mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING WORK OF OFFICER BROOKS YANDLE
Dan Bishop (Republican, NC) \u2014 2020-8-22

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life-saving work of Officer Brooks Yandle of the White Lake Police Department. prgtoken Over the weekend of July 4, Officer Yandle responded to a call about a 43-year-old woman unresponsive to CPR. Upon arriving, Officer Yandle determined that the victim had overdosed on heroin, took quick action to resuscitate her, and saved her life. prgtoken This is not the first time Officer Yandle has acted to save lives. In 2016, he saved a grandmother and her four grandchildren found unconscious and suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. prgtoken Officer Yandle's courage and decisiveness has saved multiple lives, and he is a credit to the noble profession of law enforcement. I am proud to pay tribute today to him and to the entire White Lake Police Department.
RECOGNIZING THE GRADUATING CLASS OF FIREFIGHTERS IN SALEM COUNTY NEW JERSEY
Jefferson Van Drew (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2020-8-22

I recognize this year's graduating class of firefighters in Salem County, south Jersey. prgtoken I was honored to attend and see this class in action at the Fire Academy FF1 recruit graduation earlier this month. They are not just a team; they are a family. prgtoken This special class was hardened and unified in the midst of a nationwide coronavirus. I am so proud to be able to represent these men and women in Congress and to recognize them for their feat. prgtoken They represent the resolve and the commitment that makes this great Nation even greater. Your Nation is proud of you. Your community is proud of you. We are all proud of you and the selfless work that you are all beginning. God bless you all. And God bless these United States of America.
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
Gary J. Palmer (Republican, AL) \u2014 2020-8-22

we are here today because my ic colleagues have created a conspiratorial crisis out of thin air in another attempt to dupe Americans with an election hoax. Only this time, instead of Russia, it is the United States Postal Service. prgtoken are intentionally misleading people to believe that the operational changes at the Postal Service, prgtoken including the removal of mailboxes and antiquated processing equipment, just started. That is a lie. Nonetheless, Postal Service officials have confirmed that these operational changes, some of which were agreed to by Members, have already been halted until after the election. prgtoken In regard to the delay and delivery of mail over the last few weeks, the national number cited may well reflect delays in cities that have been under siege by anarchists. I will direct my colleagues and the American people's attention to these photos of the burned-out post office in Minneapolis. There is no way to know how many letters to loved ones were lost, or birthday cards or gifts or family heirlooms or that decoder ring that that kid had been waiting for were destroyed and will never be delivered. prgtoken I am certain because of the lawlessness that the are dangerously silent about, the delivery of mail in Portland, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Minneapolis, and other cities have been delayed. prgtoken You want to talk defunding? Instead of mayors defunding the police, I would submit that we need to make sure that law enforcement in every American city is well funded so that they can protect not just the post office facilities that handle our mail, but also the people who deliver our mail so that those cards, letters, gifts, and election ballots can be delivered. prgtoken Instead of pushing a conspiracy farce, we should be here making sure that law enforcement has the resources needed to protect the property and lives of American families in these cities that are under siege. That will help make sure the mail is delivered on time, and people will feel safe in getting it from the mailbox or the post office. prgtoken In that regard, the silence of the in this Chamber is deadly.
IN MEMORY OF DR. REBEKAH HORTON
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Republican, WA) \u2014 2020-8-22

. Madam , I rise today to honor the memory of Dr. Rebekah `Beka' Horton. She passed away on June 27, 2020. prgtoken Beka co-founded Pensacola Christian College with her husband. From day one, she led a Christ-centered mission for the spiritual and academic growth of every student. prgtoken She led with humility and a clear vision for every person to reach their God-given potential. Her passion was to ensure young men and women received an excellent education and were prepared to be leaders in the world. prgtoken During my years at Pensacola Christian College, I played piano in a traveling ensemble. Beka served as our ensemble's mentor. She always encouraged us to seek excellence and challenged us to the highest of standards. I cherish those memories, and I'm grateful for the lessons Beka instilled in me. To this day, I challenge my own team to seek excellence in everything we do. prgtoken Beka's legacy for excellence extends far beyond Pensacola Christian College's campus. Through her many ministries like her children's TV program and A Beka Books, she touched many lives and helped countless students of all ages flourish. She lived a full life in the service of God. prgtoken My prayers for comfort and peace are with all those who are mourning her passing. May she rest in peace, and may we continue to honor her legacy by seeking excellence, putting our trust in God, and serving others.
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
Jodey C. Arrington (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-8-22

. Madam , I rise in strong opposition to the bill entitled Delivering for America Act. What an irresponsible and dishonest title. prgtoken ic leadership must take the American people as fools. This bill attempts to deceive the American people by manufacturing a crisis that simply does not exist. prgtoken This bill also distracts this body from actually doing something in this Chamber that matters, like condemning violent mobs terrorizing our communities, like helping hardworking families across this country in this unprecedented time of need. prgtoken Madam , here are the facts: The United States Postal Service is a Blockbuster video in a Netflix world. Everyone knows it is a broken business model. It has failed its workers; it has failed its retirees; and it has failed the American taxpayers. prgtoken Despite the need for long-term reform, the Postal Service currently has $15 billion in cash on hand and $10 billion more from the CARES Act. prgtoken The independent Postal Service Board and the independent Postmaster General have repeatedly assured the American people that they can handle the increased volume in mail-in voting. prgtoken Let's be clear. Today's vote is more political theater. It is another scene from the ' one-act play titled Defeat President at All Costs, even if it means peddling a deceitful narrative that undermines the American people's trust in the very institutions of our democratic Republic. prgtoken To say the Postal Service is all of a sudden incapacitated, unable to provide a secure, mail-in process, is not intellectually honest. It is downright predatory. prgtoken who falsely call into question the security of our elections to justify a $25 billion bailout is a scam and a political payoff to their government union bosses. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues: Stand up to your leadership. Stop this shameful charade. See the grave danger of manipulating the American people to score cheap, political points. prgtoken Madam , let's get back to work.
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
Bruce Westerman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2020-8-22

I rise today in support of frontline, essential rural mail carriers and postal workers across my district and America who have continued to go to work and do their jobs during the pandemic. This is in sharp contrast to many of my colleagues across the aisle who draw a paycheck but don't show up to vote or do their jobs. prgtoken , I also stand in opposition to H.R. 8015 because it is a sham bill that has no future. It doesn't belong on this floor. It belongs in the archives at the election hoax of the month club. prgtoken How do the keep a straight face while proposing a $25 billion bailout disguised as election integrity when it would equal about $200 per ballot if every voter voted by mail? prgtoken That is preposterous. prgtoken With its current over $14 billion cash on hand and access to $10 billion from the CARES Act, do we even have to keep explaining that the United States Postal Service is in a more than adequate financial position to remain fully functional well beyond the election? prgtoken No. The American people are smarter than give us credit. I believe most see past the smoke and mirrors. The post office is important. It is not going anywhere, and this bill has nothing to do with a fair election. prgtoken The ranking member and I participated in a youth organization, and at the beginning of each meeting the leader would ask: Why are we here? prgtoken Many of us are asking that question today: Why are we here? prgtoken The answer is because this House is adrift. This House is a ship without a rudder. It lacks vision, it lacks direction, and, most importantly, it lacks leadership. It simply gets tossed to and fro by the political wind of the day. prgtoken , it didn't just start. It has been that way this whole Congress. At a time when America has legitimate needs with a pandemic and an economy trying to get back on track, it is really no surprise that this is the best the left can do. House offer no hope. We need change.
PAYING TRIBUTE TO GSGT DIEGO PONGO
Mike Garcia (Republican, CA) \u2014 2020-8-22

. Madam , I rise today to pay tribute to a fallen warrior and a true American hero from the beautiful 25th District of California. Gunnery Sergeant Diego Pongo of Simi Valley was killed in action by enemy fire in the Makhmur Mountains of Iraq back on March 8 of this year. Diego was a marine and part of the elite MARSOC Raiders unit charged with eliminating entrenched bastions of ISIS in Iraq.
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2020-8-22

. Madam , I thank Ranking Member Comer for yielding. prgtoken Madam , I include in the Record two articles from periodicals. [From the Washington Tmes, Aug. 18, 2020] prgtoken Fuel Post Office panic With Lies To Win Upcoming Election (By Andy Biggs) There are two almost immutable laws of operation that form the basis of America's political left. The first is that and leftists foment fear in order to obtain and maintain political power. The other is that they always accuse everyone else, conservatives and s, of acts, words and ideas in which the left is engaged. If that means that the truth must be adulterated in order to craft a narrative that gins up panic and hysteria, they will shade the truth. Lies beget panic, panic calls for a solution--usually a big spending solution--and the try to exploit that panic to get more power. The are engaged in a disinformation campaign regarding the upcoming election and mail-in ballots that is deceptive and reflective of their goal of winning the election by hook or crook. and their left-wing publicists in the media claim that President is going to dismantle the United States Postal Service (USPS). This absurdity typifies both of the ic strategies: It is a lie to engender panic, and the stealing of the election is their objective, not the president's. They claim that Mr. is going to fiscally starve the behemoth USPS in order to prevent all mailed ballots from being counted. Of course, neither claim is true. The president signed a bill that provided an additional $10 billion to the USPS just a few weeks ago. At the time, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said, ``While the USPS is able to fund its operating expenses without additional borrowing at this time, we are pleased to have reached an agreement on the material terms and conditions of a loan, should the need arise.'' And, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also confirmed on CNN that the White House offered the additional $10 billion in funding to the Postal Service. Refreshing the left's collective memory about the availability of massive amounts of funding to the USPS ought to have put this phony claim to bed. But House Nancy Pelosi is insisting that the House of Representatives return to vote on additional funding for the USPS, which illustrates the ' overarching theme: Just send money; it will always solve the problem, whatever the problem is, even if there is no real problem. The second deception that the are using to try and steal the upcoming election is by conflating the long- established practice of absentee balloting with
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
James Comer (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-8-22

the balance of my time. prgtoken , despite the passionate arguments made by supporters of H.R. 8015, the truth is simple: The new Postmaster General is not trying to sabotage the election. He is doing the exact opposite. In fact, he is ensuring that States are educated on the reality of the Postal Service operations so that enough time is given for American citizens to vote by mail if they choose to do so. prgtoken Just yesterday, the Board of Governors announced a bipartisan committee to focus on election mail issues. Voting by mail is a crucial way that American citizens can exercise their constitutional right to vote, and it is important that all ballots be counted. prgtoken The Postal Service will be able to handle an increase in mail volume ahead of the election as they have already handled a larger volume of Census forms and stimulus checks earlier this year. prgtoken This increase in mail will also bring in revenue, strengthening the U.S. Postal Service's fiscal outlook. Let's not forget that the Postal Service already has approximately $15 billion in cash on hand, which will allow it to be operational through August of 2021. It also has a $10 billion line of credit from the CARES Act that it has not drawn down. prgtoken The USPS clearly does not need a bailout for the 2020 election season. To provide these funds without a concrete business reform plan that modernizes the post office for long-term viability would be reckless. prgtoken We all want to see an operational, efficient Postal Service that best serves every American. My grandmother was a rural mail carrier for 27 years. As both her grandson and as a Representative elected by rural Kentuckians, I know firsthand the importance of a reliable Postal Service in helping small businesses thrive, ensuring Americans get their medications on time, and allowing folks to share greeting cards with loved ones. prgtoken Americans deserve an improved Postal Service, but this bill potentially makes things worse. prgtoken , .
VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION FOR COVID-19
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2020-8-22

. Madam , at this time when the coronavirus is going on, I realize a lot of energy is expended as we work toward a possible vaccine, but I would like the Centers for Disease Control to bring up two other topics which may be helpful, though not quite as expensive. prgtoken One is three universities--Trinity in Dublin, Harvard, and Northwestern University--have shown that Vitamin D can do a lot toward lessening the damage of COVID. prgtoken Madam , 40 percent of Americans suffer from a lack of vitamin D, and you can get enough vitamin D--in addition to going outside, if you are not staying inside too much--you can get it at your local drugstore. prgtoken I wish the Centers for Disease Control would spend more time publicizing this, as 40 percent of Americans are short of vitamin D. prgtoken I also wish they would spend more time dealing with fenofibrate, which in Israel they are looking at. Perhaps this common anticholesterol can also save a lot of lives as we await the vaccine.
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
Jody B. Hice (Republican, GA) \u2014 2020-8-22

I thank the ranking member and my friend for yielding. prgtoken I would counter by saying the greatest threat to democracy in the country is the current majority in the House of Representatives. What we are doing even right here today, what we are doing right now, we haven't even had a hearing on this. prgtoken We are going to have a hearing on Monday for something we are voting on today. Absolute political malpractice is what we are watching right here. Why do we even debate this? Why don't we have a vote and then debate it? That is the same issue as what we are doing right now. prgtoken My ic friends over here are blaming the President as though he is involved in voter suppression. We want to talk about voter suppression. We want to talk about influencing the vote. prgtoken Our own Pelosi just a little while ago had a press conference in which she was touting, 100 days ago, the HEROES Act passed. What she did not say was what was in the HEROES Act: forbidding States from having voter ID. prgtoken We are going to have universal mail-in ballots, no voter ID. We are going to have ballot harvesting across the country. So, we have no purging of votes. We are just going to send out millions of ballots, among which deceased people are there, folks who have moved, or ballots just being sent out all over the place. There will be no voter IDs required. Yet, all these ballots, somebody is going to vote for them and send them back in. Talk about political malpractice. prgtoken The chairwoman herself ought to be the first to stand up and testify of the disaster of her own election that took over 6 weeks or thereabouts to get the results because these mail-in ballots kept coming and coming and coming, thousands of which were thrown out. It opened doors for lawsuits in your own election. prgtoken It is just absolute insanity what we are doing here, to me. It is a representation of why people are so disgusted with Washington. prgtoken We talk about the delays in the mail service. In April this year, we had a briefing--not a hearing, a briefing--to inform us of the delays that were going to be brought about in the Postal Service due to COVID. Well, that is happening. We have thousands of postal workers who are not working because of COVID. prgtoken We also have great delays--would you not agree?--in cities like Portland, like Chicago. Of course, there are incredible delays. People are scared to death to even deliver the mail in cities like this. Here we come to a place like this to bail out the Postal Service with $25 billion that the Postmaster General himself says they do not need, with $14 or $15 billion cash on hand and another $10 billion waiting, if needed, in the Treasury. prgtoken This is absolutely unneeded. Yet, this bill is going to give an additional $25 billion without any reforms. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
Kelly Armstrong (Republican, ND) \u2014 2020-8-22

if there is a bill that more accurately reflects the failure of ic leadership for my first 2 years in Congress, I don't know what it is. prgtoken I know that because I came to Congress knowing of the problems with the Postal Service. I am the only on the Oversight and Reform Committee who cosponsored the ' bill to remove the prefunding of their pensions. I have been working on this, been curious about it, and have cared about it for a very long time. prgtoken I supported former Chairman Cummings' and Mark Meadows' bipartisan solution for the Postal Service because I represent a rural State, and privatization is bad for my constituents. prgtoken But do you know how important this has been to the Oversight and Reform Committee? prgtoken Our last hearing on the Postal Service was in April of 2019. But somehow, we have decided that because the previous Postmaster General who was appointed in 2015 and didn't resign until June and did something unique in this town--made sure just about everybody hated her. prgtoken But now we are saying this all blew up last week. But it didn't. I know it didn't because you can Google postal problems in any jurisdiction from one end of this country to the other and you know they have existed before. prgtoken But instead we will come to the floor, debate a bill offered and sponsored by the chair of the committee of jurisdiction, we will vote on it today, and then we will have a hearing on Monday about the bill. So before we even talk about the fact that we are giving $25 billion to an organization that already has $25 billion cash on hand, and regardless of how you feel about this, $25 billion does not deliver votes, and we have no ability to do this. prgtoken We are doing this in a way that is completely and utterly political theater because anybody who has been paying attention knows that the post office problems are chronic, they are not acute. They have lost $70 billion since 2007, and they lost $9 billion in 2019. prgtoken So my question is: Why haven't we been having hearings on this in the Committee on Oversight and Reform for the 2 years I have been here?
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
Robert E. Latta (Republican, OH) \u2014 2020-8-22

I thank my friend, the ranking member, for yielding. prgtoken , I rise in opposition to this bill, which has not gone through regular order and was put together in prgtoken response to misinformation and conspiracies online. prgtoken Since the closure of the Toledo, Ohio, processing plant in 2012, mail in northwest Ohio has been sent to the Metroplex Processing Facility in Michigan. As my constituents can attest, this new arrangement has not worked. We have experienced countless delays and destroyed and lost mail for years, including more than 1,000 absentee ballots in the 2016 general election. prgtoken That is why I have continuously engaged with the USPS to fix these problems and get our mail sorted in Ohio. They have committed to working with me and officials in Ohio to implement procedures for election materials. prgtoken Unfortunately, under H.R. 8015, the USPS would be prohibited from making any changes to their operation if it is determined that the changes would impede prompt, reliable, and efficient services. prgtoken It doesn't specifically say who will be making this determination, so it is safe to assume it will be the unelected bureaucrats, individuals who have told me for years that the preferred way to sort mail would be through the Metroplex. Now, this bill could legally prohibit absentee ballots from being processed in Ohio-based sorting facilities. prgtoken I cannot in good conscience support this new ic political sideshow because it threatens the rights of my constituents to have their voices heard in November. prgtoken Madam , I urge a ``no'' vote on this legislation.
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA ACT
A. Drew Ferguson IV (Republican, GA) \u2014 2020-8-22

surely there will be the customary environmental review to understand the impact on the spotted blue tail south Georgia armadillo being run over by all the new mail trucks. prgtoken This bill is a sham. It is a shame. It is not needed right now. We are piling up money. We might as well put it on The National Mall, have a bonfire, invite Americans to bring their lawn chairs and a cooler of beer to watch the bonfire, so they can see firsthand how this place wastes money. prgtoken , I urge a ``no'' vote.