mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2021-8-8

reserving the right to object, I would ask unanimous consent that the request be further modified to include my amendment No. 2639, and my amendment is very simple. It requires a public price tag to be put on projects funded with taxpayer dollars by the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation. It allows taxpayers to see exactly how their dollars are being spent, whether it is on an airport, a bridge, or any other project. prgtoken Congress has renewed the provision--referred to as the Stevens Amendment--annually for more than 30 years for some Federal Agencies, including the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Labor. It was most recently approved by Congress and signed into law as part of both the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021. prgtoken The infrastructure bill we are now considering will finance many projects across the country. My amendment would provide some much needed transparency for taxpayers by showing what projects are being funded with their tax dollars and the actual costs associated with them. prgtoken In practice, my amendment requires nothing more than a single sentence disclosing the dollar amount paid by taxpayers and what that amount represents of the overall percentage of the project's budget. The only reason to oppose this commonsense transparency is if there is something to hide. prgtoken I urge the consideration of my amendment and ask that my colleagues vote yes. prgtoken Again, I ask unanimous consent that the request be further modified to include my amendment, Ernst No. 2639.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2021-8-8

I want to set some context of where we are financially at this point. prgtoken Everyone knows last year the difficulties of COVID-19 and what happened and the extraordinary measures that were taken to be able to offset the economic damage that was significant. CBO, as of July 21 of this year, estimates the Federal deficit for 2021 will be $3 trillion, much of that based on what was done last year during an emergency time period. It is 13.5 percent GDP. That deficit, in 2021, will be the second largest since World War II, since 1945. prgtoken Now, this year, in the year that we are finally working our way out of COVID-19, though still taking it seriously--this year, there is $2 trillion in additional spending in March of this year. There is a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that is in front of us now and a $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend bill that, apparently, we start in 2 days. prgtoken Listen, I have been told over and over again throughout the course of this debate that the infrastructure package would be paid for, and then, later, I was told, well, mostly paid for, and then CBO came out a couple of days ago and said a quarter trillion dollars of it is not paid for--a quarter trillion dollars according to CBO's estimates. prgtoken To make matters worse, part of the rest of it that CBO does estimate is still areas where I would look at and go: That is pretty shaky estimation--for instance, the unused unemployment benefits from earlier this year. That is an area that I look at and I think, OK, if you are taking unemployment benefits that were borrowed with debt money, then not spending them, and then, later, going back and grabbing them and saying now we are spending them, and they are ``paid for,'' that would be the equivalent of me taking out a $20,000 car loan but, yet, buying only a $15,000 car--so using the extra $5,000 to buy cat food and donuts after that and say it was paid for. It is not paid for. The extra $5,000 would go to debt reduction. In this case, it is $53 billion, not $5,000. That area is total debt spending as well. Though CBO may score it, it is really not there. prgtoken One of my favorite areas of scoring in this I find fascinating in the course of this conversation. This bill mandates the sale of over 87 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Almost the identical amount is assumed to be collected from the sale of 87 million barrels of oil to be able to pay for the electric car charging stations. So, literally, this bill sells oil to then pay for the electric car charging stations. This bill also delays to get a score for this--it delays a Medicare Part D regulation that had already been delayed already. prgtoken My concern is this: We are not paying attention to the most basic element. This is a quarter trillion dollars unpaid for, according to CBO, and many other areas are pretty shaky pay-fors in this. prgtoken My simple suggestion is this: Let's do inf
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2021-8-8

reserving the right to object, I would ask unanimous consent now that the Senator modify his request to include my amendment No. 2535, and I will speak to that briefly. prgtoken The underlying bill includes billions of dollars for all manner of infrastructure investments in the United States. However, it fails to address critical infrastructure needs to support our national defense. This amendment that I am bringing forth would rectify that. prgtoken I believe that we cannot, in America, continue to spend hand-over- fist on domestic priorities--a lot of them are important--without investing dime one in our national defense infrastructure. This would rectify that, and I would ask that it include my amendment in this.
GUN VIOLENCE
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-8-8

the random violence on the streets of Chicago results in Monday morning reports that break your heart: 100 people shot on the Fourth of July weekend; the following weekend, 50; the weekend after that, 70. prgtoken It never stops. These mass shootings have become part of life in many cities across America, and it is a heartbreaking reality. prgtoken There are many ways to look at it. I have tried my best to understand it and to respond from a legislative point of view, but as we kind of play the possibilities and debate the opportunities we have to change things, the killing just goes on and on. prgtoken The city of Chicago, like many cities in the United States, is awash in guns--awash in guns. Police--I believe the statistic is--have confiscated 16,000 so far this year and still counting; thousands and thousands and thousands of guns. prgtoken In the roughest parts of Chicago, you wave a couple of $20 bills and you have a handgun in a matter of minutes. And there really is no age check involved; and young kids, as much as older folks, buy these guns right and left, claiming they are for self-defense and many times just putting them into the machinery of crime and death that has become such a predictable part of life in that great city. prgtoken Chicagoans across every possible demographic this morning are shocked and grieving to learn that another Chicago police officer was killed in the early morning hours. prgtoken The slain officer was just 29 years old--29. She was assigned to the Community Safety Team, a special unit of officers from various districts who are pooled and sent to the meanest, most dangerous ``hot spots'' in the city. Her name has not been released. prgtoken She and another Chicago police officer were shot last night when they pulled over a car in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago South Side. The second officer is hospitalized as well and fighting for his life. prgtoken Two suspects have been arrested, and a third is being sought. prgtoken Gun violence and gun deaths are daily threats in many neighborhoods, neighborhoods where it is easier to find a gun than to find a job. Sadly, it is increasingly a mortal threat to the Chicago police officers who work in these neighborhoods. prgtoken Several months ago, I had an impromptu, unreported meeting with the Chicago police force and invited anyone in who wanted to sit with a Senator and try to explain what is going on. Eight of them showed up and were pretty well representative of the Chicago police department-- Black, White, Brown; male, female; Hispanic, African American; young and old--and they talked about the world they lived in and how the odds were against them on the streets of Chicago. prgtoken The bad guys just have too damn many guns, and that is a reality. They don't buy those guns in the city of Chicago, incidentally. They buy them outside of Chicago--northwest Indiana, at gun shows, with no background checks. The gangbanger
INVEST IN AMERICA ACT
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-8-8

now, on another related matter, as the Senate approaches final passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, I want to shine a spotlight on a part of the legislative process that doesn't see the light often enough: the Office of the Senate Legislative Counsel. prgtoken There is an old political yarn that the legislative process is like watching sausage get made; you would rather not know. prgtoken Well, the Office of Legislative Counsel occupies a particularly difficult part of the sausage-making: turning Senators' broad outlines for legislation into specific and precise legislative language. It is a very hard job. For over a century, this group of hidden experts have had a hand in crafting every major piece of legislation introduced in this Chamber. prgtoken A century ago, many scoffed at the notion of having a team of professionals help the Senate write legislation. It was actually a New Yorker, I am proud to say, Elihu Root, who originally suggested in 1912 that, maybe, this body could use a little help in constructing well- written laws. It took a few years after he made his plea, but the complexity of tax legislation to raise revenue during World War I led to the creation of the original drafting service. prgtoken During its first 4 years, the Legislative Drafting Service handled 518 requests. By the 114th Congress, however, they were receiving more than 65,000. It is an amazing workload, unglamorous but vital and essential. prgtoken Over the past few weeks, as we have worked on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the members of the legislative counsel have sacrificed weekends, family gatherings, and many, many hours of sleep to allow the Senate to do its work. I have seen it. We have called them up at 11 p.m. and said: You are needed to get this ready by the morning. And they don't flinch. They just roll up their sleeves and work in their professional way. prgtoken So we have always asked a lot of the legislative counsel, but they stepped up and did their job with excellence. There are a lot of members of the team who deserve recognition, beginning with the team's laudable and impressive leader on this bill, Deanna Edwards. prgtoken I also want to thank Diane Nesmeyer and her team of assistants, who have all contributed very long hours, and let me mention them. They each deserve their own acknowledgement: Heather Burnham, Mark Mazzone, Christina Kennelly, Chris Patterson, Patrick Ryan, Karson Katz, Heather Lowell, Matt McGhie, John Goetcheus, Ruth Ernst, Mark McGunagle, Allison Otto, Vince Gaiani, Phil Lynch, John Henderson, James Ollen- Smith, Kim Albrecht-Taylor, Christine Miranda, Rob Silver, Evan Frank, and Molly Dunlop. prgtoken To every single person I mentioned, thank you, thank you, thank you for your incredible and indispensable work. Your skill and dedication makes it possible for this Chamber to serve the American public. prgtoken .
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2021-8-8

I rise today in support of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will make historic investments in Nevada, pending legislation we are working on right now. prgtoken With this legislation, Senators from both sides of the aisle were able to come together to negotiate policy that will prepare us for a sustainable future. It will create good-paying jobs, and it will strengthen the economy. This is an example of how Congress can work to the benefit of all Americans. prgtoken In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, I worked to make sure that Nevada and the Western States have the tools they need to address the drought and wildfires caused by the extreme weather we are experiencing now. This package includes necessary legislation to fund large-scale water-recycling projects that can clean millions of gallons of wastewater a day to keep water in Lake Mead for the Las Vegas Valley. This act also includes measures I wrote to help prevent wildfires and to fund state-of-the-art fire-detection equipment. New technologies can keep us one step ahead of disastrous fires, and we need this kind of forward thinking to protect our communities. prgtoken I also ensured this bill would support Nevada's mining industry and create new union jobs. It does this by strengthening the critical mineral and battery supply chain that provides key components of cell phones and laptops, electric vehicles, solar panels, and more. We should be processing the minerals we mine in Nevada right here in the United States, and this bill will help us do that in a responsible way while protecting the environment and our public lands. prgtoken I am so pleased that this bill will also make historic investments in our students. My bipartisan Renew America's Schools Act will invest $100 million a year in environmentally friendly school improvement projects, and I worked to include additional support for our students, from funding for electric school buses to programs that keep kids safe when they walk, bike, or ride the bus to school. prgtoken This legislation also includes $65 billion in funding to expand broadband access to Americans across the country, and I helped draft additional bipartisan provisions to promote digital equity and ensure the government is being transparent about how it is spending this funding. prgtoken The infrastructure bill will also secure improvements for our public transit systems and airports and allow us to produce and charge more electric vehicles. It will make our lives more sustainable. It will bolster our economy and uplift working families. prgtoken You know, I like to call Nevada the Innovation State. I know we have the technology and creativity to deal with the challenges of the 21st century. My State is full of innovators and inventors, small business owners, and students, all of whom are eager to play a part in a sustainable and prosperous future. This package will bring us closer to that
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2021-8-8

we just heard from the senior Senator from Illinois. I remember when he was a junior Congressman from Illinois, elected in 1982, along with about 80 other and s from all over the country. One of them was me. One of them was me. And he has been a colleague off and on. I left the House to become the Governor of Delaware, and he came over to the U.S. Senate, and now, we get to work together again. prgtoken He is a smart guy, a very bright guy, and a very caring person and very good at not just working with but working across the aisle. I admired that about him in the House, and I admire that about him in the Senate. prgtoken He is passionate about a lot of things, but one of those is an important one, immigration reform. And immigration reform may seem like it is far afield from what we are talking about here today, but for the 8 years I was privileged to be the Governor of Delaware, it was a good economy--Bill Clinton was the President--and it was a good economy for the country. More jobs were created in Delaware in those 8 years than in any 8 years in Delaware's history. As Governor, I didn't create one of them, but we did see a lot of job creation and economic growth, and I was the beneficiary of that, as were other people in my State and around the country. prgtoken One of the reasons why I believe that comprehensive immigration reform is something we should have done and ought to do is not just because we are reminded on Sunday afternoon of Matthew 25--when I was a stranger in your land, you welcomed me--but also, it makes good business sense. One of the keys to economic growth, whether it is my State or the State of New Mexico, where the Presiding Officer is from, one of the keys is the workforce, having people who are either already trained or trainable and able and willing to do the work that needs to be done. prgtoken We have a little bit of a mismatch right now in our economy with respect to the skills that a lot of folks who are without jobs would like to be having; they would like to have a job or maybe a better job. There is a mismatch in what employers are looking for and what a lot of workers bring to the workplace. A big part of what we have done in these legislative packages--I call them cares packages--in the last year or 2 is to provide money for workforce development and redevelopment to better equip people with the tools that they need.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Cory A. Booker (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2021-8-8

I rise to ask unanimous consent that the following materials in support of section 40209 of the bipartisan infrastructure framework, the Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program, be entered into the Record. prgtoken These sources, which include congressional testimony, disparity studies, and other evidence, shed further light on the longstanding barriers and disparities faced by minority-owned small business entities in the manufacturing sector that have lingering effects today. According to one study, while minority-owned businesses play a significant role in U.S. industry, they are underrepresented in the U.S. manufacturing industry and represent only 12.8 percent of all manufacturing firms. And in testimony from a July 9, 2020, hearing before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, multiple witnesses spoke to the ongoing barriers that minority-owned businesses face in accessing capital during the pandemic. These sources further highlight the importance of and need for the Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Kyrsten Sinema (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2021-8-8

reserving the right to object, I first would like to associate myself with the comments just uttered by the senior Senator from Iowa. I think many of us are frustrated that we have been sitting around together for quite some time without moving forward. But, as I remarked earlier today, the U.S. Senate is a body that requires the unanimous consent of every single Senator, and each Senator has the right to withhold his objection or consent to any process moving forward. prgtoken Over the last day and a half, we have seen a lack of willingness to collaborate, to come together to find unanimous consent to move forward on both the consideration of a number of amendments, including those offered today, and a time agreement. It is not because there weren't many people who were willing to do so. In fact, most of the Members of this body were interested in finding such an agreement. But it is the right of each and every Senator and the privilege of each and every Senator to withhold that consent if he so chooses, and that is the situation we find ourselves in today. prgtoken So, and others, I would recommend that just in 1 hour, we will see this postcloture time expire, and we will move forward under regular order to finish consideration of this broad bipartisan piece of legislation. And I do want to take a moment to commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, the 22 and s who worked together over the last several months with their colleagues on both sides of aisle to consider a historic 22 amendments to this prgtoken legislation to ensure that a broad and bipartisan discussion was held, and I look forward to a swift and positive resolution by passing this legislation. prgtoken With that, I object.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-8-9

I attended the same classified briefing as the Senate leader, and I listened carefully as the administration presented the realities of Afghanistan, and I was drawn to a historical analogy that was best captured in a short verse by Rudyard Kipling. prgtoken It goes like this: When you're wounded and down on the Afghan plain, and the women come out to cut up your remains, just roll on your rifle and blow out your brains and go to your God like a soldier. prgtoken That stark verse was a description of what happened to the British Empire when they felt that moving into Afghanistan would be part of their record of conquest. They learned otherwise. prgtoken The retreat from Kabul has been reported over and over, but it basically was a retreat that killed every remaining British soldier, every member of their family, save one. They wanted one person, the Afghans did, to return to Queen Victoria and tell her what happened when they threw the British out of Afghanistan. A similar story can be told by the Soviet Union--now Russia--when they occupied Afghanistan with visions of changing that country forever to a Russian communist mode. They left bitterly disappointed, paying a heavy price. prgtoken So 20 years ago, in the wake of 9/11, with 3,000 innocent Americans dead, we debated the issue on this floor as to whether the United States would follow the British and Russians into Afghanistan. prgtoken I was here. I was asked to vote, and I remember why I voted yes. It was simple. Those responsible for 9/11 and the deaths of 3,000 innocent Americans were holed up in Afghanistan building their forces to strike us again. Would we respond? The answer was obvious. Yes. No one gets away with that sort of an attack on the United States, and I voted for us to send our forces into Afghanistan. I dare say that neither I nor anyone else who voted for that decision ever dreamed that 20 years later we would still be in Afghanistan having lost 2,000 American lives of the brave American women and men who served there; tens of thousands of people injured, trillions of American dollars spent, with virtually nothing to show for it. What we learned, the bitter lesson for America, as it was for the Great Britain and the Russians, is that Afghanistan has no appetite for outsiders. prgtoken We tried to bring them dramatic, positive improvements in their culture and education, the liberation of women, creating new opportunities, and maybe we had some marginal success. But it is a battle when you try to change a nation's ethic, and we learned it the hard way. prgtoken At the briefing today, one of our colleagues whom I respect very much, Senator Kaine from Virginia, I thought asked the most important question about the current situation in Afghanistan. He said it was his understanding that the United States had spent billions, maybe more, in the training and equipping of the Afghan military forces supporting the govern