mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING SECRETARY BILL NORTHEY
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Republican, IA) \u2014 2024-3-5

. Madam , today, I am thrilled to share exciting details about the upcoming 2024 Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, also known as RAGBRAI. prgtoken Earlier this year, it was announced that the route of the 51st edition of this renowned bicycle ride will cross southern Iowa towns for the first time in 5 years. The route will extend 424 miles from Glenwood to Burlington, Iowa. At the end of the ride, cyclists can take on the challenge and power their way up Snake Alley. prgtoken The ride will take place this summer from July 21 to July 27, and I look forward to cheering on everyone who will participate in this upcoming adventure. Congratulating Andrew Martino
MEDICAID PRIMARY CARE IMPROVEMENT ACT
Lloyd Smucker (Republican, PA) \u2014 2024-3-5

I thank Mr. Guthrie for yielding. prgtoken , I rise today in support of this bill, the Medicaid Primary Care Improvement Act, which I am proud to be an original cosponsor of. prgtoken Now, we have heard of the many benefits of direct primary care. Certainly, I have seen that in my community, where we have many patients accessing their care through doctors providing direct primary care, which is receiving primary care services for a simple, flat monthly fee. We have seen that it keeps patients out of emergency rooms, improves health outcomes, and it yields savings. I also believe it will yield savings to the Medicaid program in this case. prgtoken This bill clarifies that State Medicaid programs may include direct primary care arrangements and, as I said, will help vulnerable beneficiaries access low-cost and high-quality healthcare services. prgtoken I think giving States that flexibility is a great step in the right direction as well. When State Medicaid programs innovate on behalf of their patients, especially with something like this--leveraging value- based care delivery models like direct primary care--I think patients and taxpayers will be the winners. prgtoken I would also mention a bill that I have introduced, the Primary Care Enhancement Act, which would allow patients or individuals with health savings accounts to access primary care and have that cost be included as a qualified expense in the HSA. This will be another way to expand access to primary care. prgtoken , I thank Mr. Guthrie for yielding time, and I thank Mr. Crenshaw for his important work on this bill. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
TRIBUTE TO JON SHAW
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2024-3-5

I stand to recognize and congratulate Mr. Jon Shaw on his retirement from Federal Civilian Service after serving over 16 years in U.S. Central Command's Special Staff Office of Legislative Affairs. Mr. Shaw served in various legislative affairs positions including legislative analyst, deputy director, and executive director. In his civilian service, Mr. Shaw has served under nine commanders from Admiral Fallon, General Dempsey, General Petraeus, General Allen, General Mattis, General Austin, General Votel, General McKenzie, and U.S. Central Command's present commander, General Kurilla. During his time in the civil service, Mr. Shaw has been a part of numerous operational planning teams, crisis action teams, councils, and boards providing legislative expertise. prgtoken Mr. Shaw's 44 years of faithful service to our Nation began on April 4, 1980, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. His 23 years of military service culminated with his retirement as a sergeant major from U.S. Central Command on 1 October 2003. Once again, congratulations to Mr. Shaw on his retirement and for his service to the United States of America.
TRIBUTE TO NICK SELIMOS
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2024-3-5

I honor Nick Selimos in celebration of his 50 years as manager and maitre d' at The Monocle Restaurant, a fixture on Capitol Hill. prgtoken Nick Selimos was born in Sparta in the Peloponnese region of Greece. He spent his childhood there before immigrating to the United States of America to study physics at the University of Maryland. On Friday, March 8, 1974, Nick started what he expected to be a part-time job working with a Greek family but ended up with a 50-year career at The Monocle. prgtoken When you enter The Monocle, it is Nick that who greet you by name, firm handshake, and a smile. He always asks about your day, your family, and enjoys a little political banter as he walks you to your table. An avid reader, Nick takes current events seriously; he is always on top of what is happening on Capitol Hill, across the country, and internationally. prgtoken Nick embodies true ``Greek hospitality'' by always treating everyone with respect and familial ease. The magic of Nick's charm is evidenced by the regular customers who dine at The Monocle who enjoy spending time with him. His tireless work ethic has set a standard for excellence in the industry. Please join me in congratulating Nick Selimos on his remarkable career.
RECOGNIZING DAVID AND NATALIE BROYLES AND BACK YARD BURGERS
Tim Burchett (Republican, TN) \u2014 2024-3-5

I remind Members it is a little crowded back there, but we have a few more seats down front if you all want to come down here. prgtoken , I rise to recognize the folks at Back Yard Burgers, which recently closed its doors after 35 wonderful years. prgtoken The managing partners, David and Natalie Broyles, are a dynamic duo. They are a wonderful couple and loving parents to their kids, Kelsey and John, and great business partners. prgtoken When I was county mayor, I would host employee appreciation luncheons for my staff. We would always eat Back Yard Burgers because they were delicious, and I knew it would put a smile on my employees' faces. prgtoken I also saw David and Natalie at my nephew Charlie's football games, where their son played as well. We would sit together in the stands and hurl insults at the referees when they made bad calls. prgtoken David and Natalie used Back Yard Burgers to serve the community in lots of different ways. They hosted the Back Yard Burgers Bowl, which was a football game between Alcoa High School and the Christian Academy of Knoxville. They would donate a $1,000 scholarship to each school for a graduating senior that year and also raised funds for the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries. prgtoken They also held a pillow fight event one year to collect pillows for the Knoxville Area Rescue Mission and collected over 600 pillows for them. prgtoken The Knoxville community will miss Back Yard Burgers. I wish David and Natalie the best in their retirement, as well as everyone else who is moving on to the next chapter in their lives.
Government Funding (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2024-3-5

last week, Congress avoided a harmful and unnecessary government shutdown, and, this week, we will take a major step forward on one of our most basic responsibilities of government. prgtoken Our colleagues, Senator Collins and Senator Murray, have been working hard on the fiscal year 2024 appropriations for the better part of a year. The Appropriations Committee advanced the bills we will consider this week back in June and July of last year, working in good faith through the regular order. And in all but one case, they received unanimous support. prgtoken This first tranche of annual appropriations accounts for a serious portion of our overall discretionary funding responsibilities, and thanks to Senator Collins' leadership, the bills the Appropriations Committee cleared last summer secured important priorities up front. prgtoken By all reasonable measures, the conference with our House colleagues has made the legislation we will take up this week even stronger. prgtoken The Senate has an opportunity to strengthen protections for America's farmland by tightening oversight over foreign agricultural transactions and expand support for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. We have a chance to strengthen protections for U.S. intellectual property and surge resources to State and local law enforcement agencies on the frontlines of the fight to curb violent crime and to bring the fentanyl crisis under control. prgtoken We can increase support for VA rural health and opioid treatment, protect the Second Amendment rights of America's veterans, and improve housing and facilities for Active-Duty servicemembers and their families, including thousands of Kentuckians stationed in harm's way. prgtoken We can fund urgent transportation and water infrastructure projects, support domestic enrichment of critical minerals, and invest in the long-term safety, security, and superiority of our nuclear arsenal. prgtoken We can do it all this week. prgtoken I am grateful to our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee for pushing sensible annual funding legislation one step closer to the President's desk, and I would certainly urge all of our colleagues to support it.
RECOGNIZING BOB HOUGHTON
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2024-3-5

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the remarkable career of Bob Houghton. prgtoken Bob is a giant in Georgia broadcasting and has worked with over 500 Georgia television and radio stations during the span of his career. prgtoken Bob is retiring as president of the Georgia Association of Broadcasters, a position he has held since 2012. prgtoken Although born and raised in Chicago, Bob chose to make Georgia his home. prgtoken Bob has been a live announcer for college football, baseball, and basketball in Georgia. He fondly refers to the University of Georgia as his ``adopted college'' and served for several years on the Grady College Board of Trust before being named a Grady Fellowship Recipient in 2022. prgtoken During his career, Bob has held management positions at WGST radio, CBS, Georgia Public Broadcasting, and he has advocated extensively for the continuation of AM radio. prgtoken Bob has earned a tremendous amount of respect in his field, and I hope you join me in congratulating him on a well-earned retirement.
RECOGNIZING THE KIEL OPERA HOUSE
Eric Schmitt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2024-3-5

I rise today to honor the Kiel Opera House, now known as the Stifel Theatre, for 90 years of professional entertainment and creativity. prgtoken In 1917, Mayor Henry Kiel, opera impresario Guy Golterman, and Parks Commissioner Nelson Cunliff committed to building a civic opera house in downtown St. Louis that would rival those of Europe. Citizens of St. Louis passed the 1923 bond issue to improve the infrastructure of St. Louis, including the creation of the Municipal Auditorium complex on Market Street with the opera house and large auditorium as the centerpiece. The Municipal Auditorium was inaugurated in April 1934, opening with 61 shows, concerts, operas, and special events. prgtoken Kiel Opera House served admirably for five decades. In its early years, the theatre was home to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and celebrities like Rex on and Jose Ferrer. Between the 1950s and 1980s, stars like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and others graced the stage. prgtoken In October 2011, after nearly 20 years vacant, the Kiel Opera House was restored. Its economic strength inspired community leaders and catalyzed 13 years of development and redevelopment across Missouri from Market West to Jefferson and north to Washington. prgtoken The Kiel Opera House is a historic gemstone that highlights St. Louis's commitment to the arts, and I hope it continues to be a treasured host of the arts for years to come.
GABRIELLA MILLER KIDS FIRST RESEARCH ACT 2.0
Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican, FL) \u2014 2024-3-5

I thank the gentleman for yielding. It has been great working with him all these years, and I appreciate him very much. prgtoken I rise in strong support of H.R. 3391, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0. I am proud to be a co-lead on this bipartisan piece of legislation with my friend and colleague, Representative Jennifer Wexton, who does an outstanding job on these issues. prgtoken Again, she is retiring at the end of this Congress, and we are going to miss her. She did such wonderful work, particularly on the Parkinson's bill, and we are going to get it across the finish line. prgtoken I am grateful for her leadership on this particular bill, as well, to reauthorize the Kids First Pediatric Research Initiative at the National Institutes of Health. Our bill will continue the critical work being done to conduct biomedical research and discover new insights into pediatric conditions such as childhood cancers. prgtoken The Kids First program has helped facilitate a better understanding of shared genetic pathways between childhood cancers, birth defects, and other pediatric conditions, and H.R. 3391 ensures that this research will continue for another 5 years. prgtoken Further, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act requires coordination of all Federal efforts related to pediatric cancer research, as well as a report detailing current federally funded programs and initiatives and all advancements made thus far, and there have been several advancements. prgtoken We all agree that these scientific discoveries could help unlock the key to developing future treatments and cures for our most vulnerable patients--our kids who suffer from pediatric cancers and rare diseases. prgtoken We must continue to fight the battle against kids' cancers, both inside and outside the Federal Government. I urge my colleagues to support our bill, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0.
OUT-OF-CONTROL NATIONAL DEBT
David Schweikert (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2024-3-5

. Madam , we are actually going to try three things tonight, and I apologize to anyone who doesn't like math or complexity. Originally, I promised I was going to do something simpler tonight, and let's just say it didn't work out. prgtoken The three things we are going to try doing this evening: One, I want to spend a few minutes talking about folklore. The things we get as Members of Congress--this is both for the folks on the left and the right--the comments we get, things people believe, and I want to walk through a little bit of that. I want to do sort of an update status on what is happening financially. Then I am going to broach a subject that is really uncomfortable, and that is going to be talking about the future. I am going to talk about fertility rates and what that means to being able to finance Social Security and other things. prgtoken For anyone who does not like math, please just go watch something on Netflix right now. prgtoken A couple weeks ago, I did a whole presentation on the work we have done on what it takes financially to save Social Security. One of the things I have been genuinely angry about--and I prgtoken have been angry about it for years--is the left uses Social Security as a weapon, and our folks are terrified to talk about it because every time we talk about trying to save it, we get attacked. Then my brothers and sisters on the left will say: Just raise the cap. prgtoken We have shown the math. We had two Ph.D. economists spend months working out the math, and raising the caps doesn't get you anywhere close to stabilizing it. prgtoken There is the immortality of this place being willing to double senior poverty in 9 years. You do understand, even if you raise the caps--I showed the math--that you are still having about a $400 billion shortfall in the first year. If you did all the taxes, you might cut that down to a $250 billion or $300 billion shortfall. prgtoken Today's math says the average couple in 2034 will take a $17,400 cut. We will double senior poverty. prgtoken Is that a or perversity? I will just argue it is a moral one. prgtoken Why can't we actually work on the math? When I chaired the Subcommittee on Social Security, every time I tried to do a roomful of actuaries and those things, my brothers and sisters on the left found more joy in the politics, because it is a powerful issue. prgtoken It is absolutely immoral what we are doing. There is this concept of a black swan. That is something that sneaks up on you and blows you up. There is this concept of a white swan. You see it coming, and you don't do anything. prgtoken We have the actuary reports in front of us. I know this is a math- free zone, so one of first things I want to walk through is the concept of--when I did the speech a couple weeks ago, it had a couple hundred thousand views on YouTube. God bless. Yea. Then you read through the comments. Those of us in Congress know that about half our c
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2024-3-5

as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week, I recognize an outstanding Iowa small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week it is my privilege to recognize Dungey's Furniture & Floors of New Hampton, IA, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. prgtoken Dungey's Furniture & Floors was founded by Everett Dungey in 1963 on East Main Street in New Hampton. Dungey's Furniture & Floors offers high-quality furniture, flooring, bedding, and window treatments to customers throughout Northeast Iowa. In 1983, Everett Dungey's sons Mark and Trace took over the business and have been running it ever since. In 1987, Mark and Trace expanded to a second location in Osage, IA. In 2014, 1 year after they celebrated their 50th business anniversary, their New Hampton location was tragically destroyed by a fire. Dungey's Furniture & Floors moved to a temporary location on Industrial Avenue in New Hampton and broke ground on a new permanent New Hampton location in 2016. In October 2017, their new location opened on Canty Avenue in New Hampton, thanks to the perseverance of the Dungey family, their employees, and their community. prgtoken Today, the 25,000-square-foot New Hampton store is open and proudly serving the Iowa community. Dungey's Furniture & Floors are members of the Horizons Chamber of Commerce and the New Hampton Economic Development. They are also members of the Furniture First Buying Group, a national cooperative of independently owned retail furniture dealers. prgtoken The Dungey's Furniture & Floors team is actively involved in the New Hampton community. They have participated in the New Hampton Light Project, a New Hampton community project that decorates the town around the holiday season. In 2023, Dungey's Furniture & Floors were named the marshals for the New Hampton Heartland Days. Due to their hard work, Dungey's Furniture & Floors celebrated its 61st business anniversary in 2024. prgtoken I want to commend the Dungey family for achieving their American dream and operating a fantastic small business. Congratulations to the Dungey family and the entire Dungey's Furniture & Floors team on their incredible commitment to our communities. I look forward to seeing your continued growth and success in Iowa.
MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2024-3-5

I would like to begin with a quotation: Let me tell you something, New Yorkers, never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to [but] I don't see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City. ``This issue will destroy New York City.'' prgtoken That is New York Mayor Eric Adams. He was responding to the crisis at our border. Mayor Adams is the mayor of our country's largest city. prgtoken Now, New York City is about 2,000 miles from Eagle Pass, TX, but the breathtaking influx of illegal immigrants into our country and the Secretary of Homeland Security's refusal to detain or deport them has brought New York City to its knees--to its knees. prgtoken Mayor Adams now knows what Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas won't admit. When reality calls, you can only ignore it for so long. prgtoken Secretary Mayorkas's actions have had consequences, and time is up. Time is up. prgtoken I am only going to say a brief word about the open, bleeding wound that is our southern border, which has been open wide to unknown people--to criminals, to cartels, and, yes, to terrorists. prgtoken No. 1, I know you know that fentanyl is now the No. 1 killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45 and that fentanyl is coming across our open southern border. prgtoken No. 2, we know that under Secretary Mayorkas's watch, human traffickers have built a $13 billion--not $13 million--$13 billion business trafficking human beings across our border. prgtoken No. 3, we also know that roughly 450,000 children unaccompanied have shown up at the border. And most of them have been released into our country. Many of them--we don't know how many--many of them have ended up in dangerous places with dangerous, evil people. prgtoken And, finally, as best we can tell, since President has been President and Secretary Mayorkas has been Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, we have had 8.6 million people--8.6 million people--come into our country illegally. That is four Nebraskas--that is four Nebraskas. And we don't have the slightest idea who they are. prgtoken Now, the U.S. House of Representatives has investigated this crisis, and it has found that some of the blame for this crisis lies with Secretary Mayorkas. And the U.S. House of Representatives has impeached Secretary Mayorkas for it. prgtoken In its first Article of Impeachment, the House alleges that Secretary Mayorkas has ``willfully and systematically refused to comply with Federal immigration law.'' The House says that Secretary Mayorkas has refused to detain some illegal immigrants, as the law requires them to do, and has, instead, embraced his own catch-and-release scheme in which he has released huge numbers--I think any fairminded American would call 8.6 million people huge--huge numbers of illegal immigrants into the United States. prgtoken The House says that Secretary Mayorkas has refused to follow unambiguous and