mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMOVING THE DEADLINE FOR THE RATIFICATION OF THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
Jerrold Nadler (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-3-17

. Madam , 3 minutes. prgtoken Madam , H.J. Res. 17 is long-overdue legislation to ensure that the equal rights amendment can finally become the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The House passed identical legislation last Congress on a bipartisan basis, and I hope it will do so again today. prgtoken Madam , in 1923, Alice Paul first introduced an amendment to the Constitution to guarantee full equal protection for women. The text of the amendment is simple and clear: ``Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.'' prgtoken That amendment passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate in 1972. prgtoken Unfortunately, it fell just short of being ratified by the requisite number of States before the arbitrary deadline imposed by Congress ran out in 1982. In the 40 years since, we have made great strides in this country to ensure equality. Women have secured the right to vote, protection against workplace discrimination, and through case law decided under the 14th Amendment, many other critical protections denied them for too long on the basis of sex. prgtoken Without the ERA, millions of women have still had to march in support of their rights, their healthcare, their reproductive freedom and abortion access, and their dignity as equal citizens. Through the Me Too movement, we have had long-overdue, and sometimes painful, conversations about the violence and harassment that women and others experience--whether in the workplace, at homes, or in schools and universities. prgtoken But still, to this day, the Constitution does not explicitly recognize and guarantee that no one can be denied equal protection of the laws on the basis of sex. The ERA would enshrine those principles and take the final, critical step of ensuring that laws disadvantaging women and gender minorities are subject to the most rigorous form of scrutiny. prgtoken Last year, Virginia became the 38th and last necessary State to ratify the ERA, and, today, in passing H.J. Res. 17, we will be one step closer to enshrining it into law. This resolution removes a previous deadline Congress set in the amendment's proposing clause for ratifying the ERA, and will, therefore, ensure that recent ratifications by Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia are given full effect. prgtoken We are on the brink of making history, and no deadline should stand in the way. The Constitution itself places no deadlines on the process for ratifying amendments. Congress, just as clearly, has the authority to extend or remove any deadlines that it previously chose to set in the first place. prgtoken The recent ruling by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia refusing to recognize the recent State ratifications makes it even more imperative that Congress act now in removing this deadline. We must make it absolutely clear that Congress
March Madness (Executive Calendar)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2021-3-17

let me thank my colleague from Indiana. You can't do better than ``Hoosiers.'' It is one of my favorite movies. It is the story of a small Indiana town beating the big city players, and, if I am not mistaken, my former colleague in the House, Lee Hamilton, might have been one of those players on the big city team. I think he told me at one point. It is a great story and all eyes are on Indianapolis and Indiana now with the NCAA tournament and your neighbors to the west, Illinois, headed across the border. It is going to make a good showing, I hope, for the Fighting Illini. prgtoken Thank you very much for reminding us of that great American tradition.
Nomination of Xavier Becerra (Executive Calendar)
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-3-17

I rise today in strong support for the confirmation of California's attorney general, Xavier Becerra, to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. prgtoken I am absolutely confident that Mr. Becerra has the knowledge, the experience, the skills, and, just as importantly, the values and principles required of this job--a job that will play a key role in beating the coronavirus and tackling the urgent issues of equity and affordability now facing our healthcare system. prgtoken I am especially confident in my assessment of Xavier Becerra because I have known him personally for years, both as a former colleague and as a prgtoken friend. I first met then-Congressman Becerra in the House of Representatives, where he served for over two decades with myself and the Presiding Officer and others, and where he was a champion for the healthcare rights of the American people, working overtime to make sure that every American had access to quality, affordable healthcare. prgtoken We served together in the House ic leadership, and we served together on the House Ways and Means Committee. So I have had an opportunity to see his legislative talents up front and also to witness his love of service to our country. prgtoken We worked together to halt a number of proposals that maybe some of our colleagues here in the Senate were pushing for, including the proposal that continuously appeared in the House budget to voucherize the Medicare Program. One of the former s of the House wanted to essentially provide seniors on Medicare with a voucher and send them out into more of a private marketplace. It would have ended up putting our seniors more at risk. So together we did battle that idea. prgtoken We served together on what was known as the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also known as the ``supercommittee,'' and known to some as the ``not-so-super committee.'' I saw him work to try to achieve agreements on some of the biggest challenges facing our country, but, like him, we both agreed that we weren't going to do that at the expense of protecting Medicare for seniors, protecting Medicaid as an absolutely essential healthcare safety net for tens of millions of Americans, and we were not prepared to provide more tax cuts to the very wealthiest of Americans. prgtoken It is in that last effort where Xavier Becerra, I think, really distinguished himself in the House, when it came to the issue of equity and healthcare. I know the Presiding Officer knows well the battles we all went in together in the development and passage of the Affordable Care Act, and it was that that really defined Mr. Becerra's legacy in the House. prgtoken He championed the Affordable Care Act from the very start. He helped both to write and to pass this landmark law that now helps tens of millions of our fellow Americans, and after leaving the Congress, he led the charge to defen
Nomination of Xavier Becerra (Executive Calendar)
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2021-3-17

the Senate will soon vote on the nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Moving this nomination forward required an additional procedural step and more floor debate than others, so I will make just a few quick points this afternoon. prgtoken First, in our lifetime, America has never faced a greater public health challenge than the pandemic we face today. The Department of Health and Human Services is our point Agency, the leading Agency to coordinate the effort to end the pandemic as soon as possible. Right now, for example, it is coordinating the distribution of vaccines. It is working to get PPE, the critical protective equipment, into the hands of nurses and doctors and all those providers who desperately need more of it. The Department supports rural hospitals to keep them afloat so that rural patients have access to care. prgtoken The Department's work includes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, the National Guard, all 50 States and the District of Columbia, as well as private healthcare systems, doctors, and many individuals across the country. prgtoken The American people, we all know, are ready for this pandemic to end. They certainly understand that having a person to coordinate the critical efforts of the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed and on the job is part of that effort. There simply is no argument for delaying this confirmation any longer. prgtoken Attorney General Becerra has the right leadership experience and the right health policy experience to succeed in this critical job. He currently heads the Nation's second largest department of justice. He is in charge of a billion-dollar budget and more than 4,000 employees. He is the top law enforcement official in what would be the fifth largest economy in the world. prgtoken In terms of health policy, which is in the area I try to specialize in, I can tell Senators that Xavier Becerra has spent years and years on these issues at the Ways and Means Committee, the key committee in the other body with jurisdiction over healthcare. He has been through major policy debates, including the Affordable Care Act. As California's attorney general, he defended the act in court. prgtoken When the pandemic hit, he fought to protect the health and well-being of all Californians, particularly nurses and doctors and those workers who found themselves in harm's way. prgtoken Attorney General Becerra has the health policy savvy and the leadership savvy and the experience in both areas to run this Department, no question about it. prgtoken Attorney General Becerra made it clear to members of the Finance Committee that he will follow the law. Quaint idea. He said it again and again in response to a barrage of questions. He is going to be accessible to Senators. He is going to work to find c
SUPPORTING IMMIGRANT FARMWORKERS
Julia Brownley (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-3-17

. Madam , I rise today on behalf of our Nation's immigrants, the farmworkers who toil in our fields to feed us, and our Dreamers, the exceptional young people who are the promise and future of America. prgtoken Our immigration laws should reflect our shared values as a Nation, especially the importance of keeping families and communities together. prgtoken In my district in Ventura County, California, agriculture is a cornerstone of our regional economy. Immigrant farmworkers are essential to putting food on America's table. prgtoken Because of the essential role farmworkers play in our economy and our communities, I support the creation of an earned pathway to citizenship. prgtoken I also stand with our Dreamers, many of whom have known no other home than the United States. Dreamers are the embodiment of the American Dream. Dreamers represent the very best of our country, and they are realizing their fullest potential. Their success is America's success. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Farm Workforce Modernization Act and the American Dream and Promise Act.
REMOVING THE DEADLINE FOR THE RATIFICATION OF THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
Judy Chu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2021-3-17

. Madam , discrimination against women is a part of America's history, but it should not be our future. That is why we need the equal rights amendment. prgtoken It was not an accident that women were left out of the Constitution. The Founders very much believed us to be unequal and, as such, we could not own property, vote, hold certain jobs, or even serve on a jury. prgtoken The impacts of that discrimination are still felt today. Women are paid less than men and still face discrimination for being pregnant. prgtoken The Founders were wrong, and this is our chance to fix it by doing what they refused to do: assert in the Constitution that women, too, have rights. prgtoken The ERA will not end discrimination, but it will empower us to fight it in court. Already, 38 States have ratified this amendment, which satisfies the requirements in the Constitution. The vast majority of Americans support it. prgtoken Congress set a deadline for ratification, which means we can repeal it. It is time to affirm that there is no expiration date on equality.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2021
Lizzie Fletcher (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2021-3-17

. Madam , I rise today in support of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. from Houston, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, for her leadership and her tireless efforts to get this critical legislation to this House floor. prgtoken The Violence Against Women Act provides essential support for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and its reauthorization now is vitally important, as many of my colleagues have shared. It is critical for organizations in my community that support survivors, like the Houston Area Women's Center, which has reported a dramatic rise in requests for their services through the coronavirus pandemic--more than 6,000 more calls responded to in 2020 alone. prgtoken Madam , in 2020, the number of people the center sheltered tripled. Sadly, we have been reminded again today of the dangers that women face in our society. The Violence Against Women Act provides resources and services that are lifesaving. That is why I am proud to cosponsor this legislation and to vote in support of it today. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to do the same.
PROTECTING ALL AMERICANS FROM VIOLENCE AND ABUSE
Haley M. Stevens (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2021-3-17

I rise in support of this bipartisan bill to protect Americans from violence and abuse and to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse have access to the services they need. prgtoken I rise in support of a single mom hiding in a shelter with her two children. I rise in support of a mother looking to flee an abusive marriage with her children covered in disinfectant chemicals. These are the conversations I have had with women in my district, in Michigan 11. prgtoken The Violence Against Women Act reauthorizes funding for a variety of critical grant programs, including for victim services, prevention, training, education, enforcement, economic stability, and on. prgtoken Two years ago, , I walked with my colleagues over to the Senate majority leader's office to demand a vote on this reauthorization, and he refused to see us. He refused to even allow a vote. prgtoken Today, , as I rise, I look forward to working with a new Senate majority leader and a new President who will commit to protecting all Americans from violence in the household.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2021
Adriano Espaillat (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-3-17

. Madam , it is well past time for VAWA reauthorization. It should have never been allowed to lapse to begin with. prgtoken I stand here in support of this bill in honor of Gladys Ricart, a dear constituent of mine, who, 22 years ago, was murdered by her jealous ex-boyfriend on her wedding day, in her wedding gown. Madam , I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation in her memory. prgtoken Now you have the Brides' March, an international movement across this continent and across the world that honors the memory of Gladys Ricart. They were right here in this Capitol, and they will continue to come back until further legislation is enacted to protect women all across our country, all across the world.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2021
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2021-3-17

. Housing and other aspects of the provisions that are in this bill pointedly speak to needs that have been brought to our attention by victims. This bill deals with victims, Madam , so when you are fleeing your home because your name is not on the lease or the mortgage, we now have provided an expedited process for you to get housing with your children. prgtoken We intervene and have cultural sensitivity training for men and boys. We have a cultural sensitivity office inside the office of domestic violence so that women of different cultural backgrounds can be responded to, along with focusing on culturally sensitive advocacy groups to help those women. prgtoken Yes, we do prevent a convicted person who has perpetrated a stalking or sexual assault from getting a gun, but this bill is controlled by due process in the Constitution. prgtoken Let's pass this bill. Women are waiting. They can't wait any longer. Men are waiting. Many communities are waiting. We can't wait any longer, and we must pass this bill to be signed by the President of the United States.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2021
Marilyn Strickland (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2021-3-17

. Madam , the tragic shootings in Atlanta yesterday killed eight people--six of whom were Asian women. prgtoken To the families of the victims, you have my deepest condolences. prgtoken This crime has elements that we are trying to address here in Congress; gun violence, violence against women, and the meteoric rise of violence we are witnessing against the AAPI community. prgtoken Racially motivated violence must be called out for exactly what it is, and we must stop making excuses or rebranding it as economic anxiety or sexual addiction. prgtoken Madam , as a woman who is Black and Korean, I am acutely aware of how it feels to be erased and ignored, and how the default position when violence is committed against people of color or women is to defer from confronting the hate that is often the motivation. prgtoken Madam , words matter and leadership matters. We must all loudly condemn actions and language rooted in fear and bigotry that harms all of us.
CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2021-3-17

I thank Mrs. Lawrence for her extraordinary leadership. prgtoken In 1921, exactly 100 years ago, just after ratifying the 19th Amendment, the suffragists set their sights on another constitutional change. The vote was not enough for them. They knew we needed to put gender equality into our Constitution. prgtoken So, these women, among them my relative Alice Paul, wrote the equal rights amendment. It was first introduced in Congress in 1923 in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention in our country. It was introduced in the House by Representative Daniel Anthony, nephew of the great suffragist leader, Susan B. Anthony, to honor her work, as well as the work of many others, like the great suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, also of New York. prgtoken Today, during Women's History Month, we honor these women as constitution-makers. But verbal praise alone is not enough. We must also carry out their wishes. Because now, a full 100 years later, the equal rights amendment is still not part of the U.S. Constitution. prgtoken I thank Jackie Speier and all the women and like-minded men in this Congress that voted to move the equal rights amendment forward. prgtoken Eighty-five percent of U.N. member states have constitutions that explicitly guarantee equality for women and girls. These constitutional guarantees have enabled national legal reforms that eliminated discriminatory laws and helped usher in new laws protecting girls and women. Where once the U.S. was a leader on gender equality, when it comes to our Constitution, we are now far, far behind. prgtoken Today, we must fulfill the hope of our suffragist foremothers and make equality a reality in our Nation's most fundamental document. prgtoken I must say, throughout this struggle I have always said: Where are the women? When I walk around the Mall, they have museums for everything, but not women. It is hard to empower women if we don't even recognize them. So this Women's Caucus put in a bill to create a national women's museum on the mall. I thought this would be easy. It took us two decades to finally pass it last year, but it is now going to be built. It was a priority of this caucus, and we made it happen. prgtoken I just want to close by saying that our Smithsonian Women's History Museum will inspire visitors of all ages and all genders for generations to come. prgtoken I am so glad to join my colleagues for tonight's Special Order to celebrate the historical achievements of women and to look forward to creating a more equal future for all and preserving this history and the contributions of women in the new Smithsonian women's museum, which is now going to be built on the mall due to this Congress and this Women's Caucus. prgtoken I thank all of my colleagues that helped this happen and helped the passage of the ERA today.
Nomination of Xavier Becerra (Executive Calendar)
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2021-3-17

my good friend the Senator from Indiana--I am hoping this is a misunderstanding, and I hope I can explain it because I was very much involved in this process. prgtoken First of all, as a former Governor, I know about the budget process. I know about balanced budgets. I used to meet every Tuesday afternoon. As Governor, I would have my finance people come to my office, and we would sit down and look at the revenue estimates. We had to make adjustments because we had a balanced budget amendment. Isn't that a novelty, a balanced budget amendment? We had to live within our confines. That is something that no one who has ever been in State government or ever run a business understands. I understand that. But it is something that we did very religiously. prgtoken The language in this bill, Senator from Indiana, the only thing this bill does--or that language you were concerned about, the only thing it did--you can cut all you want to. You can manage all your money the way you want. You just can't take Federal money and use it if you cut your revenue intentionally. That is all. What we try to do is target where the money has gone. prgtoken So the Treasury, you have to go--as a State, you go to the Treasury, and you show the need that you have. You show the cost--what COVID has cost your revenue and you are able to have money to replace that because COVID caused you that problem. prgtoken You have also the ability to use this, in your State, for three things: water, sewer, and internet service. So you have infrastructure that can be done. prgtoken Also, what we did in this bill is we have it going out to 2024, so you are not going to overheat, if you will--overheat or overcharge the economy. They can spread that out. The State and local moneys go in two tranches: Half this year, half next year is what you can access. The money to every one of your communities--for the first time, 40 percent of that total money goes directly, so your large cities will get money directly from the Treasury. They have to show how they are using it for their backfill, not, basically, having anything to do with what their tax revenue is. They just can't use this money to backfill tax cuts if they want to do that. That is pretty simple because there is not a need for it. If you can reduce your taxes, then you don't need Federal dollars to backfill to show that you are in good shape. But if you need it for anything else, you can use it for that. You can use it for all these things. prgtoken I can tell you--I would assure you that every incorporated city in Indiana, every county in Indiana has to be thrilled. They have to be thrilled for the first time to have control of their destiny. That was our intention. prgtoken In the first CARES package, that never happened. The first CARES package went directly to the Governors, and if the Governors were very prudent in how they did it--set up a committee, worked through the legislatu