mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2022-4-6

I rise again, with my increasingly battered poster, to call on this body and in particular on corporate America to wake up to the threat of climate change. prgtoken Just this week, the IPCC report came out saying that we are now at the do-or-die, last-chance moment. The other interesting thing about that IPCC report was that it, for the first time, focused on the role of malicious fossil fuel political influence in preventing the solution. prgtoken Political influence is actually contributing to the climate change problem, and it is the scientists who are now pointing this out. prgtoken Well, one of the worst expositors of that political influence, the monster in the middle of that political influence campaign here in the United States, is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. And I want to talk about them in a minute; but, first, let's do just a quick recap because we have known about climate change for a long time. prgtoken Scientists knew about the greenhouse effect back when Abraham Lincoln was riding around Washington in his tophat. In the 1950s--in the 1950s--the oil industry began research on the effects of greenhouse gas pollution. In 1977, nearly a half century ago, Exxon's top scientist warned management of what he called ``general scientific agreement''-- half a century ago, mind you--``general scientific agreement that the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels.'' prgtoken A -led committee led by my predecessor, John Chafee, held a Senate hearing on climate change in 1986; and in 1989, the Chamber of Commerce--one of the most influential forces in Washington and now one of the biggest lobbyists for fossil fuel interests--the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a report for business leaders about the threat of climate change. prgtoken We have dug out that report because they entered it into the Record in a House proceeding later that day, and here is what that report said. I will quote at some length. [T]here is qualitative agreement among prognosticators that sea levels will rise . . . wetlands will flood, salt water will infuse fresh water supplies, and there will be changes in the distribution of tree and crop species and agricultural productivity. A significant rise in sea levels will flood now inhabitable land in some countries. . . . These same actions will affect wetlands and it may not be possible [to] protect both coastal and wetland areas. prgtoken Georgia, very susceptible to this, as the Presiding Officer knows. Flooding will intrude into water supplies, such as in coastal cities (e.g Miami and New Orleans). . . . Changes in temperature patterns will affect natural ecosystems by altering the distributions of species, and affecting forestry and silviculture. . . . [C]rop lands will change. . . . The
RECOMMENDING THAT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FIND PETER K. NAVARRO AND DANIEL SCAVINO, JR., IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2022-4-6

. Madam , I thank the gentleman from Mississippi for yielding. I thank the gentlewoman from Wyoming for her courage in standing for the truth. prgtoken I disagree with many things that the previous speaker said. I disagree with his premises and with his conclusion in many respects. But I do agree with him on one thing: This vote is about the character of the House--I agree with him on that--which is why 435 of us ought to vote for this resolution, so that the House can do its duty. prgtoken Madam , once again we are forced to take this step, asking the Justice Department to charge individuals with criminal contempt for refusing to answer subpoenas as issued by the committee investigating the attack on our Capitol and our democracy on January 6, 2021. prgtoken The two gentlemen of which the previous speaker spoke I don't know. I have no quarrel with them individually. But we are a Nation of laws, not of men, and if we are to be a Nation of laws, then we need to respond to legal process; and if we think the assertions are wrong, we need to make our case. prgtoken On the merits of this resolution there should be no doubt, and it is about the character of this House, the courage of this House to seek honesty, to seek truth. The individuals in question had intimate knowledge of the former President's actions and decisions on that day. No matter who their children are, no matter what their life has been, they have knowledge that it is important for the American people to have through their Representatives in Congress. prgtoken Americans must have a full accounting of what transpired on January 6 and in the weeks leading up to it and perhaps subsequent. That is what the bipartisan select committee has been tasked with undertaking, by a vote of this House. Sadly, I expect maybe most of my colleagues across the aisle will vote against this resolution. It is about the character of this House. prgtoken Perhaps they agree with the National Committee, which has said that the violent -led insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the deaths and injury of U.S. Capitol police officers, and an effort to prevent the certification of an election was, and I quote the National Committee, ``legitimate political discourse.'' prgtoken How can anybody make that assertion? How can anybody in the National Committee vote for it? Why doesn't everybody on the Party side of the aisle say, ``That is not what we believe''? Silence prevails. prgtoken There is no doubt that the insurrection on January 6 itself was a danger to our democracy, but I agree with The Washington Post columnist and former White House speech writer for President , Michael Gerson, who wrote on December 16, ``It is tolerance for the intolerable that threatens American democracy.'' prgtoken Very frankly, my friends on the other side of the aisle ought to be celebrating those in their ranks who have th
USICA (Executive Calendar)
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2022-4-6

I come to the floor to talk about something that is impacting consumers prgtoken every day, and that is our supply chain shortage as it relates to semiconductors, or abbreviated here as ``chips.'' prgtoken I can't emphasize how important this issue is to Americans. It is affecting Americans who can't buy a used car. There is a 41-percent increase over what they would have normally been able to buy. It is really impacting Americans. Why? Because Americans can't get new cars. They can't get new cars because they don't have semiconductors. It is impacting our transportation sector that ships goods. It is affecting our ability on national security. It is affecting our communication systems. prgtoken I know that a year ago, we passed this legislation out of the Senate. I am pretty sure that if we would have passed the funding a year ago out of the U.S. Senate and it would have been adopted and gone to the President's desk, we would be in a different supply chain issue today. prgtoken I want to ask my colleagues to move quickly at going to conference on this legislation. Reporting indicates that semiconductor shortages may have cost the United States a full percent of economic input-output in 2021. Other reports highlight the fact that the semiconductor shortage is driving inflation. Yet our colleagues don't want to help get us to conference. When you don't have chips, you don't have trucks to drive. prgtoken We have an opportunity to invest in American workers and to show international leadership and innovation by going to conference and passing this Innovation and Competition Act. prgtoken I want to thank Senator Schumer and Senator Young for their work in a bipartisan fashion to get this legislation before us, to help us move it through the process, and now to help us deliver on what is impacting Americans--critical supply chain shortages. prgtoken My colleagues have long spoken about the need to reshore our semiconductor supply chain. That is why, when we passed this bill a year ago, we had strong bipartisan support, and we have continued to grow the support for this action. prgtoken We are here today, though, to say that if we continue to delay this issue, the investment is going to go somewhere else; that is, companies are trying to figure out how to deal with the shortage. They have a shortage; they want to get going on it. They know that not only is the shortage here today, but we have to double and triple the amount of chip fabrication that we need to do for the future economy. The longer that we don't get at that task, the more this supply chain issue is going to be exacerbated. So our colleagues need to sign up for helping America with a critical supply chain shortage issue and come help us deal with this issue. prgtoken I have spoken many times about the importance of semiconductors. We know that the cost of a used car has risen 41 percent since the semiconductor shortage, bringing them almos
REMEMBERING ALCEE HASTINGS
Steve Cohen (Democrat, TN) \u2014 2022-4-6

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the one-year anniversary of the passing of Representative Alcee Hastings, a civil rights advocate and active leader of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) for more than twenty years. His work included promoting principled foreign policy, human rights, strengthened democracy across Europe, domestic and international election observations, and diversity and inclusion at all levels of government and foreign policy decision making. Alcee Hastings passed away on April 6, 2021.
Women's Healthcare (Executive Calendar)
Brian Schatz (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2022-4-6

reserving the right to object. prgtoken This is not the right way to get at the fentanyl problem. This gives the Secretary permission to shut down all asylum seekers from a country on the basis of any type of drug, no matter how much is in possession, how frequently that drug is possessed, what country they are coming from. We are calling for essentially a complete shutdown of the asylum program because there might be fentanyl somewhere. But it also gives the Secretary authority to stop asylum seekers coming from any country for any drug at any scale. prgtoken Now, title 42 authority is a serious thing. It is a blanket authority to block anyone presenting themselves for asylum. We have seen the horrific images in Ukraine. We know between 4 and 5 million people are already refugees, and we know that the United States, as the indispensable Nation, wants to take a leadership role in accommodating these refugees in Europe and, if necessary, in the United States. prgtoken People presenting themselves for asylum, escaping their dangerous home country--that is actually part of the American dream. That is, in a lot of ways, how many of us arrived, right? There may not have been this statutory framework, but the principle involved was not just that you came from some other place far away to make a better life for yourself--sometimes it was that, but sometimes it was to escape the pogrom, as was the case with my grandparents, from Kyiv to Odesa, actually to Canada, and then to Hawaii. prgtoken And so this authority is no small thing. And to give the Secretary of HHS this blanket authority to essentially shut down all asylum seekers because we are afraid--appropriately afraid--of a specific drug is just a little ham-fisted. prgtoken And I appreciate the Senator's remarks. I think there are better ways to work on this, and therefore I object.
HONORING HAZEL A. WILSON AS WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Mike Thompson (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-4-6

. Madam , I rise today to honor Hazel Wilson, whom I have named the 2022 Woman of the Year in Solano County, California. Woman of the Year recognizes women who have made important contributions to California's 5th Congressional District in Arts and Culture, Professional Achievement, Entrepreneurship and Innovation or Community Service. prgtoken Born in Bristow, Oklahoma, Mrs. Wilson graduated from Langston University, an historically Black university, with a bachelor's degree in business administration. After her graduation, she moved to Vallejo, California, in 1973, where she co-founded the Kappa Beta Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Kappa Beta Omega Chapter focuses on introducing students to the different options of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the benefits of attending these schools. prgtoken Mrs. Wilson also served on the Vallejo City Unified School District governing board for 14 years and still attends their meetings to support Vallejo students by addressing community concerns to the district and its board. prgtoken As a Community Liaison Volunteer for the CC and Amber Sabathia PitCCh-In Foundation, Mrs. Wilson has worked to provide free backpacks and school supplies to elementary school children and teachers in Vallejo. She also contributes to an annual scholarship for a high school senior who will be attending an historically Black college or university. prgtoken Mrs. Wilson is an advocate and a consensus builder for students across the city. Through her extensive work with the school district and other non-profits like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the African American Alliance of Vallejo, and the Solano County Chapter of the Link, Inc she has directly impacted the lives of so many children. prgtoken Her husband, a retired teacher, Michael Wilson and their two children, Michael Wilson III, a teacher, and Andrinee Wilson-Tucker, Ph.D a psychologist, also graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Mrs. Wilson's family and the rest of the community describe her as incredibly compassionate, dignified, and motivated in supporting students with their education. prgtoken Madam , it is evident that Hazel Wilson has dedicated her life to the students of Vallejo through her public service. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor her here today.
Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson (Executive Calendar)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2022-4-6

I rise today in strong support of Judge Jackson to be the 116th Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. prgtoken As a Senator, one of the most important responsibilities I have under the Constitution is whether to provide my consent to a President's nomination to the Supreme Court, the highest Court in our land. prgtoken The Framers carefully designed our Constitution using an intricate system of checks and balances. The Framers designed the third branch of government, the judiciary, to be an independent branch from the political branches of government: the legislature and the executive branch. prgtoken Judges were given the unusual protection--unlike Congress and the President--to have lifetime tenure and to hold their offices during good behavior. Judges, therefore, do not have to fear retribution or loss of their office or diminution of their paycheck if they make an unpopular decision. prgtoken So while the Supreme Court must show a healthy respect for the other coequal branches of government, it must, at the same time, preserve its own independence and ultimately interpret the laws and Constitution of the United States. A critical part of the Supreme Court's role is to preserve and protect the Constitution and to make sure that all Americans are treated equally under the law. prgtoken The marble entrance of the Supreme Court has etched above it the promise of equal justice under the law for all persons who enter. The Supreme Court must vigorously uphold the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans and pay special attention to safeguarding and enforcing the constitutional rights prgtoken guaranteed in our system of government. prgtoken As we know from our history, the Supreme Court has not always protected all Americans and, indeed, in the past has treated some Americans as less equal than others, simply due to their race, religion, or gender, among other factors. So let us remember the preamble to the Constitution, which declares that ``We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice''--it is certainly not a perfect union, but I do believe in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr that ``the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'' prgtoken Americans know that the Supreme Court makes profound decisions every day that impact the lives of people across this country. The Supreme Court regularly tackles so many of the controversial issues of the day that involve issues such as voting rights, criminal justice, labor law rights, environmental protection, and many, many more. prgtoken Turning now specifically to Judge Jackson's nomination, she would replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Court, who, fittingly, she had clerked for after graduating from law school. Judge Jackson has an extremely impressive background and legal credentials and now sits as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
MICHIGAN WORLD WAR II LEGACY MEMORIAL
Andy Levin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2022-4-6

. Madam , I rise today to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Michigan World War II (WWII) Legacy Memorial, which will take place in Royal Oak, Michigan on April 7, 2022. prgtoken This effort has been a fifteen-year labor of love for a dedicated group of volunteers, many of whom had family members who served in the military, including in World War II, and some who are veterans themselves. In 2007, Honor Flight Michigan began providing one-day trips to Washington, D.C. to allow World War II veterans to visit the national World War II Memorial on the National Mall. Between 2007 and 2010, Honor Flight Michigan operated 33 flights, ensuring that all 1,400 veterans on its waiting list made the trip to our nation's capital. The group then committed itself to creating a memorial in Michigan. Its intent is best described in the words of the organization itself: ``The Michigan WWII Legacy prgtoken Memorial will serve as a place to gather, remember, and inspire. It is a memorial designed with the desire to engage the community and educate future generations on the vision, values, and heroic efforts of the Greatest Generation.'' prgtoken The organization chose Royal Oak as the location for the memorial because of its central location in the heart of Southeast Michigan, and with the strong support of the City of Royal Oak to host the memorial at Memorial Park on Woodward Avenue and Thirteen Mile Road. The memorial has been designed to be educational and interactive and as a center of community activities as well as serving as a place for contemplation and remembrance. prgtoken This week, after fifteen years of work, ground will be broken for the construction of this important tribute to a defining point in history and to the vital contributions millions of Americans made to the essential cause of winning World War II. So many people have played important roles in guiding this project to this significant day, and it would be impossible to name all of them. But I would like to recognize the Board of Directors of the Michigan World War II Legacy Memorial for their efforts: President John Maten, Vice-President Chris Graveline, Secretary Kim Jones, Treasurer J. Michael Mastentuono; board members Debi Hollis, Russell Levine, Judy Maten, Ryan Friedrichs and Molly Gale; and Honorary Director Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson who served in the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. I would also like to recognize two members of the board who sadly passed away before this occasion: Michael Cameron and former Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. prgtoken Madam , I invite my colleagues to join me in celebrating the groundbreaking of the Michigan World War II Legacy Memorial, which I have no doubt will be viewed as a jewel in Southeast Michigan, and in congratulating all those who made vital contributions to this truly momentous occasion.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2022-4-6

today I am introducing the Protection from Abusive Passengers Act, a bill that is aimed at eliminating the rash of violence and abuse that is occurring on commercial flights across the country. I am pleased to be joined in this effort by Representative Eric Swalwell of California, who is introducing companion legislation in the other body. The goal of our bill is to send a clear signal that individuals who engage in serious abusive or violent behavior on an aircraft or at an airport security checkpoint will be banned from flying. prgtoken Since 2020, we have seen an extraordinary increase in the number of cases of violence and abuse against crewmembers and airline passengers. In 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration received 5,981 reports of ``unruly passengers.'' Those complaints led to 1,124 investigations, nearly the same number of investigations as the previous 10 years combined. From those investigations, the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, has initiated 350 enforcement actions and proposed $5 million in fines. In February, it was widely reported that the FAA had referred 80 cases to the FBI for criminal investigation. Clearly, these are not minor infractions. Here some recent examples: prgtoken In December 2021, the FAA proposed a record $52,500 fine against a passenger who tried to open the cockpit door on a Delta flight from Honolulu to Seattle, struck a flight attendant twice, and threatened him. prgtoken The FAA also proposed a $45,000 fine against a passenger ``for throwing objects, including his carry-on luggage, at other passengers; refusing to stay seated; lying on the floor in the aisle, refusing to get up, and then grabbing a flight attendant by the ankles and putting his head up her skirt.'' prgtoken It proposed a $30,000 fine against a passenger on a Jan. 3, 2021, flight from Atlanta for ``allegedly interfering with the flight attendants' deplaning procedures upon arrival. He attempted to gain entry to the flight deck by physically assaulting two flight attendants, threatening to kill one of them, and demanding them to open the door.'' prgtoken Last December, a passenger on Southwest Airlines pleaded guilty to punching a flight attendant in the face multiple times in a May 2021 incident in Sacramento. According to prosecutors, the flight attendant was taken to a hospital with injuries that included a swollen eye, a bruised arm, and a cut under her eye that had to be stitched. She also had three chipped teeth, two of which: had to be replaced with crowns. prgtoken Such actions in any setting would be deplorable and reprehensible, but on an airplane, such behavior can also represent a real threat to all passengers. Clearly, the existing regime of civil and criminal penalties has not been enough to deter the upsurge in cases. We need to send a signal that such types of behavior will not be tolerated. prgtoken The Protection from Abusive Passengers Act would require the T