but for most of the time I have been here, we have treated climate change like it was going to somehow solve itself or, in some cases, that it didn't even really exist. And nothing could be further from the truth. This is a problem for all 50 States and every American. It is a problem for humanity, and we can't deal with it in an enduring way unless the hundred people in this body take action, until a hundred people here are willing to lead on a challenge that is existential, yes, and also global, yes, and is crying out for the leadership of the Senate. prgtoken There is nobody else to ride to the rescue. We have to do this, and we can start tomorrow by voting to reverse--and I hope it will be a big bipartisan vote tomorrow on voting to reverse--the last administration's terrible, counterproductive, self-destructive policy on methane pollution. prgtoken Methane is not something people ever think about, and it is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases behind climate change. It can be over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and it is responsible for a quarter of all the warming that the planet has seen since the Industrial Revolution. prgtoken Today, one of the biggest sources of methane pollution is the oil and gas industry in my State and in the great State of
Nomination of Janet Garvin McCabe (Executive Calendar)
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2021-4-27

the Senate has invoked cloture, and I just want to thank everybody who supported cloture on Janet McCabe's nomination to serve as Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. prgtoken I rise now to urge my colleagues to support the confirmation of this outstanding nominee, because Janet McCabe is exactly the leader that Administrator Michael Regan and the rest of the EPA need right now as we tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the Agency and in our Nation's history. prgtoken She will do so as one who understands the challenges and opportunities of working as a director of an air program, within a State environmental agency, to create a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment--not just for the citizens of some communities but for all communities and all ZIP Codes in Indiana, but also for the industry throughout her State. prgtoken I stand before you today, as my colleagues sometimes call me, as a recovering Governor. I understand how difficult it can be to bring a genuine interest to hear all points of view, to a job where Agency actions have consequences in every home and in every business. Perhaps Janet McCabe's colleague, Fred Cate, vice president of research at the University of Indiana put it best in an interview in the IndyStar recently. I just want to quote him. This is what he said: ``The reason she will be great at EPA is the same reason she was superb here''. . . . ``It's her ability to get people behind a common vision and get them to do things and not just talk about them.'' prgtoken Janet McCabe is a steady hand who has built a 30-year career of leadership in environmental protection. Her dedication and her know-how will be invaluable in protecting clean air and clean water, addressing the climate crisis, and realizing environmental justice for the most vulnerable among us. prgtoken So it is no surprise that she has garnered support from 48 leading environmental organizations. At the same time, anyone who has worked with Ms. McCabe knows that she is a hard-working, pragmatic Hoosier to the core. She works well with . She works well with s and with Independents. And that is why she has the public support of nine former EPA Deputy Administrators and Acting Administrators, including four former EPA Deputy Administrators who served in the Reagan administration and who served in the administration of George Herbert Walker and who served in the administration. prgtoken Her professional experience includes service in both Federal and State government, and that includes impressive tenures in both Indiana and Massachusetts government agencies, as well as years of leadership experience at EPA. prgtoken Based on that experience, Ms. McCabe knows that in order for any Federal Agency to be successful, its leaders must work closely and collaboratively with State and local partners, no matter whi
NOMINATION OF COLIN HACKETT KAHL (Executive Calendar)
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2021-4-27

. You have almost the identical situation here. What happened with General Tata is that his nomination, for a lot of these reasons, was withdrawn by the administration. Yet now you have the same, almost identical issues with this nominee, and when I showed this letter to my ic colleagues, they were like, ``Oh, no. That's OK.'' It is not OK. It is not OK. prgtoken So let's talk about temperament and tweets with Dr. Kahl. prgtoken Really, the issue here is, is he more of a political hack who is tweeting all of the time--he tweets quite a lot--or is he somebody with the temperament of a partisan internet troll, or is he a measured national security professional who can lead the Pentagon in the No. 3 position? Unfortunately, I think it is the former issue, not the latter. He has a long history of tweets. prgtoken Just like the issues that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle objected to last year for this same position with the administration's nominee, who was withdrawn for these reasons, here is just a small example of Dr. Kahl's tweets. These are the same issues that my colleagues were concerned about. There have been a lot of attacks on Members of Congress. OK. That is fine. We are in the public arena. prgtoken Here is what he wrote: The GOP used to pride itself as the party that put values front and center in U.S. foreign policy. Now they are the party of ethnic cleansing. prgtoken OK. I don't think we are the party of ethnic cleansing. That is pretty strong stuff. prgtoken He tweeted more: Let's not mince words. The administration kidnapped children. The Party, in terms of national security, are now part of a ``death cult.'' prgtoken He retweeted the now discredited Lincoln Project attacks. I know a lot about them. It spent a lot of money in my race. It is a very discredited group of people, by the way. Very disturbed are some of their leaders at the Lincoln Project. prgtoken He calls and tweets that the President of the United States, the Commander in Chief, is a moron, is repugnant, is a coward. He went on to call my colleagues in the Senate many additional things that I won't repeat here. He did this a lot. prgtoken No matter what your views are of my colleagues or of the former President, words matter, and attacks matter. If you can't refrain from making them, maybe you don't belong in the No. 3 position in the Pentagon. That was the conclusion that pretty much everybody made last year, so why should it be different with this candidate? It shouldn't be different. prgtoken Don't get me wrong. It is a free country. You are allowed to tweet and criticize the Commander in Chief and Members of Congress all the time. That is fine. That is what America is. That is what democracy is. But that doesn't mean you get a free pass to be the No. 3 guy at the U.S. Department of Defense, which is what he wants. prgtoken So that is temperament, and
FENTANYL
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-4-27

as I noted here on the floor last week, the unaccompanied children packed into overflowing facilities are not the only tragic consequence of our failure to secure the border. prgtoken In addition to the U.S. mail, our southern border is a major source for the stream of lethal illegal drugs that continue to pour into our country. According to the CDC, more Americans died of overdoses last year than ever before. prgtoken This health crisis predated COVID-19 and will outlast it, and Customs and Border Protection data tell us a major cause has been a spike in the flow of fentanyl and its analogs produced by chemical companies in places like China. These drugs, which can be hundreds of thousands of times stronger than morphine, are rightly classified on the schedule of controlled substances. There are severe penalties for those caught trafficking them. It is the least we can do to protect American lives, families, and communities. prgtoken Clearly, on its own, this step hasn't been sufficient, but in a few weeks, even this obvious step is set to expire. Fentanyl analogs would cease being controlled substances in Federal law, making enforcement and deterrence even more difficult. prgtoken So Congress is faced with what should be a crystal-clear choice. The right thing to do, of course, is to permanently schedule these substances. Only in Washington could this become some kind of intense debate, but alas, some soft-on-crime corners of the political left have convinced some that this impending expiration is actually, actually a political opportunity. They want the to only reschedule these analogs for a short period of time, punting this deadline just a few months into the future, which makes you ask, Why? prgtoken Well, so that could come back to the table with an unrelated soft-on-crime bill--say, reducing prison sentences for drug dealers--and make that bad idea the price of admission for keeping these deadly poisons illegal. prgtoken So look, we need to be clear-eyed here. No amount of political spin or inside-the-beltway horse trading can muddy the debate. It is very clear: Congress should schedule these fentanyl analogs permanently-- permanently. prgtoken It is not complicated. Americans are dying. Communities are drowning. Chinese drug traffickers are getting rich off of our misery. Permanently scheduling these analogs is the very least, the very least Congress can do
Border Security (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-4-27

tomorrow evening, across the Capitol, President will deliver his first State of the Union Address. As we continue to make headway in our fight against COVID-19, I expect the President to reflect on the tremendous progress we have made and encourage Americans to get vaccinated. So far so good. prgtoken But I also believe he will try to frame the nearly $2 trillion partisan bill that was rammed through Congress earlier this year as the driving force behind that progress, even though less than 10 percent of the bill was related to COVID-19. prgtoken I expect the President will call on Congress to pass his so-called infrastructure bill, which is similar to the COVID-19 relief bill in that it is a partisan bill having very little to do with the title of the bill itself. Only about 5 percent, in fact, goes toward roads and bridges, something we would all define as infrastructure. prgtoken I am hopeful that the President will finally announce a plan to address the crisis at our southern border because, so far, the administration has been largely silent. The crisis at the southern border is real; it is big; and it is growing. We are breaking all the wrong kinds of records, including the numbers of unaccompanied children, total monthly border crossings, and the capacity levels at our care facilities. prgtoken In March, we saw the highest number of border crossings on record, more than 172,000 individuals. That was a dramatic increase from the already eye-popping 100,000 in February--February, 100,000; March, 172,000; and, trust me, it is going to get nothing but worse. prgtoken Nearly 19,000 of these individuals were unaccompanied children, the highest numbers we have ever seen in a single month. Sometimes people will say: That child came to America all by himself or herself. I want to disabuse my colleagues of any notion that a child--small child-- would make that trip to the United States ``by themselves.'' These children are being turned over to criminal organizations that are paid by the head to transport them from their country of origin into the United States and, unfortunately, these human smugglers, known in my part of the country as ``coyotes,'' care nothing for the welfare of those children. It is only the money that they could produce by transporting them to the United States that they care about. prgtoken It is true we know that a spike in migration is not an entirely new phenomena and, sadly, neither is the dramatic increase in the number of children, but the current surge is unlike any we have experienced in at least the last 20 years, according to Director Mayorkas. prgtoken These eye-popping numbers are compounded by a deadly pandemic. We have never seen that before. The pandemic, of course, has made once routine tasks like transporting and caring for migrants incredibly dangerous to the men and women who are performing those duties. prgtoken In an effort to downplay the seriousness of t
Vote on Miller Nomination (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2021-4-27

. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott), and the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Shelby). prgtoken Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott) would have voted ``nay.''
Infrastructure (Executive Session)
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2021-4-27

I like to think that infrastructure is in my DNA. My father was Jerry Strobel, a civil engineer who spent his entire career with the Nebraska Department of Transportation. Now, that was back when it was still called the Department of Roads. He eventually became director/State engineer and served under two different Governors, Kay Orr and Ben Nelson, one and one . prgtoken My dad used to take my two brothers and me on weekend road trips across Nebraska to check up on our infrastructure--trips that he would call ``inspection tours.'' Many of the photos that I have from my childhood are of my brothers and me standing on partially finished bridges, in front of bulldozers, and next to highways that were under various stages of completion. He taught me how to drop a plumb line and showed me how to handle his surveying equipment. prgtoken Those trips with my dad taught me that infrastructure takes a long time to plan, it takes a long time to permit, and it takes a long time to build. Even short stretches of a single highway can sometimes--well, it can take years to finish. To get the most out of our limited taxpayer resources, we must condense that process to save both time and money. prgtoken I learned that reliable infrastructure doesn't happen by accident, and when I was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, I brought that appreciation with me. As chair of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, I introduced bills like the Nebraska Build Act. The new revenue from that bill has funded over a dozen important infrastructure projects across Nebraska. prgtoken Nebraskans and all Americans know what actual infrastructure is. It is roads and bridges, but it is also ports and airports and railroads and pipelines and waterways and broadband. Those things are a core responsibility of government. The American people also know what infrastructure is not. If Congress passes a bill to reform Medicare, that is not infrastructure; that is healthcare. prgtoken We all know that words don't change their meaning overnight to suit one party or the other's political goals, but President seems to think they do. He is asking us to support an infrastructure proposal that could eventually top $2.7 trillion, which redefines that word to mean policies such as climate research and federally funded home or community care services--things that have nothing to do with what we have traditionally called infrastructure. prgtoken Less than 6 percent of the $2.25 trillion that is identified in the proposal would go to roads and bridges. Barely 4 percent would go to broadband, and less than 2 percent is for airports. At the same time, hundreds of billions of dollars would be funneled to things like housing, Medicare, and electric vehicles. prgtoken The President wants to enact trillions of dollars in new taxes to pay for prgtoken all of this. Proposals being discussed include raising the capital
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2021-4-27

I am pleased to join my colleague from Michigan, Senator Peters, in introducing the Animal Freedom from Testing, Experiments, and Research Act, known as the AFTER Act, to promote the adoption or retirement of animals used for research by Federal agencies. prgtoken In fiscal year 2019, the Federal government experimented on approximately 38,000 animals for research purposes. These experiments occurred across fourteen different federal agencies. The animals used were mainly cats, dogs, monkeys, and rabbits. Tracking these animals following experimentation is challenging. In many instances, animals no longer needed for research are killed since many agencies lack formal retirement or adoption policies. Recent peer-reviewed studies indicate that research animals that are adopted, however, often thrive in their new environments. prgtoken In 2013, led by Senators Harkin, Alexander, Cantwell and myself, the Senate passed the CHIMP Act, which allowed for the retirement of hundreds of primates that were formerly used in National Institute of Health (NIH) experiments. In addition, the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, FDA, and NIH recently enacted successful animal retirement policies. While I am encouraged by the Senate's past work on primates and the recent policies developed by a few Federal agencies, there are many other Federal agencies, including the Agriculture Department, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency, that lack formal policies for animals used in experiments. prgtoken The AFTER Act builds on successful policies at DOD, VA, and NIH by directing all Federal agencies to promulgate regulations that would facilitate the retirement of laboratory animals. The bill provides flexibility for each agency to devise its own policy, with the goal of ensuring that such animals, whenever possible, are retired and not killed. Additionally, the AFTER Act requires that animals be evaluated by a licensed veterinarian and pronounced both mentally and physically healthy before leaving an agency. This will help ensure a smooth transition to a new environment. prgtoken Our legislation also encourages Federal agencies to work with non- profit organizations to help place retired animals in sanctuaries and shelters across the country, not just those closest to the research facility. This would allow a State like Maine, which does not have Federal research labs that use animals, to play a role in retiring these animals and providing homes for them. prgtoken , animals that are suitable for adoption or retirement should not be killed by our Federal government. The AFTER Act would provide the necessary direction Federal agencies need in order to move forward with developing retirement policies. I urge all of my colleagues to join in support of this important bipartisan legislation, the Animal Freedom from Testing, Experiments, and Research Act.
NOMINATION OF COLIN HACKETT KAHL (Executive Calendar)
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2021-4-27

I rise in opposition to the nomination of Colin Kahl to serve as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. prgtoken Our Nation needs leaders at the Department of Defense who are not driven by a partisan agenda and are committed to making sure our troops have all the resources and support they need to succeed. We need leaders who understand that our adversaries are regimes like those in Communist China and Iran and that our friends are countries like Israel and its partners in the Middle East. That is not Dr. Kahl. I have grave concerns about Dr. Kahl's lack of support for one of our great allies, Israel, weakness toward Communist China and desire to rejoin the disastrous Iran Deal. prgtoken The Undersecretary of Defense for Policy serves as the Defense Secretary's top national security adviser, a position that requires sound judgement and an even temperament. Dr. Kahl's history of partisan rhetoric makes him unfit for this position. prgtoken For all these reasons, I oppose Mr. Kahl's nomination and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Nomination of Janet Garvin McCabe (Executive Session)
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2021-4-27

we are about to vote cloture on Janet McCabe, the No. 2 at the EPA, and I vehemently oppose her nomination to this position. prgtoken She is the architect of the Clean Power Plan that basically racked my economy in West Virginia, and she has not backed down from that in her testimony. She is very supportive of that plan and even more. prgtoken Her boss at the EPA at the time was Gina McCarthy. Guess where she is now--in the White House. She, again, will be Janet McCabe's boss in the White House, dictating from there. prgtoken During her time at the EPA before, she didn't listen, she wouldn't come to West Virginia, and she basically showed very little interest in what happens to the people most deeply affected by the policies that she put forward. prgtoken So given her past actions and present statements, I cannot support someone who would work to destroy a State's economy, such as ours was destroyed, and our communities and their livelihoods.