mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-1-5

last month I was proud to see the Senate come together in a bipartisan effort and pass a Congressional Review Act measure to overturn President 's unconstitutional Federal vaccine mandate on private businesses. In that bipartisan vote, a majority of U.S. Senators sent a clear message that these job-killing mandates are wrong and have no place in our country's fight against COVID-19. prgtoken Then, just days after Christmas, President said something very interesting. While he was talking with Governors about the COVID-19 pandemic, he admitted: Look, there is no Federal solution. This gets solved at a State level. prgtoken This is President 's message: States should be leading the effort. Now, that doesn't mean there isn't a role for the Federal Government. But what we have seen from the administration is no progress, just worsening cases, and the horrible job-killing consequences of his unconstitutional mandates on private businesses. prgtoken I want to be clear: His unconstitutional mandates are job killers. Back in October, the Federal Reserve reported that vaccine mandates were widely cited by businesses as a reason for low labor supply and hiring and retention issues. It was a finding my colleagues and I have been warning about for months before their report, and it is directly tied to inflation. prgtoken When the labor supply is reduced, prices go up, and families, especially those on low and fixed incomes, suffer. Restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, and small businesses all have to charge more. prgtoken I heard about a restaurant owner in St. Petersburg, FL, who had to take certain items off the menu because they simply cost too much, and he can't pass the cost on to his customers. He has even seen the price of oil and to-go boxes more than double. prgtoken I talked to an operator of a food bank in Osceola County, FL. She used to see 15 families each day, and now she is seeing upward of 70 families. Food prices have gone through the roof. It is more expensive for her to get food to give to people hurting at the very time demand is up. This is the reality for families and small businesses all across America, and vaccine mandates do nothing but make these problems even worse. prgtoken I can't imagine why, just when our country is working to get back on its feet, the President of the United States would be pushing policies that kill jobs, but that is exactly what he is doing. Now lockdown- loving Dr. Fauci and President want to double down on their insane mandates and are considering forcing every American who wants to fly to show proof of vaccine before boarding an airplane. This is just another Orwellian response from the administration and radical that does nothing to protect the American people. prgtoken Providing information about the virus, providing tests, supporting vaccine and therapy developments, and getting t
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-1-5

. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman), the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch), and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio). prgtoken Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley) would have voted ``nay.''
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2022-1-5

I rise today to congratulate Mr. Tommy Williams of Baton Rouge, LA, on his retirement from the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, LCTCS. prgtoken Serving as the executive director for governmental affairs of LCTCS for 13 years, Mr. Williams made monumental prgtoken strides for the system, including one of his major legislative accomplishments: ACT 360, which appropriated $500 million in capital improvements to all 12 LCTCS campuses throughout the great State of Louisiana. prgtoken Prior to his service at LCTCS, Mr. Williams wore many hats during his tenure at BellSouth, which spanned almost four decades. Serving as the company's executive director for legislative affairs in Louisiana, he represented the interests of BellSouth before the Louisiana State Legislature in numerous regular and special sessions. He served as BellSouth's Houma and Baton Rouge district manager, as well as vice president for regulatory and external affairs from 2003-2006. prgtoken In addition to the lengthy list of professional accomplishments, Mr. Williams and his wife of 56 years, Ms. Bonnie Williams, devoted countless hours of their time volunteering for community-based nonprofit organizations. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are the proud parents of four, grandparents of eight, and great-grandparents of three. prgtoken The State of Louisiana and all who have benefited from Mr. Williams's impressive efforts thank him for his diligent work. There is no doubt that his legacy will live on in the years to come and will serve as an inspiration to the next generation of community builders and leaders.
Local School Boards (Executive Calendar)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-1-5

all the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent Attorney General Garland two letters about the Justice Department's involvement in local school board matters. prgtoken The first one was in October. Then in December, we asked why the FBI's counterterrorism division was getting involved in parents' expressing their concerns at school board meetings. prgtoken Now, just to be crystal clear, there is no excuse for real threats or acts of violence at school board meetings, but if there is such threats, these should be handled at the local level, and the Attorney General should withdraw his memo that started this whole thing off. prgtoken Well, a couple days before Christmas, the Justice Department responded to us members of the Judiciary Committee with a single-page letter. In that letter, the Department of Justice had nothing to say about why the FBI's counterterrorism division was involved in local school board matters. The Department of Justice just simply said ``We're not going to withdraw the memo.'' prgtoken So the Feds may be keeping track of school board meetings, even if it creates a horrible chilling effect at those meetings and maybe even discourages people from coming to those meetings. And, of course, the FBI looking over your shoulder would then have a chilling effect. prgtoken Now, next week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on domestic terrorism, and I hope the committee will be focusing on the serious threats facing our country, and I hope no one thinks the focus is going to be on our Nation's parents. prgtoken School boards have to be accountable to the parents and the taxpayers that they serve. Some school boards across the country are still shutting down classes, even though vaccines have been available for a long time and dramatically reduce the chances of major illness to teachers. prgtoken Meanwhile, millions of kids across the country are struggling to catch up. They are under enormous stress from being separated, one kid from their friends in the classroom or in the school building. Schools are seeing far more behavioral problems than they ever have before. prgtoken Parents, then, are right to be concerned about these situations in their local schools, and it is their right to ask questions. They should be telling their school board districts that they want to see changes. But will they see changes or will they be afraid to speak up at school board meetings? Will the FBI's counterterrorism division be keeping track of them as parents ask for changes from their school boards? prgtoken The Department of Justice owes the American people a better answer than just a single-page letter that says nothing about why the FBI's counterterrorism division is involved in local school board matters. prgtoken Now, more than ever, parents should be their kids' strongest and their kids' best advocates. They have a God-given right to do so. And, of course,
VOTE EXPLANATION
Josh Hawley (Republican, MO) \u2014 2022-1-5

had there been a recorded vote, I would have voted no on the confirmations of Executive Calendar No. 489, Armando O. Bonilla, of the District of Columbia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for a term of fifteen years and No. 490, Carolyn N. Lerner, of Maryland, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for a term of fifteen years.
Elections (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-1-5

as 2022 gets underway, working Americans and their families are facing a steady stream of significant challenges: the fastest growing inflation in almost 40 years; violent crime rates continue to rise, with many of our largest cities setting new alltime records for murders; a southern border that remains in crisis; a new highly contagious variant of the virus that President promised he would personally crush; too few tests and too slow new treatments on this administration's watch; and another rolling wave of school shutdowns, as Big Labor bosses continue to make hostages out of children's futures over a virus that leaves children largely-- largely--unharmed. prgtoken Late last year, one poll asked Americans about the most important problems facing the country. Some were most worried about the high cost of living. Others said, not surprisingly, the pandemic. One-fifth of respondents, the most by far, said the biggest issue was poor leadership--at a time when the ic Party controls the entire government. prgtoken But do you know what wasn't on the list of concerns? It wasn't there at all--the fictional, scary stories the liberal activists keep repeating about how democracy is at death's door. The November 2020 election had the highest turnout in 120 years. Ninety-four percent of voters said voting was easy. Only 33 percent of Americans say it is currently too hard for eligible voters to vote. And a larger number than that actually say current laws are too loose--too loose. prgtoken The American people are not buying this nonsensical talk of ``Jim Crow 2.0'' or a voting rights crisis. Everybody, apart from leftwing activists and the press, understands this emperor has no clothes at all. prgtoken A few months ago, even voters in blue New York rejected multiple ballot measures to soften up election laws the way liberal activists prefer. This fake outrage is just a predicate for Washington to do something they have sought to do literally for years: appoint themselves a nationwide board of elections on steroids. prgtoken This is the takeover that have sought for multiple years, using multiple different justifications. It is not a voting rights bill. It is a sprawling, sweeping takeover of our democracy. Our colleagues' bill would do things like forcing all 50 States--all of them--to legalize corrupt ballot harvesting. They would have the government send public funds directly to political campaigns. prgtoken The same Attorney General who has frivolously sued Texas just to placate the White House, whose Department of Justice tries to intimidate parents, would be handed new power to micromanage election law. prgtoken Some early drafts of this bill tried to literally, openly turn the Federal Election Commission into an outright partisan body. Talk about tipping your hand. prgtoken These changes wouldn't bolster faith in our democracy or in our institutions. It would do exa
Election Security (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-1-5

earlier this week, the majority leader sent a letter to our ic colleagues, which has been widely distributed in the press even though he didn't send it to folks on this side of the aisle. We have all now had a chance to read it. He has outlined what the next few weeks on the Senate floor might look like. prgtoken Now that the so-called Build Back Better--or what some have called the reckless tax-and-spending spree--bill has been sidelined due to lack of support, Senator Schumer has shifted his focus to another dangerous and unnecessary bill. This time, rather than an attempt to spend trillions of dollars and to raise taxes on the American people, he is proposing that we overhaul the very foundation of our democracy. prgtoken Our colleagues on the ic side don't trust their own State legislators to pass voting laws that are in compliance with the Voting Rights Act and the laws of the land. The reason I say that, as shocking as it may sound, is, why in the world would they want to preempt their own State voting laws by passing a national law which would, under the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, preempt their own State laws? Well, this power grab would give the Federal Government unprecedented power to make decisions about how elections are run in all 50 States. prgtoken This isn't the first time our friends across the aisle have shown an interest in hijacking America's elections. We have seen various versions before, each one relying on a slightly different marketing strategy. At one point, it was touted as a necessity of election security. Then, when that didn't work, they said: Well, this is about instilling in the voters confidence in our election laws. Then, when they failed to muster the political support necessary to pass that bill, they tried to figure out another way to sell it, and they said: Well, really what we need to do is remove obstacles that prevent people from voting. prgtoken Well, the 2020 election saw an unprecedented turnout. In my State, there were 11.3 million people who cast their ballots. Hispanics, African Americans, and other minorities voted in historically high numbers. Sixty-six percent of registered voters in Texas voted in the 2020 election, making it the highest voter turnout in 120 years when you look across the great expanse of this country. So now our colleagues across the aisle are going to have to come up with a new sales pitch. prgtoken As we know, in the wake of the 2020 election and concerns about some of the irregularities in those various States, States have passed legislation to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. I can't imagine why we wouldn't all embrace that approach: Make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. prgtoken Senator Schumer has described these State laws as ``reprehensible'' and ``the most sweeping attack on the right to vote since the beginning of Jim Crow.'' Based on those extraordinary statements,
Coronavirus (Executive Calendar)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2022-1-5

on Monday, the United States set a new pandemic record with more than 1 million new cases in 24 hours. I am sure you and I and everyone who is thinking about this would have hoped we would be in a very different place right now than we are, but it is pretty significant, 2 years into the pandemic, to set that kind of record. prgtoken What is most concerning about this is many people who are concerned with catching the virus or who think they may already have it can't get access to tests. I just heard earlier today on a call where the administration was providing information that they have asked for a request for information about who could provide a test and then made a request for proposals about who might be able to provide tests. prgtoken But we are way down the road to be asking about who can provide tests. Congress has provided more than $80 billion for COVID testing. If you look at the size of the defense budget, this is a pretty big percentage of the defense budget. prgtoken We have lost track, I think, of how much money $1 billion or $1 trillion or $80 billion is, but the administration has had $80 billion. Over half of it, $47 billion, they got in March in the American Rescue Plan. This is supposed to cover everything from research and development of new rapid tests to manufacturing and purchase of these tests, to funding for State and local governments to distribute these tests. Here we are 9 months later, and we are concerned that we don't have tests because we don't have enough tests. prgtoken For the last month, Americans have faced long lines at testing centers. They have gone to places where they thought they could purchase a rapid test to find empty shelves. prgtoken The question I really have is the same that many Americans have, which is what went wrong? Why are we facing such a shortage of tests now? How could we possibly have had $80 billion available for a minimum of 9 months and now we are back in a testing problem? prgtoken I think the answer surely is not a lack of funding but, I think, more fundamentally, a lack of strategy, a lack of priority, and a failure to anticipate the ongoing testing needs by the administration. prgtoken When this administration came into office, their COVID-19 policy could have been called ``Vaccines First.'' And while I have been vaccinated and while I have urged all Americans to get a vaccine unless your doctor tells you not to, it has always been clear to me that the vaccine was only one part of the process. prgtoken In fact, if you remember, from the very first, the vaccines were at a level that indicated that roughly 1 out of 10 people that had a vaccine would also get COVID. What we know now is that person who gets COVID that had a vaccine is not going to be incredibly affected by it, in all likelihood, but it shouldn't have been a shock that many people who got a vaccine would also get COVID and would also want to know if they had COVID. <|
Coronavirus (Executive Session)
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-1-5

it was 2 years ago this month that I stood on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and was the first person to speak about a novel coronavirus, soon to be called COVID-19. Two years ago, I had been reading about this virus for several weeks, and something in my gut as a physician told me this was not going to be a common cold. I chatted with the CDC, and I implored them to start doing research on the origins of the virus, asking ``Was it from nature or from a laboratory?'' and that we needed to work on vaccines, therapeutics, and testing. prgtoken As we all know, the development of an American vaccine, thanks to Operation Warp Speed, was successful. As for the testing, we know the CDC fumbled it, but the private sector saved us. And therapeutics? Not so much. Therapeutics have never been a priority for this administration. prgtoken As we return to our Nation's Capital, I would venture to say that very few Americans didn't have somebody in their families catch Omicron, and my family was no different. We shared the same experience as millions of other Americans did. Despite being vaccinated, one of my loved ones with underlying healthcare conditions caught the Omicron virus. As I saw my loved one start having asthma, wheezing, and become short of breath, I did what every spouse would do and said: Well, we need to go get tested. We need to talk to a doctor. prgtoken So we drove to several testing sites, and we had the option of standing in line for 3 or 4 hours with sick people. If we didn't have the Omicron, we certainly would have by the time we left. We called around and finally were able to get an appointment the next day for testing. prgtoken I am not sure if you have ever seen a person with asthma, but you can see the distress in their face as they wheeze, as they become short of breath. This is something with which I am all too familiar. I have taken care of thousands of women, pregnant women, with asthma. I have been in the emergency room with them, having to admit them to the ICU, and I knew that was the road that we were headed to. prgtoken I called around, hoping to find some monoclonal antibodies--a place where we could go and we could get monoclonal antibodies. Then there is this new miracle of biotherapeutics out there. I thought, well, maybe we could get those, but none were to be had. prgtoken In watching my wife continue to suffer, I decided, you know, I think we need to do some type of telemedicine. So we called a doctor and set up a telemedicine visit--someone who had taken care of thousands of patients with the coronavirus. We did the appointment, and he prescribed Ivermectin for her. After the first tablet, it was a miracle. Within an hour, her labored breathing had settled down. By the next day, her second dose, she was almost completely better right before my eyes. prgtoken Again, I remind everybody it has been 2 years since this pandemic started, and we still have
Recognition of the Majority Leader (Executive Session)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2022-1-6

let me just conclude by saying that either we are going to come together as Americans, which I hope and pray we do, to defend our democracy and look back on January 6 as a painful low point in our Nation's history or we can turn over power to a mob that is willing to do anything and say anything to dismantle our democracy and destroy this grand experiment called America. prgtoken The January 6 insurrection tried to overthrow our Capitol, and their sidekicks in suits and ties are trying to overthrow our elections. Just as we shored up our security here to protect the people's House, we need to upgrade our election laws to protect people's freedom to vote. prgtoken Today is a day to remember, to be grateful for all of those who risked and lost their lives to protect us, to be grateful for all of those who stood up for democracy and continue to stand up every single day. Today is a day to be grateful that we live in this great democracy called America, and it is a day to reconnect ourselves to protect our freedoms for our children and our grandchildren. prgtoken , .
RECOGNIZING MR. SEAN MULLIN
John Garamendi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-1-6

. Madam , I rise today in recognition and appreciation of Mr. Sean Mullin, upon his completion of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program. Mr. Mullin served as a Knauss fellow in my Washington, D.C office during the 2021 calendar year. prgtoken As an integral member of my legislative staff, Mr. Mullin assisted my work on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, particularly my work on the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management pertaining to natural disasters. Over this past year, he worked closely with my personal office staff in developing several pieces of legislation. He revamped my ``Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act'' from previous Congresses into bipartisan legislation (H.R. 6059) I reintroduced on November 19, 2021. He also developed the ``End Palm Oil Deforestation Act'' (H.R. 5863) from an outline into actual legislation and reworked the ``Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels Act of 2021'' (H.R. 5692), of which I assumed sponsorship from former Congressman Ben McAdams (D-UT). prgtoken Mr. Mullin received his doctorate in geobiology from the California Institute of Technology in 2020, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in microbial biology in 2011. While his fellowship with my office has ended, I am very pleased that Mr. Mullin's public service with California's Congressional delegation will continue as he joins the office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). prgtoken I have no doubt that Mr. Mullin's innate curiosity and aptitude for navigating complex policy problems to develop actionable solutions will serve him well in this new role. Mr. Mullin will remain a deeply valued member of Team Garamendi, and we look forward to continuing to work with him. prgtoken Madam , on behalf of the people of California's third Congressional district, I extend our deepest appreciation to Mr. Sean Mullin for his dedicated service.