mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Election Security (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-3-16

about 1 year ago today, Congress was in the midst of a debate about the most effective way to respond to COVID- 19. On a call with his colleagues, the House majority whip, Mr. Clyburn, reportedly laid out his vision about how his caucus in the House should proceed. He said, it is reported: This is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision. prgtoken For American families, this pandemic has been an unmistakable tragedy, one characterized by lost lives and lost livelihoods, but, apparently, for some, it is viewed as a tremendous opportunity. prgtoken The partisan $1.9 trillion bill that was signed into law last week is proof that, apparently, the in Congress and in the White House agree. After all, this legislation includes a long list of non- COVID-related priorities, again, completely unrelated to the crisis at hand: blank checks for mismanaged union pension funds, funding for climate justice, backdoor money for Planned Parenthood, an exclusive paid leave program for government bureaucrats, and the list goes on and on. prgtoken Before the bill was even signed into law, folks from the other side of the aisle started advocating making many of the provisions permanent. This is an emergency measure, supposedly, but folks advocated making those temporary provisions permanent, further proof that this is more than just a pandemic relief response; this is about, in the words of Mr. Clyburn, restructuring government as we know it. prgtoken But it doesn't stop there. Now our ic colleagues in the House and some in the Senate apparently want to hijack the State and Federal election system, starting with making temporary pandemic election responses permanent. Of course, our elections are run at the State and local level. As a matter of fact, I recall, given the efforts of the Russian intelligence services to interfere with our election in 2016, one of the strengths of our system was its dispersed nature, suggesting, in other words, that if it had been a single system, it would have been much easier for our adversaries to interfere--and particularly in the cyber realm. prgtoken But we know, as a result of the pandemic, States made provisional changes to their 2020 election processes to make sure that people could safely exercise their right to vote. In my State, we extended early voting. We allowed voters to submit mail-in ballots in designated drop boxes. prgtoken Several States, of course, expanded eligibility for mail-in voting. Some, like California, took things even further and sent mail-in ballots to every registered voter. At the time, these changes were billed as temporary, given the unique and extraordinary nature of the challenges presented by the pandemic, but as the House minority whip has said, this pandemic, apparently, is viewed as a tremendous opportunity to restructure the way we run and conduct elections. prgtoken House have passed legislation t
Death Tax (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2021-3-16

last week I introduced a bill to permanently repeal the death tax. prgtoken I have been pushing to repeal the death tax for a long time because I have seen the consequences the tax can have for family farms and ranches and for family businesses. And I am proud that we protected a lot of family farms and businesses 3 years ago with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by doubling the death tax exemption, but the death tax is still a big problem. prgtoken First of all, the change we made to the death tax in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act isn't permanent. The increased exemption level expires at the end of 2025. prgtoken Second, , who are always eager to seize any possible revenue source, have proposed not merely returning the exemption to its previous level but reducing it even further. And that would be a big problem for a lot of family farms and businesses. prgtoken The death tax is a fundamentally flawed idea, both in theory and in practice. Every American, of course, has an obligation to pay taxes to help support our government, but there should be a limit to how many times the government can tax you. And death should not be a taxable event. prgtoken The money you leave at your death has already been taxed by the government at least once, which makes the death tax double taxation. prgtoken People who support the death tax tend to talk as if the death tax only affects the fabulously wealthy, but that isn't the case. Small- and medium-sized businesses, family farms, and ranches spend a lot of time and money on estate planning to avoid being hit by this tax. Farmers and ranchers in my State know, without careful and costly planning, the Federal Government can come around after their death demanding a staggering 40 percent of their taxable estate, and their children won't have the money to pay without risking the farm or the ranch. Why? Well, farming and ranching is often a cash-poor business. prgtoken A farmer might, technically, be worth several million dollars, but the vast majority of that is land and farming equipment. Only a small fraction of it is money in the bank. prgtoken The Farm Bureau reports that over the past 10 years, the value of farmland has increased by nearly 50 percent. It is completely possible that a farmer's land might have substantially increased in value over the past decade, while his income has barely increased at all or, with commodity prices the past few years, they may have been losing money. In fact, it is perfectly possible that in a bad year, a farm with several million dollars' worth of land might barely break even income- wise. prgtoken So what happens when a farmer dies? Well, the Federal Government will claim up to 40 percent of his taxable estate. But his liquid assets--in other words, the cash he has available--will likely not come close to covering the tax bill from the Federal Government. And so the only thing left for his children to do will be to start selling off f
CONFIRMATION OF MERRICK BRIAN GARLAND
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-3-16

I voted against the nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General because President 's campaign promises included permitting the Department of Justice to take unilateral and unconstitutional actions to infringe upon Second Amendment rights. Gun control advocacy groups applaud these promises and encourage even more executive actions to erode the right to keep and bear firearms. Absent an explicit promise from Judge Garland to respect the Second Amendment, my oath to defend the Constitution prevented me from voting to confirm him as Attorney General.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1620, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6, AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR...
Guy Reschenthaler (Republican, PA) \u2014 2021-3-16

. Madam , the rule before us today provides for consideration of H.R. 6, a bill creating a pathway to citizenship for millions of people who entered this country illegally, while it does nothing to enforce our immigration laws or secure our borders. prgtoken You heard that right. This bill does nothing to enforce our immigration laws. It does nothing to secure our borders. And it does so as a record number of illegal immigrants pour across our Southern border. And yet, House are passing a bill that will further incentivize illegal immigration and will worsen the border crisis. prgtoken The numbers speak for themselves. Over 100,000 migrants were encountered at our Southern border just last month. The CBP facility in Donna, Texas, was at 729 percent capacity last week. Let me repeat that. That facility was at 729 percent capacity. prgtoken And, alarmingly, CBP confirmed that four people were arrested at the border, three of whom were from Yemen, one of whom was from Serbia, and those individuals matched the names on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Database. prgtoken So despite my liberal progressive colleagues' claims to the contrary, this surge is directly the result of the administration's decision to halt the border wall construction, to reimplement -era catch-and-release policies, and to cancel President 's asylum agreements. prgtoken This Chamber should work to address the border crisis going on, 's border crisis. We should not pass legislation that encourages and rewards illegal immigration and further incentivizes this crisis, yet that is what H.R. 6, in fact, does. This bill places the interest of those who broke our laws above the interests of those who followed them. prgtoken It has no enforcement provisions. It includes loopholes to give green cards to gang members and criminals. It even puts U.S. taxpayers on the hook for grant programs to help illegal immigrants obtain green cards. prgtoken Again, H.R. 6 would do absolutely nothing to address President 's border security and humanitarian crisis at the Southern border. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the rule and vote ``no'' on H.R. 6.
Filibuster (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-3-16

today I would like to begin with a few quotations. The legislative filibuster . . . is the most important distinction between the Senate and the House. Without the 60- vote threshold for legislation, the Senate becomes a majoritarian institution like the House, much more subject to the whims of short-term electoral change. No Senator would like to see that happen. So let's find a way to further protect the 60-vote rule for legislation. prgtoken That was the current ic leader, Senator Schumer, in April of 2017, less than 4 years ago. prgtoken Now, here is another quote, : What about [the] nuclear option doing away with the filibuster? I can tell you that would be the end of the Senate as it was originally devised and created going back to our Founding Fathers. We have to acknowledge our respect for the minority, and that is what the Senate tries to do in its composition and in its procedure. prgtoken That was the assistant ic leader, Senator Durbin, in 2018, about 3 years ago. prgtoken A few years ago, 33 Members of the ic side signed a letter insisting that ``we preserve existing rules, practices, and traditions'' regarding legislation. Now, under pressure from the outside, many of our ic colleagues are abandoning their stated principles as fast as possible. prgtoken Yesterday, Senator Durbin said the filibuster is not a core principle but ``an offhanded clerical suggestion.'' An offhanded clerical suggestion. prgtoken A number of Senate are trying to pressure the senior Senators from West Virginia and Arizona to abandon their own very recent commitments to honor this central rule of the Senate. prgtoken The Framers designed the Senate to require deliberation, to force cooperation, and to ensure that Federal laws in our big, diverse country earn broad enough buy-in to receive the lasting consent of the government. James Madison said the Senate should be a ``complicated check'' against ``improper acts of legislation.'' Thomas Jefferson said that ``great innovations should not be forced on slender majorities.'' prgtoken Senate parroted all these arguments when they were the ones benefiting from minority protection. When President pressed s to kill the filibuster, our ic colleagues cried foul. When our majority stood on principle and refused to wreck the rules, our ic colleagues happily used the filibuster themselves. In some cases, they flat-out blocked legislation, like Senator Tim Scott's police reform bill. In many other cases, did what minority parties always do and leveraged the existence of the filibuster to influence must-pass legislation long before it got to the floor. prgtoken There is so much emphasis on the most extreme bills that either party might pass with a simple majority. People forget t
COVID-19 BANKRUPTCY RELIEF EXTENSION ACT OF 2021
Darrell Issa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2021-3-16

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , this pandemic, everyone knows, has uprooted lives and caused untold destruction to families, to workers, and to small businesses. And many see the partisan behavior as destructive during this time, and they often do not see the bipartisan behavior. prgtoken Today's extension, H.R. 1651, is an example of bipartisan behavior on behalf of the American people. Repeated and lengthy government shutdowns in response to the pandemic have devastated the ability of millions to work, pay bills, and support their families, and keep their small businesses afloat. prgtoken In my home State of California, the restaurant industry has seen more than one out of four restaurants shutter their doors forever. prgtoken In 2020, Congress passed five bipartisan COVID relief packages. The CARES Act allowed a variety of temporary relief measures for families and small businesses. When it was passed, we believed that, in fact, once the vaccine was available, that we would be able to put this behind us. But today, when over 10 percent of Americans have received a vaccine, we now know that the road to full recovery is longer ahead of us even after we begin going to work. prgtoken So allowing small businesses to file chapter 11 bankruptcy by increasing the maximum debt ceiling, excluding Federal COVID relief payments from income calculations, and allowing debtors to file chapter 13 to modify their payment plans are only some of the critical items that the CARES Act did. Today we are making sure these will continue until March of 2022. prgtoken This bill also extends through 2022 bankruptcy relief provisions included in the December 2020 COVID relief package. This extension will provide prgtoken individuals and businesses with certainty and simplicity as they look at an economic recovery that, although it is underway, may be long. prgtoken Enacting this bill will assist debtors and businesses of all sorts, as Americans and their firms continue to address economic realities. This bill is bipartisan, and the bill recognizes that even businesses which have remained up and running often find themselves in a ripple effect of other bankruptcies or failures by companies that have been shut down. prgtoken Madam , I strongly recommend the passage of this bill, and .
FACING CATASTROPHE ON SOUTHERN BORDER
John Joyce (Republican, PA) \u2014 2021-3-16

. Madam , despite what the administration would like the American people to believe, our Nation is facing a catastrophe on the southern border. prgtoken Last month alone, U.S. Border Protection officers encountered more than 100,000 migrants attempting to cross the border illegally. This is a 173 percent increase from last February. prgtoken Right now, the Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters that house unaccompanied migrant children are reaching capacity. Our border agents are being diverted from their posts to care for record numbers of teenagers and children who are illegally crossing our border. prgtoken This escalating crisis is rooted right here in Washington, D.C more than 1,700 miles away from that border. As we witness unprecedented groups of migrants reaching the United States, there is no question that the President's weak border security stance has heightened this so-called challenge. prgtoken By reversing the administration's actions to bolster security on the southern border and halting construction of the border wall, the current administration is sending a clear message to the world that America's border, unfortunately, is wide open. prgtoken Innocent people, and cartels and human traffickers who prey upon them, pay attention to what we say here in Washington. Words have consequences. Rhetoric has ramifications. prgtoken What is happening on the southern border is both a humanitarian and security crisis. It is simply inhumane for politicians to incentivize the dangerous trek across Central America to the southern border. prgtoken Those who attempt the journey face treacherous conditions, gang violence, and unthinkable danger. As my friend, leader Kevin McCarthy, said at the border just yesterday, ``This is human heartbreak.'' prgtoken As the situation worsens, the limited resources on the border are being pulled away from protecting the American people. The administration is prioritizing illegal immigrants over the American people. As U.S. Customs and Border Protection leadership shifts to caring for migrants, there are fewer officers focusing on apprehending threats. prgtoken This is not only a human trafficking crisis; it is also a drug trafficking crisis. The illicit drugs, including deadly methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, that come across the porous southern border are killing Pennsylvanians in the streets of Altoona, Johnstown, Bedford, Chambersburg, Gettysburg, and Somerset, and throughout my district. prgtoken Just this weekend, Border Patrol agents apprehended two individuals attempting to smuggle nearly 8 pounds of methamphetamine across the border. By preventing these drugs from reaching American communities, we likely saved lives. What would have happened if these suspects hadn't been caught? prgtoken Clearly, we need more, and not less, security on our southern border. prgtoken As our Nation continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress cannot a
RECOGNIZING JOSEPH A. TORMALA
Jack Bergman (Republican, MI) \u2014 2021-3-16

. Madam , it is my honor to recognize Joseph A. Tormala, who was recently appointed as a National Americanism Officer for the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Through his tireless work ethic and devotion to the common good, Joe has become an indispensable part of the state of Michigan. prgtoken A native Yooper, Joe served honorably in the U.S. Marine Corps through seven overseas deployments between 1983 and 2004 during the Cold War, Gulf War, and Liberation of Iraq, where he was wounded. His devotion to service continued upon his return home to Michigan, where he has been active as a member and leader of Veterans Service Organizations, including the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH). Formed in 1932, the MOPH is composed entirely of men and women who have received the Purple Heart award while serving in the Armed Forces. Their Americanism Program works with schools, churches, and other organizations to promote U.S. history and love for our country. In his role as a National Americanism Officer, Joe will help carry out this mission--ensuring future generations always remember the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform. prgtoken Madam , on behalf of my constituents, I ask you to join me in recognizing Joe Tormala for his appointment as National Americanism Officer for the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Michiganders can take great pride in knowing the First District is home to such a selfless leader. On behalf of my constituents, I wish Joe all the best in his future endeavors.
IN RECOGNITION OF LIBERTY DAY 2021
Lauren Boebert (Republican, CO) \u2014 2021-3-16

. Madam , I rise in honor of Liberty Day, which falls on the 270th Birthday of the Father of the Constitution, James Madison. Our Founders understood the importance of citizen-led government and the power of ``We the People.'' The spirit of liberty is forever enshrined in the documents that gave birth to our Nation. I am honored to recognize the rights and liberties of the American people protected by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights this Liberty Day. prgtoken For the past 21 years, our Nation has celebrated Liberty Day to honor the American liberty recognized by our founding documents. In 2000, Congress passed a resolution designating March 16th, Madison's birthday, as Liberty Day. James Madison's ideas in the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights were vital in the founding of our Nation. He served as the Fourth President of the United States and committed his life to affirm Americans' rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. prgtoken President Madison's legacy and his vision for our Nation persists through the lives of Americans throughout this great country. I took an oath to my constituents to uphold these values by supporting and defending the Constitution. Today is a great reminder to remember the Constitution as elected officials throughout this great Nation fulfill our duty. prgtoken In honor of Liberty Day, I encourage all Americans to learn and celebrate our Nation's history. Our Founders' vision lives on through the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights. These documents continue to empower Americans to reap the benefits of our flourishing society rooted in freedom and liberty. I urge all Americans to take the time today to read and study these documents that empower the continuation of American ideas and values. Madam , I ask that you rise with me to celebrate Liberty Day.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1620, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6, AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR...
Michelle Fischbach (Republican, MN) \u2014 2021-3-16

. Madam , from the Rules Committee, the Representative from California, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , I rise in opposition to the rule, a continuation of the ' weeks-long partisan push to fulfill their partisan wish list. prgtoken First up is H.R. 1620, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, which is a highly divisive distortion of the original Violence Against Women Act, that will jeopardize the safety of women. prgtoken By extending services to men who identify as women and allowing them to utilize programs that were designed to protect vulnerable women, the bill puts the safety of women at risk. The bill expands the definition of domestic violence to include economic and emotional duress, driving needed resources away from combatting violent crimes against women and promoting an unproven restorative justice approach instead. prgtoken have told us again and again that it is time to rethink our approach to law enforcement. But the same who want to defund the police are now pushing this unfunded mandate, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, upon law enforcement. That doesn't help anyone. prgtoken Next is H.J. Res. 17, which removes the established deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment. As the deadline for States to ratify the ERA has long passed, the constitutionality of this legislation is suspect, at best. Congress does not have the authority to simply extend the deadline some four decades later. prgtoken I also have concerns about this amendment radicalizing gender to enshrine pro-abortion rights in the Constitution. I do not need a constitutional amendment to tell me I am equal. The Constitution and Federal law already require equal protection for all Americans. prgtoken If my colleagues on the other side were serious about the equal rights amendment, they would ensure that the process for adoption was done entirely by the book, rather than saying ``good enough,'' as they move forward in this questionable manner. prgtoken Next, H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, will provide amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, incentivize illegal border crossings, and worsen the surge of illegal immigration we are currently seeing. The bill will provide green cards to criminal aliens at a time when the southern border is already overwhelmed, costing taxpayers hundreds of billions more. prgtoken H.R. 1868 addresses the very real budgetary consequences of last week's massive partisan spending package being signed into law. While we can all agree that we should avoid cuts to mandatory spending that have been automatically triggered by this level of spending, there was an opportunity to work across the aisle on a bipartisan solution. It is unfortunate that the majority has chosen, once again, to forge ahead on their own with highly partisan po