mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
BEEKEEPING AT UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2022-12-14

I rise today to congratulate the University of Georgia for the creative ways it is building a more environmentally sustainable campus. Late last year, UGA golf course superintendent Scott Griffith took up an interest in, of all things, bees. prgtoken Alongside the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Griffith established a beekeeping program on the golf course, recognizing that it would make for an excellent outlet for educating students about the importance of pollinators. prgtoken Bees, as we all know, play a vital role in maintaining our ecosystem. These industrious insects pollinate our flowers and crops, helping to maintain the delicate balance of nature that allows for a bountiful supply of food and a greener world to live in. prgtoken Unfortunately, bees have faced numerous, sometimes existential challenges in recent years. Pesticides, habitat loss, and deforestation have all contributed to decline in the population of bees, which has had a serious cascading effect throughout the food chain. prgtoken By providing a safe and nurturing environment for bees, the university is not only helping to safeguard these creatures, but they are also educating the next generation of leaders about the importance of conservation and sustainability. prgtoken I again congratulate Mr. Griffith and all UGA faculty for their out- of-the-box thinking. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on the ecosystem and community in Athens. Congratulating Tierra Jackson
Tribute to Richard Burr (Executive Calendar)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-12-14

it is hard to believe that my friend Richard Burr is leaving Congress. He is someone I have known since my days in the House of Representatives, and we have been friends from the very beginning. So it is difficult to imagine serving in the Senate here without him. We came to the Senate in the same year as well. Our wives are very close friends, and we have had many wonderful times with the Burrs. prgtoken In fact, I have enjoyed hosting Richard in South Dakota on a number of occasions. Richard is an outdoors guy, as I am, and he fits right in in my home State of South Dakota--perhaps except for the fact that he is the only guy not wearing socks. Although I will say, I have found occasions which have required him to get the socks out of his suitcase. During one of our trips to South Dakota to hunt pheasants, we landed in Sioux Falls. We got off the plane and it was 7 degrees and I noticed at the next stop he had socks on. So there are limitations to his practice of not wearing socks. prgtoken But anyway one of our favorite pastimes, of course, in South Dakota is pheasant hunting, and I have had Richard out there a number of times during pheasant season. He is a great shot, I will say. prgtoken He has a favorite place to eat. It is Al's Oasis in Chamberlain, SD, which is known for, among many things, homemade pies. prgtoken I discovered when Kimberly and I visited Richard and Brooke in North Carolina, he is also a great handyman. Apparently, he thinks his guests should be as well, since he put me right to work on a new door that he was installing. We hung a door at his house. I was the grunt labor. He was the architect, the designer, and just said: Hold this and that sort of thing. So that was my job. But I was well paid for my trouble because Richard also, in addition to his assets and his attributes of being a handyman, is also an excellent cook. Many of you probably perhaps here don't know that. But one of the privileges that I have enjoyed in visiting Richard is getting to enjoy his cooking, and he really can make just about anything--breakfast, lunch, dinner. I am not saying he ought to open a restaurant in his retirement, but if he did, I would certainly be the first in line at the opening. prgtoken Richard has certainly left his mark on Washington. His car, a 1974 Volkswagen Thing, often parked outside the Russell Building with the top down no matter the season and adorned with his colleagues' campaign stickers, I think everybody knows is a fixture here on Capitol Hill. prgtoken Richard, who as well as being a handyman is a capable mechanic, could often be found working under the Thing's hood to keep it running, which has become a true labor of love, particularly here in the last few years. prgtoken But I would say that in this Chamber, of course, Richard is best known and really known for being an outstanding legislator. And I have to say thank you as he did to his outstanding staff. I mea
VAWA TECHNICAL AMENDMENT ACT OF 2022
Victoria Spartz (Republican, IN) \u2014 2022-12-14

such time as I may consume. prgtoken S. 7, the VAWA Technical Amendment Act of 2022, makes a very small technical amendment to the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization that was signed into law in March of this year. prgtoken The Violence Against Women Act provides resources to law enforcement and others to address the needs of those who have survived domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and other crimes against women. S. 7 ensures that Native Hawaiian survivors will also have access to programs and resources provided under the act. prgtoken Currently, the Attorney General is directed to make Violence Against Women Act grants to assist Indian Tribes. This bill makes Native Hawaiian communities eligible for the same grants. prgtoken , .
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION--Continued
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-12-14

. Today is December 14. The Senate s have spent months--literally months--begging our ic colleagues to stop fiddling with partisan nonsense and focus on two core things: the NDAA and government funding. prgtoken I have been talking about the need for a strong National Defense Authorization Act all year long--all year long. I am glad we are finally going to wrap up the basic governing duty that we have in the next few days. prgtoken With respect to government funding, I was glad to hear Senator Shelby announce yesterday evening that negotiators have reached a bipartisan, bicameral framework for a full-year government funding bill. prgtoken Long-term continuing resolutions cheat our Armed Forces out of the resources and the certainty that our commanders and civilian leaders need to keep modernizing our forces, investing in crucial weapons, and outcompeting adversaries such as China. prgtoken I am glad that our ic colleagues finally accepted reality and conceded to the position that we need to prioritize our national security. prgtoken s simply were not going to lavish extra liberal spending on the Commander in Chief's own party as a reward for adequately funding our national defense. It simply wasn't going to happen. Funding defense is a basic, bipartisan duty of our government, not something that earns special treats. prgtoken As Senator Shelby stated last night, this framework agreement doesn't mean the hard work is over; it means the hard work can finally start. It will take seriousness and good faith on both sides to produce actual legislation that follows the framework. prgtoken Poison pills, especially far-left demands to overturn longstanding and commonsense policy riders will need to stay away from the process. And even then, the calendar will still make this a challenging sprint. Our side has made it clear that the Senate has until December 22 to complete either a full-year funding bill or a short-term CR into early next year. That is the deadline, and those are the two options. prgtoken If a truly bipartisan full-year bill without poison pills is ready for final Senate passage by late next week, then I will support it, for our Armed Forces particularly. Otherwise, we will be passing a short- term continuing resolution into the new year. Inflation prgtoken , now on a different matter, against the backdrop of punishing 13.8 percent cumulative inflation since January 2021, an open borders crisis, spiking deaths from drug overdoses, and surging violent crime from coast to coast, President has decided that his A-1 priority needs to be--listen to this--cracking down on charter schools and harming the educational opportunities available to millions of low- income students in the process. prgtoken Charter schools have long injected a huge dose of choice and competition into the schooling options available to low
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1948, VA EMPLOYEE FAIRNESS ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF S. 3905, PREVENTING ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN FEDERAL ACQUISITION ACT...
Guy Reschenthaler (Republican, PA) \u2014 2022-12-14

the balance of my time for closing. prgtoken Lives are being lost while President and Congressional continue to ignore the crisis at our southern border. Tragically, just last week, on December 7, United States Border Patrol Agent Raul Humberto Gonzalez, Jr was killed while chasing a group of migrants across the border. prgtoken To go back to that quote from President about the southern border and about why he hasn't visited, despite the fact that he was just in Arizona, ``There are more important things going on.'' That is what President has to say; stinging words prgtoken given the deaths and casualties that we are seeing at the southern border and the fentanyl deaths and overdoses in the interior of this country. prgtoken It is absolutely maddening to see such a flagrant disregard not only for our hardworking Border Patrol agents but our Nation's immigration system as a whole. For that reason, we must bring the border crisis to an end. prgtoken But President and Congressional have manufactured this historic crisis on our southern border by halting the construction of the border wall, ending 's remain in Mexico policy, and refusing to visit the border. prgtoken U.S. Border Patrol facilities are becoming overrun with thousands of illegal immigrants in custody. This crisis is only getting worse. On December 21, title 42 ends, a powerful tool that allowed border officials to expel more than 2 million migrants during the pandemic. There now have been 20 straight months of over 150,000 illegal border crossings. prgtoken Yet, with today's rule, House continue to ignore this historic disaster at our border. This crisis could not be more devastating to the sovereignty and the security of our Nation. prgtoken , for those reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the rule, and .
TRIBUTE TO ADMIRAL CHARLES A. RICHARD
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2022-12-14

I rise today to congratulate ADM Charles ``Chas'' A. Richard on his retirement from the U.S. Navy. I would also like to give my warm regards to his wife Lisa and children Chase, Ally, and Emily for supporting him throughout his years of selfless service to our country. prgtoken Born in Decatur, AL, Admiral Richard is a dedicated officer who represents the best our Nation's military has to offer. I have had the privilege of knowing the admiral since he took over for Gen. John E. Hyten at U.S. Strategic Command in 2019. prgtoken As the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee's Strategic Forces Subcommittee, we have direct oversight over STRATCOM's mission areas. STRATCOM also happens to be located in Nebraska, the State I proudly represent in the U.S. Senate. For these reasons, I have had the opportunity to work closely with Admiral Richard, and I have come to appreciate his thoughtful insights and brilliant strategic mind. I know many in this Chamber have come to rely on him and his expertise, especially those of us working on nuclear deterrence. prgtoken Like other distinguished STRATCOM commanders, he can say with pride, ``We deterred great power conflict and nuclear war'' during one of the most challenging national security environments of the last six decades. For any STRATCOM commander, that is truly their greatest accomplishment. prgtoken Admiral Richard has had a decisive impact on U.S. Strategic Command. He spearheaded the creation of the Risk of Strategic Deterrence Failure Assessment. This assessment distilled a decade's worth of analytics down to a set of fundamental questions and answers that were vital to reevaluating our strategic posture and reemphasizing the importance of strong deterrence. You only need to look at Russia's continued war of aggression against Ukraine to understand the value of such analysis. prgtoken Given STRATCOM's mission is a global one, Admiral Richard never let one region of the world overshadow the serious threats posed by another. prgtoken With respect to the Indo-Pacific, Admiral Richard worked tirelessly to alert our country to the scope and speed of China's military buildup, including Beijing's breathtaking expansion of nuclear capabilities. He has been the canary in the coal mine, warning us all about the growing threats we face and the role nuclear deterrence must play in the 21st century. prgtoken His foresight wasn't just restricted to the rise of China. From day one, Admiral Richard understood the need to address our electronic warfare capabilities. Under his leadership, STRATCOM created the first ever doctrine on Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations, and he helped lead the development of NATO's electronic warfare doctrine. Under his watch, STRATCOM accomplished more on electronic warfare in the last three years than in the previous 20. prgtoken He also always understood the importance of America's nuclear triad, and he fought to e
IN GRATITUDE
John Katko (Republican, NY) \u2014 2022-12-14

I rise today, after 8 years of service, in gratitude for this body and the people of central New York who have entrusted me to represent them in Congress since 2015. prgtoken When I first ran for Congress, I left a job that I absolutely loved as a Federal prosecutor, trying cases involving organized crime, murder, political corruption, drug trafficking, and every manner of awful crime you can imagine. prgtoken As a prosecutor, politics never mattered to me. I worked alongside public servants every day who sought to bring justice to victims of crime. We were united in our mission to make our community a better place. I brought this similar approach to Congress, and I dare say it has worked. prgtoken I am proud of the work we have done over the past 8 years--and when I say ``we,'' I am talking about myself, my staff, and my colleagues--to solve serious problems and unite people across this great land. prgtoken I focused on unifying issues, and I regularly introduced bills with ic cosponsors. In fact, almost every bill I introduced, I would not introduce until I had a ic lead on that bill. prgtoken I broke with my own party time and again when it was in the best interests of central New York and America. I remained an active member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, and I am proud to have led and grown the Governance Group to become a very powerful and moderate voice in the Party. prgtoken I am proud today to give this speech while some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are saying good-bye, as well. We did a lot of good things together, and I am very proud of them, and I am proud to call them my friends. prgtoken I am proud of this approach to governing, and I am honored to have consistently ranked among the most bipartisan and effective Members in all of Congress. That is not me ranking it or my friends; that is an independent group. It yielded the passage of nearly 100 bills in my name and the enactment of laws by Presidents from both parties. prgtoken Most importantly, I was able to work across party lines time and again to deliver results for central New York. We delivered a bipartisan infrastructure package and secured historic investments for domestic semiconductor manufacturing that has now brought a manufacturer to central New York that is going to invest $100 billion in central New York. Stunning. prgtoken We lowered taxes for the middle class. We began work on addressing the opioid epidemic and mental health crisis. We worked on efforts to strengthen cybersecurity, improve airport and transportation security, and protect our homeland. prgtoken In the past year alone, we brought home nearly $9 million in funding for initiatives that will improve the quality of life across our district. prgtoken Of course, this has not been a one-man operation. I could not have had these successes without a tremendous amount of support. I have been blessed with family, friends,
HONORING THE LIFE OF JULIA REICHERT
Michael R. Turner (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-12-14

. Madam , I rise to honor the life of Julia Reichert, an Academy Award winning documentarian from my district in Southwest Ohio. Julia passed away earlier this month at her home in Yellow Springs after a battle with cancer. I appreciate this opportunity to pay tribute to her life and legacy. prgtoken Julia came to the Miami Valley to attend college and eventually settled there where she would spend the next 50 years producing films and documentaries that challenged viewers preconceptions on gender, class, race, and economics. Julia debuted her first documentary, Growing Up Female, in 1971 and it is widely recognized as one of the first films from the Women's liberation movement. The Library of Congress honored Julia's work on Growing Up Female by selecting the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. prgtoken Julia would continue her passion and work in film making, receiving Oscar nominations in 1976, 1984, and 2010 before finally breaking through to win the 2020 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film, American Factory. Julia's film captures the arrival of Fuyao, a Chinese glass manufacturer, that comes to the United States and reopens a shuttered GM plant in Moraine, Ohio, employing 2,000 workers in the Miami Valley. She captured the tumultuous journey between high- tech Chinese employers and working-class Americans with a creative style that showcases the stark contrasts in the two cultures, invoking empathy for both parties. prgtoken Her films and documentaries are not the only legacy that Julia will leave behind. As a professor of Film Production at Wright State University for the past 28 years, she influenced hundreds of lives in the classroom. Julia's impact on the Miami Valley and her country will not soon be forgotten and her legacy as a storyteller, advocate, and teacher will live on for generations to come, both in her work and in the lives she touched.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION--Continued
Tom Cotton (Republican, AR) \u2014 2022-12-14

. --and I will--I want to make a few brief remarks here about why I object to the passage of this bill, the so-called PRESS Act, which would open a floodgate of leaks damaging to law enforcement and our Nation's security. prgtoken The press, unfortunately, has a long and sordid history of publishing sensitive information from inside the government that damages our national security. During the Vietnam war, the New York Times published the Pentagon Papers in an effort to demoralize the American people and turn them against the war effort. prgtoken During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the press routinely revealed details about America's efforts to hunt down terrorists, details that helped our enemies cover their tracks and evade justice. prgtoken These leaks were reckless and harmful to our national security. Yet the PRESS Act would immunize journalists and leakers alike from scrutiny and consequences for their actions. This bill would prohibit the government from compelling any individual who calls himself a journalist from disclosing the source or substance of such damaging leaks. prgtoken This effectively would grant journalists special legal privileges to disclose sensitive information that no other citizen enjoys. It would treat the press as a special caste of crusaders for truth who are somehow set apart from their fellow citizens. prgtoken But that is not how the law historically has treated journalists. Our laws have always made clear that journalists can be held criminally liable for what they publish. In the Pentagon Papers case itself, a kind of holy grail for the liberal media, Justice White wrote the press is on ``full notice of the position of the United States and must face the consequences if they publish'' material damaging to our national security. prgtoken So while prior restraints were ruled out, consequences for violating the laws of our country remained necessary, and they remain necessary today as well because, moreover, if recent history has taught us anything, it is that too many journalists these days are little more than leftwing activists who are, at best, ambivalent about America and who are cavalier about our security and about the truth. prgtoken For instance, as the publisher of the New York Times during the Pentagon Papers case, Arthur ``Punch'' Sulzberger, wrote: I am not sure that what we offer the Vietnamese peasant or what their own leaders offer them is any better than what the communists offer. prgtoken Think about that for a minute. The publisher of the New York Times, whose family still controls it today, couldn't see a difference between us--the United States--between ic Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson and Ho Chi Minh, a murderous, communist butcher. This is the kind of person we would be giving special legal privileges to that no other citizen enjoys. prgtoken Supporters of this bill insist tha