mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2024-6-17

last week, the United States and Allied nations observed a significant milestone in world history: the 80th anniversary of D-Day. That day--by land, air, and sea--this massive military operation unleashed the largest amphibious assault known to the world. prgtoken More than 18,000 paratroopers dropped onto the beaches of Normandy. More than 14,000 dispatches from Allied Air Forces provided cover. Nearly 7,000 naval vessels participated, including more than 132,000 ground troops who swam ashore amid heavy German artillery. prgtoken American families lost 2,500 servicemembers on D-Day alone. All told, as we know, more than 400,000 Americans died during World War II serving their country. These courageous patriots defended America's standing as the beacon of hope and freedom around the world. prgtoken The sacrifice of the American people to back the war effort allowed the United States to flex its military superiority alongside the Allied forces. That effort bested the Axis powers, defeating their authoritarian regimes and ending the Holocaust, where 6 million Jewish people lost their lives. They were murdered. prgtoken At every opportunity, Barbara and I are honored to greet veterans who have come to Washington, DC, in what we call Honor Flights, to visit the World War II Memorial. prgtoken A World War II hero and former Senate majority leader here in the Senate, Bob Dole, came to be my best friend. He took me, a fellow midwesterner, under his wing when I first came to the U.S. Senate. prgtoken My departed friend brought uncommon courage to the battlefield, and we all know he brought principled leadership to the U.S. Senate. His mentorship made a lasting impression on me and my work in Congress. That includes a nonnegotiable tenet of America's national security, which is peace through strength. prgtoken You see, widespread isolationist sentiment kept the United States from entering World War I and World War II. America stayed on the sidelines until the cost of aggression was too high, and the threat to the United States became obviously more acute. prgtoken Separated as we are from Europe and Asia by two vast oceans and wishing no one any harm, Americans would naturally feel that we ought to be left alone and ignore foreign conflicts. prgtoken Now, here is the lesson for today. The United States learned this lesson from World War II: Preventing and stopping aggression very early is much less costly in dollars and lives. prgtoken We learned what happens when you wait. When unchecked aggression has lit the world on fire, we are forced to fight a devastating world war. prgtoken That is why the United States led our allies in creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, better known as NATO. This most successful defensive alliance in history turned 75 this year.
MEDIA
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2024-6-17

with me today is one of my colleagues in my office, Mr. Christian Amy. prgtoken , I want to talk for a few minutes about America, about Washington, DC, and about Louisiana. prgtoken Every time I leave Washington, DC, and go back home to America, I am reminded of how parochial Washington, DC, can be, how removed it can be, how unaware it can be. We often hear people in the city where our Capitol sits say: Well, the American people just don't understand. The American people--you often hear--just don't know what they are talking about. They don't know what we know. They don't read the news. They don't keep up like we do. prgtoken So, recently, I conducted a poll to test that point of view, and some were surprised with the results of the poll. I was not. One of the questions I asked in the poll of the people of Louisiana is, How frequently would you say they follow the news? prgtoken About 70 percent of my people in Louisiana follow the news every single day because--actually, it is 67.8 percent. Some of my colleagues back home were surprised by that. I was not; 23.5 percent said a few times a week; and only 6.4 percent of my people don't consult the news or read the news very often. prgtoken I also, out of curiosity, tested a poll where my people were receiving their news: 39 percent of the people of Louisiana--70 percent of whom follow the news every single day--get their news from cable TV. Another 21.1 percent get their news from morning and evening broadcast television, not cable--local television news and national television news. prgtoken So, I guess, from one point of view--and I think the numbers bear this out in Louisiana--in terms of the source of news, television is king. Television is king. prgtoken Seventy percent--or, rather, sixty percent of my people, most of whom follow the news every single day, get their news either from cable TV, from the national evening and morning news, and from local television evening and morning news. prgtoken Twenty-seven percent of my people get their news primarily from the internet. To break that down, it is about 12.6 percent from social media apps--Facebook, Twitter; 4.7--almost 5 percent--from YouTube; and another 9.1 percent from Apple News, Google News, and those sorts of sites on the internet. prgtoken So television news for both national and, particularly, local is king in Louisiana, with 60 percent of the people saying that is my go-to news source, but the internet is also a substantial factor at 27 percent: 27 percent of my people--70 percent of whom read the news every day--get their news from the internet. prgtoken Radio news is also important in my State. Seven percent of my people and change listen to radio news as their primary source of news. Coming in last--consistent with national trends--only 4 percent of my people receive their news today from newspapers. My, how the world has changed. prgtoken I just found these numbers to be
NATIONAL DEFENSE
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2024-6-17

last week, the Armed Services Committee voted to recommend a $25 billion increase to topline defense spending. prgtoken In overwhelming bipartisan fashion, our colleagues rejected a fourth straight budget request from the administration that failed to keep pace with inflation, much less the threat of China. prgtoken If this major investment is actually appropriated, it will be an overdue step toward equipping America's Armed Forces to meet an increasingly dangerous world. prgtoken But shortly after the committee's action, senior Senate shattered any expectation that they were ready to start taking the requirements of national defense seriously. They began with myths about the past. prgtoken The ic leader suggested in a statement that `` have led the way in ensuring our military is the best trained and best equipped fighting force in the world.'' prgtoken Really? Guess again. Every year, s have led efforts to secure defense spending beyond President 's meager requests. prgtoken When the administration initially wanted the Pentagon to pay for increasing operational costs in Europe out of hide, without backfill, it took s demanding additional appropriations to buy new weapons to replace the older ones we were providing Ukraine. prgtoken For his part, our colleague from New York blocked an amendment to the infrastructure bill in 2021 that would have made an historic investment in the defense industrial base, and this was actually before the Russian escalation. And then Senate voted in lockstep to block a similar one during budget reconciliation. prgtoken All around the world, America's adversaries are offering clear and alarming reminders of how rapidly modern warfare is changing. The battlefields of Ukraine have become a laboratory for fast-evolving concepts like unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare, and air defenses. Iran's war on Israel, America, and international shipping highlights the growing importance of long-range weapons and air and missile defense. And China's military modernization, from its strategic rocket force to its navy, underscores the stakes of neglecting our own defense in bold, red ink. prgtoken These threats offer us essential lessons about the deficiencies of our own capabilities; that is, if we choose to act on them. America is literally years behind in building the sort of production capacity we need to sustain effective deterrence or win decisively if war actually comes. prgtoken The administration deserves credit for taking production of 155- millimeter artillery shells seriously, but they haven't directed the same urgency to critical air and missile defense interceptors or long- range weapons. s fought to include hundreds of millions of dollars for these priorities in the supplemental, but it is long past time to put critical requirements like these in our base budget. prgtoken If the adminis
REMEMBERING DR. JAMES "JIM" E. AUER
Bill Hagerty (Republican, TN) \u2014 2024-6-17

Dr. James ``Jim'' E. Auer, who passed away in Nashville, TN, on May 16, 2024, was a pillar of the U.S.-Japan Alliance. I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Auer for a number of years, as he would attend events hosted by the Japan-America Society of Tennessee. prgtoken While I would speak with Jim from time to time, he never talked about--nor even hinted at--his own truly incredible accomplishments with respect to the U.S.-Japan Alliance. That is until, one day, it leaked out that President was nominating me to be U.S. Ambassador to Japan, and Jim told my longtime assistant Betsy Van Dam that he needed to meet with me in person soon. And so Jim and I met, and he began to unpack for me his accumulated knowledge amassed over the decades of his experience with Japan. prgtoken Let me summarize some of that experience: Jim began his career working with the U.S. Navy in 1963 assigned to a minesweeper based in Sasebo, Japan. He would go on to be the first U.S. Navy officer to study at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Staff College in Tokyo. In 1973, he would be a key figure in homeporting the U.S.S. Midway, the first U.S. aircraft carrier to be permanently based in a foreign country, in Yokosuka, Japan--a distinction that Japan continues to hold to this day. prgtoken From 1979 to 1988, he served as the Special Assistant for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, acting as a bridge between the Japanese Defense Agency--now Japan's Ministry of Defense--and the U.S. Department of Defense. After his retirement from the U.S. Navy, Jim would spend the next 25 years serving as a professor at Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, he founded the Center for U.S.-Japan Studies and Cooperation in 1988. For his devotion to the U.S.-Japan relationship, Jim was awarded the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun in December 2008. Jim Auer was a true treasure to the U.S.-Japan Alliance, and his efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship are profound and enduring. prgtoken On a personal note, I found him to be an invaluable resource when I had the honor of serving as the 30th U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Indeed, I deeply appreciate that the strength of the U.S.-Japan Alliance today was made possible by the earlier accomplishments of trailblazers like Dr. Jim Auer. On May 24, 2024, I was honored to attend the Japan- America Society of Tennessee's annual meeting in Nashville and to remember Jim's legacy during a panel discussion with Japanese Ambassador to the United States Shigeo Yamada that was moderated by Chairwoman Masami Tyson. Jim's children Tei, Helen, and John Ed and the rest of the Auer family should know that our Nation is eternally grateful for his contributions. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record this obituary in memory of Dr. Jim Auer that was published in the Tennessean on May 28, 2024.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2024-6-17

80 years ago this month, America and our allies embarked on a mission that would change the course of history. We stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Along with our allies, we formed the largest armada in world history, with more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft, with the goal of liberating Nazi-occupied Europe and defending the free world. To our country's eternal gratitude, these brave soldiers succeeded in their mission. prgtoken On the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, I joined a bipartisan Senate delegation to Normandy to honor the Americans--among them, Tennesseans--who put their lives on the line in the name of freedom. prgtoken Of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II, less than 1 percent are still with us today. So it was a special honor to meet with some of those brave heroes who served, and we sat together as we commemorated this day. prgtoken Among them was Tennessee native Cletis Bailey, who fought to liberate Europe while serving in the 84th Infantry Division. Two years ago, at the age of 96, Mr. Bailey received a Bronze Star for fighting at the Battle of the Bulge. That was 76 years after his service had come to an end. prgtoken Like so many Americans who served in World War II, Mr. Bailey was gracious and humble about the incredible sacrifices that he made to defend the country. It was a powerful reminder that the ``greatest generation'' viewed their service to our country, even through the horrors of war, as their duty as American citizens. prgtoken But during the memorial ceremonies, these heroes received the recognition they deserve in front of a crowd of 10,000 people from all over the world. It was so moving to see French President Macron recognize 11 U.S. veterans with the Legion of Honor--France's highest distinction--for their role in helping to free France from Nazi oppression. prgtoken While we thanked the surviving D-Day veterans for their service, our delegation also honored the brave soldiers who never returned home to America. In Normandy, there is no greater symbol of their sacrifice than the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, which holds the graves of 9,387 American war dead. Many of these warriors fell just hundreds of feet away from the cemetery grounds right there on Omaha Beach--the site of the fiercest fighting on D-Day, where U.S. forces suffered approximately 2,400 casualties. prgtoken While many markers of the landings have long since disappeared, along the coastline, you will still see fortifications which Nazi forces used to rain machine gun fire on American soldiers who stormed the beaches to free a continent. prgtoken In so many ways, Normandy is a reminder that America is the home of the free because of the brave. And while we can never repay their sacrifices, we must ensure that no veteran is ever left behind-- especially when it comes to the benefits and the quality care they deserve. prgtoken In the S
Border Security (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-6-17

for 3\1/2\ years, President 's border prgtoken policies have resulted in a crisis that has endangered the safety and security of the American people. When law enforcement is forced to spend their days pushing paper, processing, transporting, caring for migrants, it creates an opening for dangerous people and drugs to slip across the border and into our communities. prgtoken And, of course, this isn't a coincidence or accidental; it is actually part of the business model of the cartels to whom President has outsourced our immigration policy. They control it--not the Border Patrol, not the administration--criminal cartels that get richer every day smuggling people and drugs across the border. It is a booming business, thanks to President 's policies. prgtoken But last week, we got a striking reminder of the dangers that lurk in the shadows of this border crisis, one that, maybe, isn't being sufficiently paid attention to. One of these men used the CBP--that is Customs and Border Protection--app, which the administration has been touting as a way for migrants to schedule their hearing before Border Patrol at the port of entry. prgtoken So one of the men last week used this app that was sold as a safe and orderly way to manage the crisis. But, clearly, this is not the case. prgtoken So this episode--which I will tell you more about in a second--this individual using this CBP app, it took nearly a year for the administration to finally arrest the man in Baltimore, just 40 miles from the U.S. Capital. Once again, this was not an isolated incident. prgtoken But we know this is a recurring theme due to intentional policies. This isn't an accident. It is not just negligent. This is on purpose. prgtoken Here is a recent headline: Eight suspected terrorists with possible ties to ISIS arrested in New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. prgtoken It is worrisome enough if individuals who are on the Terrorist Watchlist are detained at the border, but these eight men were arrested in major American cities far away from the border. All eight were from Tajikistan and entered the United States through the southern border, courtesy of the administration's open border policies. prgtoken According to reports, at least two of these men crossed the border in the spring of 2023, more than a year ago. prgtoken Again, this was the one who used the CBP app, which was touted as a way to manage the flow of migrants across the border by the administration as if this was an unqualifiedly good thing. prgtoken What we know in addition to these 8, just 2 months ago, ICE officers--that is Immigration and Customs Enforcement--in Baltimore, just down the road here from the Nation's Capital, arrested another man--this time from Uzbekistan--with ties to ISIS. prgtoken And just to remind everybody, ISIS is a successor organization to al- Qaida. This is a radical terrorist organization that is determi
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2024-6-17

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 Raymon Enterprises of Albion, IA, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. prgtoken In 1973, Don Martin founded Donco Industries in Waterloo. The company started by manufacturing passive sound absorption materials for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning--HVAC--systems with just four employees and two motorized machines. In 1979, after moving to a new location above a bowling alley in Eldora, Larry and Joynell Raymon took an interest in the business. The Raymons took a leap of faith and acquired the company in 1985, after moving operations to their current location in Albion. prgtoken In 2006, the Raymon family renamed the business to Raymon Enterprises. Today, the family company is a major manufacturer of commercial-grade grilles, registers, and diffusers used in HVAC systems across the United States and Canada. In 2022, Larry's son Chad was named president of the company that now employs more than 80 people and operates out of a 65,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Albion. In 2023, Raymon Enterprises celebrated its 50th anniversary, marking over five decades of high-quality products and incredible customer service. prgtoken Over the years, Raymon Enterprises has not only focused on company growth but also on giving back to the community. In 1988, Larry received the Small Business Administration's Des Moines District Small Business Person of the Year award. In 1992, the company was named the Marshalltown Chamber Member of the Year. Today, Raymon Enterprises holds membership with the American Legion, American Veterans, the Farm Bureau, and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air- Conditioning Engineers. prgtoken As a member of the Army National Guard, Larry has a special appreciation for those who serve. Using their own funds, the Raymon family opened the Raymon Veterans Park in Albion. The park features a fully restored M110A2 Howitzer from Operation Desert Storm and, most importantly, a beautiful dedication plaza to honor America's veterans. In 2023, the park hosted its first Memorial Day service, attracting over 300 people who came to show their support and gratitude. The family hopes to continue the tradition each year on Memorial Day. prgtoken After years of leading the company, Larry passed away in February 2024. His leadership extended beyond business through his work to make a significant impact in Iowa and the Albion community. Larry served in the Army National Guard and founded the Marshalltown Economic Development Impact Committee, a community-based economic development organization that created over 100 new jobs in Marshall County. prgtoken The entire Raymon family exemplifies the spirit of perseverance and dedication
ORDERS FOR TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2024
Tina Smith (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2024-6-17

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 18; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that following the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Oler nomination, postcloture; further, that the cloture time be considered expired at 11:30 a.m.; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Tuesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.