mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
AFFORDABLE INSULIN ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2022-9-28

I rise to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Max Morrissey and Ben Morrissey, two brothers who went to work on September 20 at the BP-Husky oil refinery in Oregon, OH, and never returned home. prgtoken In the tragic explosion at the refinery that night, Max and Ben were fatally injured. At 34 and 32, their lives were cut short. Max and Ben were loving husbands and fathers, proud union steelworkers with Local 1-346, and lifelong Ohioans. They spent their lives serving their families, their community, their union, and their country through their dedication to their jobs and through Max Morrissey's distinguished service in the U.S. Navy. Their work at the plant powered our State, our economy, and provided for their families. prgtoken Family was everything to Max and Ben. They shared a dedication and commitment to each other, to their parents, to their wives, and to their young children. prgtoken On Friday, I visited the steelworkers hall. I had the honor of speaking with the Morrissey family and Max and prgtoken Ben's steelworker brothers and sisters in Local 1-346. From all I learned about Max and Ben, I know their memories will live on. I know their legacies will be upheld by those whom they loved and who loved them so. prgtoken We talked about this pin I wear, a canary pin given to me years ago at a Workers Memorial Day in Lorain, OH, by a steelworker honoring the workers who lost their lives on the job, working and supporting their economy and building a life, a future for their families. prgtoken This pin is a depiction of a canary in a birdcage. If you know labor history--and I know the Presiding Officer from Georgia knows this--the mineworkers used to take the canary in a cage down into the mines. If the canary died from lack of oxygen or toxic gas, the mineworker got quickly out of the mine. He had no union strong enough in those days to protect him and no government that cared enough to protect him. A strong union changed that because of worker safety laws and because of the labor movement. prgtoken This tragedy reminds us that our work to protect workers and make our workplaces safer never ever ends. No worker should ever have to worry about not returning home at the end of the day. No family should ever have to be concerned about that, not steelworkers like Max and Ben, not first responders who rush to their aid--no one. prgtoken I want to recognize those first responders--the steelworkers, the fire brigade, the Oregon Fire Department--those first responders at the scene whose bravery made a difference. prgtoken Today, we rededicate ourselves to Max and Ben's example of dignity of work, importance of family and community. Our thoughts are with the Morrissey family, with all those who knew and loved Max and Ben, and with those who worked alongside them. prgtoken .
TRIBUTE TO ERNIE MANN
Jacky Rosen (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2022-9-28

I rise today to honor the memories of the lives we lost and all who were injured or impacted in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017. prgtoken Five years ago, Nevada experienced tragedy on an unprecedented scale. In just 10 minutes--10 minutes--58 innocent lives were taken, hundreds of people were injured by gunfire, and hundreds more were injured in the chaos that followed. prgtoken Sadly, in the years since, two more victims of that night's attacks died because of the injuries they received during that shooting, bringing the death toll to 60. prgtoken During the attack, scores of heroic first responders--police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and others--arrived at the scene in an attempt to neutralize the threat and provide aid to the victims. Then hundreds of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals-- well, they worked nonstop to save the lives of those on the scene. prgtoken That day, the attack on the Route 91 Harvest Festival became the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Let me repeat that: the deadliest mass shooting in American history. prgtoken And to this day--sadly, even with all of the mass shootings we have endured over the past few years since then--1 October--1 October--still remains the single deadliest mass shooting in American history. prgtoken All it took--all it took--was just 10 minutes--10 minutes--for dozens of lives to be cut short, hundreds more injured and traumatized, with emotional and physical scars they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. prgtoken These were our friends. These were our neighbors. For some, they were their family. And now there are 60 families who will never be the same, 60 families who will forever have an empty chair every night at their kitchen table. prgtoken One October changed our community and the history of our State forever. It left a hole that can never be filled. prgtoken We are united in our grief for those we lost and also in our gratitude and admiration for the heroes that day who worked to rescue and aid those in danger. This dark day put on full display the tight- knit community of southern Nevada that we all know and love. prgtoken We came together to celebrate and thank the heroism for those who helped: our law enforcement officers, our first responders, our medical professionals, and so many everyday people. They just ran toward danger. They ran toward danger to help to get people to safety. prgtoken Hundreds lined up for blocks to donate blood. They offered their cars for people who were displaced by the chaos. Our community--well, it rallied together not just in the immediate aftermath but in the days, weeks, months, and now years after. I know why--because we are Vegas Strong, we are Nevada Strong. prgtoken Today, as we reflect on the 5-year anniversary since this horrific event, I stand here to honor the 60 individuals who lost their lives, the hundreds of survivors, and all of those--all of those--who experie
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2022-9-28

today I rise to recognize the Lebanon American Club of Danbury, CT, as they celebrate 100 years of devoted cultural engagement and civic service in their community. prgtoken The Lebanon American Club--or ``the Club,'' as it is affectionately known as by its members--was founded in 1922 as prgtoken the Syrian American Club. In its early days, this organization assisted members in becoming American citizens, learning English, and served as a vital social support system for Lebanese and Syrian immigrants. After initially meeting at various locations across Danbury, the Club established a permanent home in ``Little Lebanon'' on New Street in Danbury in the 1930s, before moving to its current West Street location in 1993. prgtoken Highly active in the civic and cultural life of the Arabic speaking community in Danbury, the Lebanon American Club boasted many members who were major contributors to the economic, professional, and social fabric of the region. After the election of Chicory Buzaid as Danbury City Sheriff in 1937--the first Lebanese American elected to public office in the State of Connecticut--the Club's members became more politically active as well. prgtoken From the 1940s through the 1960s, the Club's activities expanded with regular dinners, scholarship programs for students, fundraisers to aid members in need, and an annual Labor Day weekend ``Mahrajan'' festival celebrating their Lebanese and Syrian heritage. prgtoken In the 1970s, a new wave of Lebanese immigrants sparked a revitalization of the Lebanon American Club and their activities expanded. New Club programs were established--and continue today-- including a children's Christmas party and a scholarship award dinner which has grown tremendously over the years, providing tens of thousands of dollars in college scholarships to high school graduates. Additionally, the Lebanon American Club Ladies Auxiliary routinely holds dinners and wine tastings and is a significant contributor to the Club's overall activities. prgtoken In recent years, the Lebanon American Club has continued to expand and flourish. The Lebanon American Teacher Exchange program was established in 2002, and the annual Lebanon American Day flag raising ceremony was first held the next year in 2003. In 2009, the Club established a heritage monument committee to pay tribute to their immigrant ancestors, and the monument was unveiled at city hall during the 2010 Lebanon Day celebration. The Club has continued to thrive of late, including hosting regular blood drives throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to provide lifesaving aid to the community. prgtoken For a century, the Lebanon American Club has provided cultural, civic, and social support to its members, the Lebanese community, and the Danbury community at large. I have attended many Club activities and greatly appreciate and admire their long-standing commitment to preserving and promoting their cultural heritage whil
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2022
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2022-9-28

. Madam , today, I rise in support of my bill, the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022, a bipartisan bill, which I worked on with Mr. Smith to reaffirm the United States' commitment to fighting hunger and poverty worldwide. It truly has been a bipartisan effort. prgtoken This bill builds upon the landmark Global Food Security Act of 2016. It reauthorizes the incredibly successful Feed the Future initiative, which has carried out lifesaving programs and helped millions of people break the cycle of poverty and hunger. prgtoken This legislation reauthorizes GFSA to 2028 and makes commonsense updates to reflect the changing landscape of global hunger. Specifically, this bill emphasizes agriculture-led economic growth and strengthening resilience against climate change and the global COVID-19 pandemic. This will help reduce malnutrition in women and children. prgtoken By supporting small farmers and women farmers, in particular, we can increase food production and incomes so that families and communities around the world may improve their way of life. prgtoken This legislation will also help to create a more stable world, as has been mentioned, by helping millions of people in the world's poorest countries become self-sufficient in feeding themselves. prgtoken As chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, I know all too well the human, economic, and national security costs of global food insecurity, and it is just too high for Congress to ignore. The passage and enactment of this bill today truly cannot come soon enough for our national security. prgtoken I am proud to have worked on this legislation. I have worked on this legislation for over 14 years, starting with Senator Lugar, after being in Africa and watching how lack of food and clean water affected our ability to really make the HIV/AIDS program move forward. From that, the more I learned about malnutrition, the more passionate I became. prgtoken I am proud to have worked on this with experts in the field of global food and nutrition security, such as InterAction, Bread for the World, 1,000 Days, CARE, Save the Children, The Alliance to End Hunger, and so many more. Madam , I thank them for their expertise, for helping to lift up this legislation. prgtoken Madam , I also thank our co-leads, Chair Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul, and a special thank-you to Representative Smith, for their work on this legislation. Their enduring commitment to end global hunger is important work that we do together. prgtoken Madam , I urge the passage of this bill.
HONORING GEAR UP WEEK
Veronica Escobar (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2022-9-28

. Madam , I am honored to recognize the week of September 26-30, 2022, as National GEAR UP Week at Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas. prgtoken Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federally-funded grant program designed to prepare first-generation and low-income students prgtoken to be college-ready and have the resources to successfully complete their post-secondary education. prgtoken In El Paso, the GEAR UP-Proyecto to M.A.S. (Motivating Aspiring Scholars) is a partnership between the Ysleta Independent School District and the University of Texas at El Paso. The program currently serves 3,400 students through tutoring, mentoring, financial education, and college visits to ensure readiness and awareness of higher education opportunities. prgtoken As a former educator myself, I know that programs like GEAR UP are essential to communities like mine where over 80% of our population is Latino. Many of our students come from families where they will be the first in their family to go to college. I am so proud of the tremendous impact GEAR UP makes in the lives of young El Pasoans through its tools made available to our communities. prgtoken I am grateful to the educators and families who work tirelessly to support our youth, I applaud all the students who have immersed themselves in this program and express my best wishes and hopes for their success.
AFFORDABLE INSULIN ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2022-9-28

I want to compliment my friend the Senator from Ohio for always being willing to speak out on behalf of important people all across the country. I agree with him that organized labor for literally decades has always protected working people. We need to bear that in mind as we sort through the issues that confront us on a regular basis. So I thank him for his comments. Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act prgtoken , I rise today to actually celebrate a major accomplishment for thousands of Americans who have been trapped for, many times, decades in exploitative joint student loans. prgtoken This is an issue that is actually near and dear to me because I have been working on it for 7 years, since hearing from a constituent way back in 2015. prgtoken Sara from Northern Virginia was part of a group of student loan borrowers who entered into something called a joint consolidation loan, which allowed married couples to combine their student debt into a single loan. The truth was, though, that sounded good, but Congress didn't allow anyone to unwind those loans in the event of a divorce or an abusive relationship. prgtoken So finally, in 2006, Congress got rid of the whole program. But when they got rid of the whole program, they didn't retroactively create an option for those folks who had entered into these joint consolidation loans between 1993 and 2006. prgtoken So when my constituent Sara had divorced from her husband when she was living in Texas, she was still responsible for this loan. So all of the debt that had originally been his suddenly fell upon her shoulders. The divorced husband stopped paying the debt. Yet she was still responsible, and she, Sara, had to continue facing the consequences. prgtoken Now, she was a single mom of two, a public school teacher. Sara was financially on the hook for her defaulting husband's student debts. Her credit suffered dramatically. She even thought she was going to lose her teacher's license. prgtoken Now, she did a lot--great researcher. I talked to her a couple times. After looking for a way out, she found that the only way to fix this problem was for an act of Congress. prgtoken Well, she contacted my office, and we found out that this was not a one-off circumstance, but, literally, there were thousands of Americans all across the country who had fallen into this trap. A lot of them were domestic violence survivors, who, even though they had gotten out of an abusive relationship, were still stuck with paying off the debts of their abuser. Many of these were people who were victims of financial abuse and, again, completely responsible for a loan, in many cases, that they had never even taken out. prgtoken Others were unable to save for retirement, for their kids. We had a lot of teachers who were otherwise eligible for the public service loan forgiveness programs, but because they had entered into the joint consolidated stu
SBIR AND STTR EXTENSION ACT OF 2022
Nydia M. Velázquez (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-9-28

the balance of my time for closing. prgtoken The U.S. has the most dynamic small business ecosystem on the planet, and this 3-year extension ensures that our country remains one of the most innovative in the world. prgtoken The SBIR and STTR are essential components of that global competitiveness. They give small businesses a role in developing groundbreaking technologies that make our lives better in a variety of ways. prgtoken This program boosts American security, innovation, and entrepreneurship. That is why we must act today to extend them and ensure our country continues to reap these benefits into the future. prgtoken Stakeholders, from individual small business owners to research universities to the Department of Defense, have made it clear that even a temporary shutdown would be disastrous. prgtoken Throughout these negotiations, we have not always seen eye to eye, but I am thankful we all remain committed to keeping the programs open. prgtoken We have come up with a compromise that provides stability for small businesses and the agencies they partner with, reduces the risk that foreign adversaries can steal U.S. technologies developed through SBIR and STTR, and preserves the competitive and merit-based strength of these programs. prgtoken , this is not the end, and there will be more work to do in the coming years. I pledge to continue to work to improve the programs. prgtoken I, again, thank my colleagues involved with reauthorization for all of their work leading up to today, including the members of the Committee on Small Business who participated in many hearings and briefings over the course of the past 2 years. prgtoken I also thank the staff on the House Committees on Small Business and Science, Space, and Technology for their dedication and tireless work to get us to this point: Dahlia Sokolov, Rebecca Callahan, Sara Barber, Elizabeth Barczak, Catherine Johnson, Jenn Wickre, Giulia Leganski, Robert Yavor, Delia Barr, Ellen Harrington, and Kevin Wheeler, who have been living and breathing SBIR for most of their time on the Hill, including this year as they worked around the clock, days, nights, and weekends. I sincerely thank each of them. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022 to provide stability and certainty to small firms and agencies alike, and .
HONORING DAVID LEWIS ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE
Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2022-9-28

. Madam , I rise on behalf of myself and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx to recognize the retirement of David Lewis and honor his public service to the American people as the Assistant Director in the Office of Congressional Relations at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). prgtoken As Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and Labor, we would like to recognize an outstanding public servant, Mr. Lewis, who has dedicated his career to strengthening accountability within the federal government. Mr. Lewis will retire on September 30, 2022, after a distinguished, 38-year career in public service at the GAO. prgtoken Mr. Lewis has been an invaluable asset to us, Members of the Committee, and Members across Congress. Mr. Lewis built a considerable body of work in multiple issue areas, but we are most appreciative of the work he helped shepherd for our Committee. prgtoken Mr. Lewis helped strengthen GAO's relationship with Congress and upheld GAO's values on some of the most sensitive matters facing our nation in a bipartisan manner. As a Legislative Advisor, Mr. Lewis served as a mentor for countless GAO staff at every level of the agency. He provided teams with measured guidance and valuable insight on Congress. He could be relied on to help provide practical, diplomatic solutions. Further, he excelled at helping GAO meet Congress' needs, and helped Congress better utilize GAO's expertise. As a result of Mr. Lewis' efforts, GAO has strengthened relationships with key congressional committees including the House Education and Labor Committee. We commend his long and effective career as a public servant and note that he will be missed by this Committee and many others. prgtoken Madam , we join our colleagues and the staff on the Committee on Education and Labor in thanking Mr. Lewis for his service to the American people and wish him well in his retirement.
TRIBUTE TO ERNIE MANN
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2022-9-28

interesting time we have here in the U.S. Senate. When the took over this body, we were coming out of a pandemic and not even close to being fully out of the pandemic yet. If you think back then, people didn't have shots in their arms, the economy was in tough shape, and responded in a way that helped turn this economy around and helped put us on firm footing as a leading economic driver in this world. prgtoken It is interesting as I hear some of my folks on the other side of the aisle talk about things like inflation as it applies to food. I happen to have a couple of bills that will deal with that issue, and hopefully we can take it up in the lameduck. I don't think we are going to have time to take it up before the election. But that will help not only our cow-calf producers but also consumers when it comes to meat prices. I would hope that we get a large number of folks from across the aisle to support us on that. prgtoken When we talk about the southern border and we talk about national security--and I am going to approach national security in a little different vein here with this CR--I think it is important to note that folks bring up a lot of things wrong, with few solutions. prgtoken The bottom line is that we need more manpower and we need more technology on the southern border. I have been down there, and I have seen how these folks bring drugs across the line. They don't put it in backpacks--some, but very little. Most come across in cars and trucks and equipment. If we have the technology to be able to, for prgtoken lack of a better term, x-ray these vehicles, we can make a big inroad on what is going on from a drug standpoint. If we have the manpower-- which, by the way, we are very undermanned as far as Border Patrol and border protection--we could make inroads into illegal border crossings also. Continuing Resolution prgtoken , I am not here to talk about any of that stuff, per se. What I do want to talk about is a thing called a continuing resolution because that is what we are going to vote on hopefully today or tomorrow. Without this continuing resolution, we will be shutting down the government, so I would encourage all my fellow Senators to vote for this continuing resolution. prgtoken I am going to approach it from my position as chairman of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, the committee that funds our military. Our Armed Forces need this funding, this continuing resolution, for their paychecks, along with the thousands of civilian employees whom the Department of Defense employs. prgtoken The fact that we are debating a continuing resolution instead of a full government funding bill is truly disappointing. It is disappointing because Federal Government funding is Congress's primary job. People of Montana did not send me to the U.S. Senate to play politics and put off work that needs to be done to another day