mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
A WIN FOR U.S. FARMERS
Tracey Mann (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-7-19

. Madam , I rise today to celebrate a win for American farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers. prgtoken Fertilizer prices have been skyrocketing for over a year now, with the cost of urea ammonium nitrate, in particular, rising to record highs. Since March, I have been urging the U.S. International Trade Commission to suspend duties on UAN imports from Trinidad and Tobago, and this week, they did just that. prgtoken On July 18, the U.S. International Trade Commission rejected imposing final duties on urea ammonium nitrate, UAN, in its determination that antidumping activity surrounding UAN fertilizers in Trinidad and Tobago did not harm the U.S. fertilizer industry. With this determination, the ITC has finally responded to my three letters dating back to March, the legislation I introduced in that same month, and my testimony before them in June, all urging reconsideration of the initial duties. prgtoken I am proud to lead the charge on this effort. I will continue to monitor the situation, and I look forward to seeing the immediate removal of duties on UAN imports from Trinidad and Tobago, which is the most immediate opportunity for a near-term, partial remedy to the high cost of fertilizer facing U.S. farmers.
CHIPS Act (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-7-19

I want to express my gratitude to the Senator from Ohio for his excellent remarks and for his support getting us to the point we are today, which is on the cusp of a historic accomplishment--and that is to make sure that the supply lines of advanced semiconductors remains available to American businesses and, even more importantly, to our national security. prgtoken Now, 2 years ago, Senator Warner, the senior Senator from Vermont, and I introduced the CHIPS for America Act. It has been a long, strange trip till today. prgtoken I daresay at the time we introduced the bill, there were many people who didn't know the difference between chocolate chips and microchips. Frankly, that is an exaggeration, but the point is that most people are really unaware of the dependency of our economy and our national security and, frankly, just the quality of our life on access to these microcircuits known as semiconductors. And over time, the semiconductor manufacturers have been able to make them smaller and smaller and more and more powerful until your cell phone, which is essentially a minicomputer, contains thousands of these microchips. Again, whether you are talking about a laptop computer or a new car or a washing machine or just some desktop computer, all of them depend on access to these semiconductors. prgtoken As I said, Senator Warner and I introduced the bipartisan CHIPS for America Act 2 years ago. Eighteen months ago, this legislation became law; that was as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Thirteen months ago, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill to fund the program. Unfortunately, as the Senator from Ohio mentioned, the House failed to respond to the bipartisan USICA, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, and sent over a partisan bill, which has delayed our consideration of this important legislation unnecessarily. prgtoken Today, I am optimistic that the Senate will follow up on its commitment to enact this chips funding into law before we break for the August recess. This afternoon we will take a procedural vote to kick- start consideration of the legislation. Of course, as we lead up to this important vote in debate, many of us have been talking about the size and shape of the bill on both sides of the aisle. And there is still some things that need to be decided, and the fate of the bill is not yet secure. Being the majority leader, Senator Schumer will ultimately be the one to determine what the size and shape of the bill will look like, but I am encouraged by where we stand. prgtoken This bill will not, however, be the Senate's U.S. Innovation and Competition Act or the USICA bill or the House's massive partisan America COMPETES Act. This will be a far more narrow bill that focuses on the core issue of semiconductor manufacturing. Semiconductor manufacturing is, as I said, the key to our economy and our national security. As it turns out, most of the manufacturing
UNLEASH AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
Daniel Meuser (Republican, PA) \u2014 2022-7-20

I thank the gentleman from Louisiana, my very good friend, for offering this opportunity to speak on these important issues. prgtoken , 1 year ago this week, President stood before the American people and said that inflation was temporary. At that point, the Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation, of course, stood at 5.4 percent. prgtoken In the 365 days since, the price of nearly everything has increased, and the Consumer Price Index has skyrocketed at 9.1 percent. prgtoken Eggs are up 33 percent; milk is up 16 percent; chicken is up 18 percent; and worst of all, Americans are paying over 60 percent more for gasoline than they were a year ago, costing American families, my constituents, and everyone throughout our country, nearly $6,000 extra a year. Now we have our Transportation Secretary telling us the truth, that this pain--and I'm quoting--will lead to more purchases of electric cars. prgtoken So that was the plan. Thanks for being honest, Mr. Secretary. prgtoken Meanwhile, however, neither the administration nor the Secretary of Transportation has any understanding of where the energy comes from to charge all of these electric cars. prgtoken They are not exactly chess players, . prgtoken As my friend from Louisiana put it, inflation, incompetence--the third ``I''?
Inflation (Executive Session)
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2022-7-20

I come to the floor today to talk about the economic crisis that this Nation is facing, all as a result of the actions of the and . prgtoken Right now, is on his way to Massachusetts. He is expected to announce, while he is there, even more restrictions on American energy. One New England Senator has lobbied him to go ``executive Beast Mode.'' The Senator might forget that we still have a Constitution. The Supreme Court just ruled that the President can't do that. The Constitution says Congress writes the laws and it is up to the President to enforce them. prgtoken I would also remind that Senator that just got back from a trip to the Middle East. That is where he went to beg the Saudis to produce and to sell us more oil. doesn't need to fly around the world to solve the energy crisis that he created. The solution is right here at home in America. We have some of the largest energy reserves in the world. We have the best energy workers. We have the highest standards. Yet won't let go of his stranglehold on American energy. would rather send our money and more and more money to the Middle East than let us use the energy we have sitting right here in the ground in the United States. prgtoken has created the worst energy crisis for our country in the last 40 years--4-0--40 years. Gas prices today in my home State of Wyoming and all across the country are more than $2 per gallon higher than they were the day took office. prgtoken The spot price of natural gas has tripled under and that means even higher prices are on the way. Natural gas powers half of the homes in America and the price of that natural gas has tripled under . prgtoken Last year, 's energy policies cost the average American family more than $1,000. That was last year. This year it is going to be higher than that. Higher energy costs are driving up the costs of everything--almost everything--because energy is such a vital part of our nation's economy. prgtoken Higher energy costs have led to the worst inflation crisis in 40 years--worst inflation in 40 years. Under , inflation has hit record highs. In the previous administration, inflation was nearly nonexistent. But for 15 months in a row now, prices have gone up. And not just have prices gone up, they have gone up faster and faster than wages have gone up. With every passing month, working families can afford less than they could the month before. prgtoken This is 's America. This is what he brought and the who supported him in position and policy after each, one after another. prgtoken This year, the average family will pay $100 a week more just to buy the same things they bought last year. Just to stay even, it is $100 a week more. That is over $5,000 for the year. One hundred dollars a week adds up very quickly. As a result, people are s
Energy Policy (Executive Session)
Roger Marshall (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-7-20

well, summer is in full swing, and all across the Midwest, people are preparing for lake vacations, for family barbecues, but new to this year's agenda, they are also preparing for blackouts. prgtoken The shocking new inflation numbers show Americans already paying 42 percent more for energy than this time last year, but now, due to the White House policies, we may not be able to generate enough electricity to meet demand. prgtoken Now, let us not forget that under leadership, we had a nation completely in control of our energy security. We were the global leader in energy production, and we were a net exporter of oil products. prgtoken However, under ic leadership, we are making plans for the lights to go out, and I hope everybody has their candles ready to go at home. prgtoken But it isn't this administration's fault, of course, so just ask them--just ask them. No, this White House states they are powerless to the whims of a global marketplace, and don't bother asking them to own the consequences of their actions. prgtoken Did President actually believe canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline on his first day in office would not have negative effects on the global energy markets? Think about it. The United States, the largest oil producer in the world, stopping the transport, the importing, of nearly a million barrels a day, over 5 percent of our supply--who could have ever predicted decreasing supply could impact the cost at the pump? prgtoken And who could have predicted that halting all leasing on Federal lands would impact global supply? I even asked the Interior Secretary if this policy made it more difficult for oil companies to drill, and she couldn't give me an answer. She didn't care. This administration doesn't care about the cost of gas at the pump; that is, until they get it high enough to make driving electric cars more comparable. prgtoken Don't even think about implying that John Kerry, 's climate envoy at COP26, would cause private companies to take coal-powered plants offline and eliminate baseload without a plan going forward. After all, he said in Glasgow: By 2030, in the United States, we won't have coal. We will not have [any] coal plants. prgtoken Well, we may not have coal, but we will have blackouts. prgtoken And it was on the campaign trail, in his own words--I am sure you all remember--who said: Kiddo, I want you to just take a look . . . I want you to look into my eyes. I guarantee you, we are going to end fossil fuels. prgtoken And we wonder why Americans won't invest tens of millions--hundreds of millions--of dollars into this energy sector to drill new oil. Yet this President has declared war on American energy, and every American is paying the price at the gas pump. And yet this President wonders out loud why companies won't invest in any more exploration when it takes 5 or 10 years for a paybac
UNLEASH AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2022-7-20

from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson) for continuing to lead these in order to get this important message out on what is facing Americans not because of a naturally caused crisis but a man-made one, a government-made one. We are doing it to ourselves. prgtoken Instead of addressing the economic crisis that is plaguing Americans, the are prioritizing liberal initiatives and increasing Federal spending, with some accounts receiving double-digit and even triple-digit percentage increases typically through regulatory agencies that are going to make our jobs harder to do. prgtoken We have issues this is just a small example right here of some of the prices of things that are going up. It is not because we have had hurricanes or things like that that have wiped out crops. No. We have had a lot of droughts, but in my home State of California, some of that drought and some of the shortages of water, indeed, are because of government action. prgtoken The priorities that we see for spending include giving 20 percent more money to the EPA. I have had the EPA work in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers to stop people from farming fields in my district because they think it might have an effect on the Clean War Act or something like that. These are fields that have already been farmed in the past and have been fallow for a period of time, and they want to put them back into production. Oh, no, you need a permit. They didn't think they needed a permit. They didn't know they needed a permit, and so they get fined, big-time. prgtoken As Americans face this runaway inflation caused by out-of-control government spending and other regulatory issues that drive up the cost of everything, these are the solutions we get: even more government. prgtoken I put some reasonable amendments across recently to try and move things prgtoken in the right direction and not have these outlandish spending ideas take hold. prgtoken For example, in my home State of California, , you may have heard of our high-speed rail project that supposedly would link San Francisco to Los Angeles. Well, it sounded like a neat idea on paper when it was proposed and finally voted on by the voters to put $9 billion of bond money toward that back in 2008 for a $33 billion project. prgtoken So, they voted for it. Actually, they delayed the election several times because they didn't want to vote in another bond in an atmosphere that might not have been perfect, so they chose 2008, and somehow, it passed 52 to 48 percent. At $9 billion, that was triggered by the voters saying build a high-speed rail; you can't subsidize it; it has to carry its own weight. The price soon, when we figured it out, 3 years later, tripled from $33 billion to $98.5 billion. It is projected now to be about $105 billion. prgtoken I had a recent proposal saying: No more spending on this until we actually have a handle on a few important items. They are not ev
NATIONAL PENNSYLVANIA DAY
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2022-7-20

. Madam , I rise to recognize today, July 20, as National Pennsylvania Day. prgtoken Since the inception of our Nation, Pennsylvania has played a transformative role in United States history. Pennsylvania's nickname, the Keystone State, represents the central role we played in shaping our Nation. prgtoken Pennsylvania was the site of many important battles and military milestones, like the Battle of Valley Forge in the Revolutionary War and the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. prgtoken Pennsylvania is the home to a lot of firsts, including our Nation's first capital, Philadelphia; the first American flag sewn by Betsy Ross; and the first commercial oil well in my district, giving birth to the modern petroleum industry. prgtoken Pennsylvania has a proud history of American craftsmanship and work ethic, from our steel mills and coal mines to our farmland and forests. prgtoken Madam , as a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, I am encouraged each and every day by the industrious spirit of our residents as we continue to build a bright path forward for our Commonwealth and our country. prgtoken Happy Pennsylvania Day. I am proud to be from the great Keystone State. Late-Term Abortion Should Be Illegal
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2022-7-20

I come to the floor this evening--I have been talking about this subject for nearly the 3\1/2\ years I have been a Senator. And I will tell you why I think it is important. prgtoken We have grown the Federal Government to a level where all the people who look to it, where they are dependent upon it, try to work with it, need to know honestly where this all ends up if we do not change the trajectory. prgtoken I think the easiest way to understand how we have gotten to where we are now is to look to what we used to do in the past. prgtoken The country was never founded upon the principles that you borrow money to consume it. Any household, any local or State government knows you can't be successful doing that. prgtoken Money should only be borrowed if you are going to invest it or get a tangible return on it; even maybe an intangible one, when you look at investing in education or something like that. prgtoken But there has been no system that has ever worked that ends up borrowing money from the future, from its kids and grandkids, to where that is a good business plan. You get immediately derailed in the real world. Imagine in a household, if you take in money and you spend 20 percent more than whatever that is, you will go to a financial counselor. They may get you out of trouble. You keep doing it, you end up in bankruptcy court. prgtoken Businesses have the rigor of competition in addition to earning revenues, balancing their own budgets, and being able to invest into the future. prgtoken If you follow principles that work everywhere else, it can work here, too, and we owe it to the American public. Like I said earlier, so many look to this place to be their partner in some fashion, and it ought to be one that is going to be there in the future. prgtoken Let's look where we have come. prgtoken From the founding of the country, we raise revenues, generally, on the basis of need. You would go into debt; you would pay it off. prgtoken If you look at 1920, World War I--it is way over here--you borrowed money, defend the country, save others, and you paid it off. prgtoken Look what happened during the Great Depression, World War II. That is the deepest we have ever been in debt until we just eclipsed it recently. That is generally measured by how much debt you have as a percentage of your GDP--Great Depression; World War II. prgtoken Look where we went after that. prgtoken We were savers. We were investors then. We weren't consumers and spenders by nature, and we especially didn't do it through the Federal Government. We kept our debt in check. Even through the great recession, which occurred 2008, 2009, you were starting to see problems crop up. That happened when we put two wars on a credit card. prgtoken Like the other side of the aisle said: Well, if you are going to do that, there are a lot of needs in our own country, and certainly there are, from healthcare, education, across the spectrum--Social Secur
SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS
Scott Perry (Republican, PA) \u2014 2022-7-20

I thank my good friend from the State of Virginia (Mr. Good) for helping host this Special Order and being here in my absence. prgtoken Oftentimes, I think that we make this partisan. s are seen or characterized as unempathetic or uncaring in the face of so many tragedies. Of course, it couldn't be further from the truth. We are empathetic. Our hearts break just like everyone else's. prgtoken But we recognize that in this imperfect Union that seeks to be more perfect every single day, with every single action, that the right to defend oneself, the right to bear arms, is enshrined in the founding documents, the founding documents that we all take an oath to uphold and defend. prgtoken We don't just dismiss that like it doesn't exist. We understand that, unfortunately, there are evil people in the world and that this right exists, given to us by God, outlined in our Constitution, so that we can then defend ourselves from any assailant, from any attacker, because we have the God-given rights of liberty and of life. We have that. prgtoken We seek some kind of protection for ourselves that also protects our God-given rights but doesn't allow the criminals to prevail upon us in our homes, in our businesses, and on the streets. prgtoken Yet, right now, while Americans are suffering the worst cost of living in 40 years--I know the administration doesn't want to talk about it. Right now, violent crime is up 30 percent, an unprecedented rate, not told to us by Scott Perry or Bob Good or Ralph Norman, but by our FBI, an unprecedented rise in violent crime. prgtoken Right now, right down the hall, instead of dealing with the rise in crime; instead of dealing with the fact that DAs, supported by the extreme radical left, are letting criminals out on the street; not dealing with the issue that millions of people are flowing across our border, certainly laced with a certain criminal element with no regard to American laws coming across our border; notwithstanding the fact that some of the people that lead our country at the highest levels bailed out violent criminals and paid for their bail to be on the street to then assault and assail their neighbors, that is all happening right now. prgtoken Down the hall, as we speak, our colleagues on the left are trying to reinstitute the assault weapon ban, the assault weapon ban that they know, since 1994, when it was instated then, did absolutely nothing to solve this problem. prgtoken Because they don't really care about crime--they don't care at all. We are prgtoken seen as unempathetic. Meanwhile, every city, every weekend across the country, is like a war zone. You would actually be safer in a war zone. I know. I have actually been to a couple of them. You would actually be safer in a war zone than downtown Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, or New Orleans. prgtoken But they are down the hall working on a solution that doesn't fix anything. It doesn't fix a thing. It takes o