mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-5-24

a few hours ago, I had the pleasure of joining Secretary Raimondo and Senator Warner of Virginia for a tour of the Micron Technologies manufacturing plant just outside Washington, DC, in Manassas, VA. This is one of the great companies with facilities that produce semiconductors on U.S. soil. prgtoken Secretary Raimondo, Senator Warner, and I were given a behind-the- scenes tour of how these advanced chips, or semiconductors, are made, and we discussed some of the reasons why it is more expensive to build these facilities in the United States. prgtoken The average American uses countless products every day that could not function without semiconductors. For everything from cell phones, to televisions, to cars and dishwashers, chips underpin our most-used technology. As we become more technology dependent, it is going to get nothing but more important. But it is not just consumer products; cell towers, water treatment plants, agricultural equipment, our energy grid--semiconductors make all of that possible. prgtoken These tiny technologies also play a huge role in our national defense. When we send our troops on a mission by land, sea, air, or even in cyber space, they need the best equipment available. Now more than ever, the equipment can't function without these chips. prgtoken Just look at Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. This highly sophisticated system of rocket interceptors is a great example of the role that chips play in national security--not only ours but of our allies' as well. We know that the number of civilian casualties that would be caused if not for the protection of the Iron Dome for the Israeli people would be significantly higher. I asked my staff to find out how many semiconductors are actually in one of those interceptors that knock out one of those rockets coming from Hamas. What I found out is that every single one of these interceptors contains more than 750 different semiconductors. prgtoken So it is not hyperbole to say that there are life-and-death consequences to a reliable semiconductor supply chain, but right now, we are in a seriously vulnerable situation. Over the last two decades, the United States has gone from producing roughly a quarter of the world's semiconductors to about 12 percent. At the same time, China, our rival, our competitor that we are talking about a lot this week and last, has gone from manufacturing zero chips to now 16 percent of the world's supply, and it plans to invest another $1.4 trillion in semiconductor technologies. prgtoken Right now, China is building 17 fabs, or manufacturing facilities, in China. We are maybe thinking about building one, through Taiwan Semiconductor in Arizona, but it depends on our willingness and ability to support that domestic manufacturing whether or not they actually complete that currently planned manufacturing facility. But when we are looking to our adversaries to supply the technology to power
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Tommy Tuberville (Republican, AL) \u2014 2021-5-24

a week from today, we will be celebrating Memorial Day. I know folks back home probably have some fun things planned for the long weekend--cookouts, family gatherings, maybe even a trip to the beach. prgtoken But while Memorial Day is a joyous, carefree weekend for many families, it is a reminder of what they lost--a father, a mother, husband, or a wife, a son, daughter, brother, sister, a family member, a friend that cannot be replaced. prgtoken Our Gold Star families have given a great sacrifice to our country. I have been there myself. My father served in World War II, driving a tanker across Europe. He earned five Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. After the war, he died on Active Duty. prgtoken And I still miss him today. I am forever grateful that he, like so many folks from his generation, put on that uniform. They enlisted, not knowing whether they would ever come home. Many of them--hundreds of thousands--did not. prgtoken But they knew what they were doing was worth the danger. They knew the United States of America and all she stood for was worth defending. They earned the title of the ``greatest generation.'' prgtoken I will be introducing a resolution this week honoring the immense sacrifice of the ``greatest generation'' and not just those who put on the uniform. This resolution recognizes the millions of Americans who worked in the factories, bought war bonds, and donated their pots, pans, and more to a war effort. We owe the ``greatest generation'' a debt we can never fully repay. prgtoken I want to take a moment to thank Mr. Sam Romano from Vestavia Hills, AL, for advocating on behalf of the ``greatest generation'' and his contributions to this resolution. prgtoken Today, we have more than a million Active-Duty service men and women who continue to defend our freedoms. They, too, stand ready to answer the call when evil threatens America. They, too, stand ready to give their lives to defend their country, if need be. prgtoken The United States stands on the foundation of generations of service men and women who gave their lives to defend their country. Their sacrifices created the most free and prosperous country in the history of the world. prgtoken We are not perfect, far from it, but our unique system of government is distinguished from any other--``of the people, by the people, and for the people.'' That is why I stand for the flag and for our national anthem because for the last 250 years, men and women have given their lives for all this flag represents. They gave their lives to defend our right to make our country better. prgtoken The continued service of our military allows us to have that barbecue this weekend. Their service allows us to gather freely with family and friends, to think, to worship, and live how we want to. Memorial Day reminds us that our freedom and prosperity comes at a cost. prgtoken So for this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, I would encourage all of us to t
ENDLESS FRONTIER ACT--Resumed
Todd Young (Republican, IN) \u2014 2021-5-25

this week is Indy 500 Week in the State of Indiana. For these 7 days, Hoosiers will be swept up in the pageantry and the tradition of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Every minute this week is leading toward the moment when the white flag comes out, signifying the final lap, when the drivers make one last push toward the finish line. prgtoken I couldn't help but think about this annual tradition as we enter the home stretch on the Endless Frontier Act in the coming days. The legislation has evolved and improved and grown over the last few months. We now know it as the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, but as we head into this week, I thought it important to reset and refocus on why we began this journey in the first place. prgtoken For me, it began back in 2019, in the gym of all places, where one morning, Senator Schumer and I began talking about the need to go on offense against the Chinese Communist Party. Since the Cold War, Beijing has aimed to overtake America, not with weapons but through innovation, through economic growth. Through Made in China 2025, Beijing set out with a deliberate plan to dominate the world through strategic investments and emerging technologies, all of which have the potential to fundamentally change this century's economic and security environment for good or for ill. prgtoken Until now, we have primarily focused on defensive countermeasures to thwart aggression by the Chinese Communist Party: blocking Huawei, imposing export controls, and improving foreign investment rules. Look, these priorities are really important, and they must remain part of the mix, but if prgtoken America is to lead the world in the 21st century, it is neither realistic nor practical to build an economic iron curtain around China. You see, just as we did in the 20th century, we must not simply contain our leading global competitor but, instead, outinnovate and outgrow it. We must go on offense. prgtoken The Endless Frontier Act was and is our effort to do just that, to make the kinds of research and science investments we haven't made for decades. We are creating a new Technology Directorate at the National Science Foundation and creating regional tech hubs to ensure we are leveraging the talents and abilities of Americans across the country, with the corresponding economic benefits reaching those in the heart of our country, not just those on the coasts. prgtoken This legislation will be a boost to our economy, but make no mistake--it is not just about the economy. This is about deciding which standards, which values are going to animate these new technologies in the future: the values we see cracking down on protesters in the streets of Hong Kong? the values that enslave millions of Uighurs in Xinjiang? our American values, which recognize that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights? prgtoken America is watching, and the free world is
REMEMBERING AND HONORING MARY LOTT WALKER
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2021-5-25

. Madam , I rise today with a heavy heart to remember and honor Mary Lott Walker of Blackshear, Georgia who passed away on May 12th at the age of 85. prgtoken Mary loved her city of Blackshear, her state of Georgia, and her country the United States of America devotedly. prgtoken After graduating from Georgia State College for Women, Mary began her influential career in public education. prgtoken Mary was also involved in politics, becoming the first woman in Blackshear to serve as Mayor pro-term. Through her work in Georgian education, politics, and historical preservation, Mary inspired young people to achieve greatness. prgtoken Above all, she devoted more than 67 years of membership and leadership to the Blackshear Presbyterian Church. prgtoken Mary's profound community impacts will be felt for generations to come. prgtoken My thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and all who knew her during this most difficult time.
ENDLESS FRONTIER ACT--Continued
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2021-5-25

I rise today in strong support of the Safeguarding American Innovation Act. This is legislation that has been included in the substitute amendment to the bill we are working on this week, called the Endless Frontier Act, or as it has now been called, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act. prgtoken Well, if our goal is to increase U.S. competitiveness and encourage more U.S. innovation, we have to not only invest in research and innovation, we have to be sure that we are keeping our investment in research and intellectual property from being taken by our competitors and used against us. That is what this legislation does. prgtoken By the way, that is just common sense, or so you would think, but that is not what we found during a bipartisan investigation during the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Instead, during a yearlong inquiry, we uncovered that our government and our research institutions over the last couple of decades have permitted China to take advantage of a lax U.S. approach to safeguarding our taxpayer-funded innovation, be it in our college campuses or in our research labs, nor was law enforcement, principally the FBI, doing anything significant to combat this threat. In fact, at our hearing on the report about 18 months ago, the FBI admitted in sworn testimony that they have been asleep at the switch, essentially. prgtoken Our PSI investigation detailed the rampant theft of U.S. taxpayer- funded research and intellectual property by China by way of their so- called China recruitment programs, mainly the Thousand Talents Plan. China uses these plans to systematically find promising researchers and promising research that China is interested in, and they recruit those researchers. prgtoken These programs have not been subtle. The Thousand Talents Plan is perhaps the best understood of these programs, although there are actually a couple hundred of them. Our PSI investigation documented how the Thousand Talents Plan was used to target and steal taxpayer-funded research and IP for at least two decades in this country, and much of that research and innovation was taken from our labs to China and went directly into fueling the rise of the Chinese economy and the Chinese military. prgtoken While this is what China has done and continues to do, this is really about us. We have to get our own house in order. Specifically, we found that the Chinese Government has targeted promising U.S.-based research and researchers. Often, this research is funded by U.S. taxpayers. We spend about $150 billion a year on taxpayer-funded research in places like the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy for basic science research. And with this legislation we are talking about tonight on the floor, the Endless Frontier Act, we are talking about a huge increase in the amount of Federal spending for this kind of research. prgtoken The annual $150
RECOGNIZING THE WEST COAST UNIVERSITY--TEXAS HEALTHCARE HEROES APPRECIATION
Beth Van Duyne (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-5-25

. Madam , on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of the U.S. House of Representatives and all of the communities that Dallas Medical Center and Dallas Regional Medical Center serve, and the West Coast University--Texas students pursuing careers in healthcare at a time when we need them more than ever, it is an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to personally thank them and all of our healthcare heroes for their service and selfless acts of caregiving during this pandemic. prgtoken These frontline caregivers demonstrate tremendous courage and put themselves on the line every day to ensure the health and safety of our community. prgtoken During the last 15 months, the effects of the Covid pandemic required a personal sacrifice from each one of them unlike any other time in our country's history. These frontline healthcare workers experienced long, long hours for months on end, caring for thousands of critical patients, and losing more life than anyone can bear to witness. prgtoken These nurses and staff provided care for others while worried about their own health and the well-being of their family. Yet, they came to work every day. prgtoken For their uncommon bravery and resilience, I say ``thank you!'' prgtoken To express this appreciation, thess certificates commemorate the healthcare heroes at Dallas Medical Center and Dallas Regional Medical Center. prgtoken In addition, I have another certificate to recognize the students of West Coast University--Texas, which focuses on educating and training the next generation of nurses and healthcare workers. These students have chosen to pursue careers in healthcare despite witnessing one of the most challenging times in the history of their profession. I have deep respect for their courage and service to our community. prgtoken Words are not enough to express the gratitude that I feel for the healthcare workers throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the State of Texas, and across the country. prgtoken All of them deserve to be honored and celebrated.
ENDLESS FRONTIER ACT--Resumed
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2021-5-25

we may never know whether the pandemic arose from the lab in Wuhan, but we do know that so far no intermediate animal host has been discovered. Thousands of animals at the wet market have been looked at. None of them have carried COVID-19. We have tried to infect COVID-19 into bats. It doesn't grow well in bats. It seems most adapted and suitable for humans. We may not know whether this ever arose out of a Wuhan lab, but I think gain-of-function research, where we take a deadly virus, sometimes much more deadly than COVID, and then we increase its transmissibility to mammals is wrong. prgtoken In 2014, NIH stopped all of this research. I am using the same definition to say any gain-of-function research should not be funded in China with U.S. taxpayer dollars. I recommend a ``yes'' vote. Vote on Amendment No. 2003
CONGRATULATING THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN
Paul A. Gosar (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2021-5-25

. Madam , I rise today to congratulate the Republic of Azerbaijan on its 103rd anniversary of their annual Republic Day as well as its 30th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union. prgtoken I do not want my good wishes to be seen as ignoring the issues currently going on between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I am putting my faith and confidence that the hostilities are resolved, and the appropriate borders will be restored. Independence for Azerbaijan is a time to reflect on the territorial sovereignty and right to independence for other nations as well, as liberty benefits everyone. prgtoken Azerbaijan is an important partner in the region. I find this year's occasion special because it marks 30 years since Soviet occupation. The Soviet Union and its ideas of communism subjected millions of people to authoritarian rule, stripping them of their natural, human rights. However, the people of Azerbaijan have successfully emerged from this dark period in history and continue to be a shining example of democracy and independence. prgtoken It's important that the people of the United States recognize the nations that emerge from authoritarian rule to contribute to the ever- growing push for liberty and self-governance. Azerbaijan, after being subject to centuries of prgtoken oppressive rule under the Russian Empire and USSR, were rewarded with the gift of independence. That is why this week we can proudly stand with our friends in Azerbaijan to celebrate their 103rd Republic Day and share in our collective belief in freedom. prgtoken Madam , I urge all of my colleagues to join me in celebrating Azerbaijan's Republic Day and in recognizing our shared commitment to freedom, democracy, and the principle of self-governance. I would like to share my most heartfelt congratulations on this momentous occasion.
RECOGNIZING MR. RAVINDER SINGH SHERGILL
David G. Valadao (Republican, CA) \u2014 2021-5-25

. Madam , I rise today in honor of the life of Mr. Ravinder Singh Shergill, who passed away on April 22, 2021. prgtoken Mr. Shergill was born on September 12, 1956, in Punjab, India. At the age of seventeen, he immigrated to the United States and later graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He went on to work for National Semiconductor for more than three decades. As an engineer, Mr. Shergill held patents involving disk storage and helped create the USB specifications. As a manager, he admired and respected as a mentor to his colleagues. His story is truly an embodiment of the American Dream. prgtoken Mr. Shergill had a great appreciation for America, but he never forgot his roots. He was committed to bridging the Sikh and American communities together and was a founding member of the Sikh Youth of California and America. prgtoken Mr. Shergill is remembered as a caring husband, father, and grandfather with a love for books, history, music, and film. He is survived by his wife, Grace Rosa; his children, Simren, Kiren, and Kevan; and his grandchildren Leena, Mary, Samuel, and Briya. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in honoring the life of Mr. Ravinder Singh Shergill. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.
Afghanistan (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2021-5-25

H.R. 1, the ' supposed election integrity bill, is filled with bad ideas: making the Federal Election Commission into a partisan body; effectively banning voter ID and gutting other safeguards against voter fraud; providing for taxpayer funding of political campaigns. prgtoken Nowhere is that more true than when it comes to the bill's truly terrible provisions on the IRS. prgtoken Everyone remembers the IRS scandal during the administration. Around 2013, it emerged that the IRS had been unfairly singling out conservative organizations applying for tax-exempt status, slow- walking their applications and subjecting them to burdensome extra scrutiny. This had been going on for more than 2 years, and top IRS officials compounded the Agency's misdeeds by providing misleading information to Congress. prgtoken Well, Americans should brace themselves, because if H.R. 1 is ever enacted, it would allow for the same kind of targeting that went on under the administration, if not worse. To start with, H.R. 1 repeals a Treasury Department rule finalized last year that was designed to help prevent the kind of abuse that went on under the IRS. prgtoken Under the rule, many tax-exempt organizations are no longer required to turn over to the IRS the names and addresses of individuals who have made substantial donations. This is not information the IRS needs to know for tax purposes, and there is no reason the Agency should have information beyond what it needs to do its job. prgtoken I am proud to be a cosponsor of Leader McConnell and Senator Braun's bill which would permanently codify the Treasury rule and its protections against unnecessary disclosure. Providing the IRS with additional extraneous information opens up opportunities for the kind of abuses we saw during the administration. prgtoken But stopping IRS abuse doesn't seem to be a big priority for the Party. Indeed, there is reason to believe at least some would like the IRS to take a more aggressive role in Americans' lives. And so H.R. 1 explicitly repeals the Treasury Department rule, but that is not all. prgtoken As if were determined to prove that they intend to weaponize the IRS, H.R. 1 and S. 1, which is the Senate version of the House bill, would allow the IRS to consider organizations' views when deciding whether or not to grant them tax-exempt status. Let me repeat that. H.R. 1 and S. 1 would allow the IRS to consider an organization's views when deciding whether or not to grant that organization tax- exempt status. prgtoken It is difficult to think of a more outrageous and dangerous provision. This rule would allow any administration of either party to use the IRS to censor and suppress groups whose ideas the party in power opposes. If the administration in power doesn't like the positions that your organization champions, say goodbye to your hopes for tax-exempt status. The