mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
John Shimkus (Republican, IL) \u2014 2020-6-30

the balance of my time. prgtoken So, CBO came out with a report on this bill. It will add to the deficit $450 billion. That is the CBO report just out today. prgtoken Now, we spent a lot of money this year. I guess I am really getting reflective because when I ran 20 years ago, I was railing against the national debt, which was at that time $4 trillion. That is why I ran. Four trillion dollars. Now it is, what, 26? prgtoken And most of us joined in a lot of that this Congress because of the pandemic, and I get it. But I believe that eventually someone has got to pay the piper. And who will that be? Well, it won't be me, I am going to retire, unless they go after my Social Security and my pension fund and my investments. But it is going to be our children and our grandchildren. So eventually we are going to have to get serious about this. prgtoken This bill out of the T&I Committee came out at $500 billion. Out of the Rules Committee on the floor it added $1 trillion. And, again, as we have discussed today, most of that additional trillion dollars hasn't been vetted by the committee, at least the Committee of Energy and Commerce, which is the predominant jurisdiction on this en bloc amendment. That is why I am here and have been asked to speak on this. prgtoken We have got a DOE program. We have got another DOE program. We have got FCC broadband. We have got another interconnectivity. We have another FCC program. We have got chemical safety stuff--which if you ever want to prgtoken be an expert in an area, be an expert on chemical issues in this Congress, and you will be beating your head in. A clean energy sustainable accelerator; that sounds like a T&I provision. Grid security. FCC. EPA. Booster seat labeling. That was my original bill 20 years ago; child safety seats. NTSA. Vehicle bumpers and hoods. Consumer protection and safety. DOE. Voltage requirements. Energy. Safe Drinking Water Act, one of my favorites; we worked in a bipartisan manner. I know brownfields was mentioned; we worked in a bipartisan manner. Replace fossil fuel fire technology in a T&I bill. That is interesting. GAO report. Territories. prgtoken I can go on, but it is a tad frustrating when, again, you have a committee of jurisdiction that works well. We have credible hearings. We usually go through regular order. In fact, I remember my good friend, Chairman Pallone, berating us constantly about going through regular order. And regular order for us is: Have a hearing, mark it up in a subcommittee, take it to the full committee and then move it to the floor. TSCA worked that way. We worked together on that. Shoot, we don't even have a hearing on many of these bills, no less a subcommittee mark or a full committee mark. So why are we doing this? prgtoken It is a waste of time. It is a waste of effort. And it is politics at its worst. Because we are giving people the chance to say, I moved my bill through the floor of the Hous
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021--Continued
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-6-30

this weekend, the American people will celebrate 244 years since our Nation's independence. Over these last two and a half centuries, our country has faced and defeated many enemies who have sought to undermine the very foundation of our way of life. They sought to take away our freedom, undermine our values, and destroy our way of life. They also in the process sought to instill fear, hate, and perpetrate violence. But each time, our country has prevailed. prgtoken It is really a miracle, if you look back at our Nation's history, that we made it through a civil war, two world wars, and we find ourselves still the beacon of liberty that attracts so many people from around the world who want to live here and become Americans and pursue their dreams here. All of that starts with our security. prgtoken As we celebrate our independence and generations of men and women who fought to protect it, we are now engaged in fulfilling our most important responsibility, and that is to provide for the common defense. We do that by advancing the National Defense Authorization Act. prgtoken This bill is an annual exercise and is part of Congress's commitment to give our men and women in uniform the support they need to defeat those threats and to prepare for ones that will inevitably come tomorrow. We have done this for the last 59 years. Believe it or not, we have been consistent and done this for the past 59 years. I can't think of any other area where Congress has been so consistent. In doing so, we have managed to overcome our differences and pass this legislation, as we should. This is how we determine how our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are paid; how our alliances are to be strengthened; and how our military facilities are to be modernized and maintained. As the threat continues to evolve, it is how we ensure that we are the best there is. prgtoken In 2018, the national defense strategy was crafted to recognize the reality of the global threats we were facing then and we still face today and outline a comprehensive strategy to maintain what Ronald Reagan coined as ``peace through strength.'' The past two Defense bills have supported the implementation of that national defense strategy, and this legislation will continue to build on the progress we have made. prgtoken Given the state of our world, preserving our military readiness has never been more important. Both China and Russia have become much more aggressive in their attempts to disrupt the global order. North Korea continues to provoke the United States and our allies with its nuclear aspirations. Iran's hostile and unpredictable actions continue to threaten democracies around the world. Our adversaries are investing in their capabilities in an effort to surpass ours, and in some areas, sadly, they are succeeding. prgtoken Simply put, America no longer enjoys the competitive edge we once had on our competitors and adversaries. We can't
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
Mike Bost (Republican, IL) \u2014 2020-6-30

many of you do know, and maybe some of you don't know, that I grew up in a family trucking business. I know how important transportation workers are and how important they are to the American people. prgtoken In the past few months, we have seen our Nation's truck drivers, maintenance crews, public transit workers, and other essential employees step up and deliver the goods. It is our duty to support them and ensure that, while they do their jobs, they are kept safe and they can do their jobs effectively. Unfortunately, this legislation falls far short on that goal. prgtoken Instead of adequately investing in our Nation's roads and bridges, or better conditions for our truckers and motorists, the and her allies chose to double down on their liberal Green New Deal wish list. prgtoken And instead of working together in a bipartisan manner, which has always been done--at least over the last 15 to 20 years, from what I understand--they forced it through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on a party-line vote. prgtoken With this legislation, my colleagues on the other side are saying that, when it comes to our Nation's infrastructure, it is quite literally my way or the highway. That, I believe, is a dangerous route to take, and I think that the American people will wake up to the fact, with these continuing partisan games on something that is so important that has been done in a bipartisan manner before, that, finally, they will speak up and say that they have had enough, because many of us have.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2020-6-30

Sam Ross is a farmer from Pioneer, LA, and is recognized as a top producer of the year finalist, a great honor in the farming community. Ross's family has been farming for years, and after graduating high school, he got into the trade with his first 100 acres. Fast-forward to now, and Sam owns over 10,000 acres of crops. His farm is a fourth-generation family-run operation. I would like to thank Sam and all the other farmers in America for the great work they do.
STOPPING IMPROPER PAYMENTS TO DECEASED PEOPLE ACT
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-6-30

I think it is a terrible thing that the government pays checks to dead people. The problem is that Social Security is not sharing that information with Treasury. I have a bill to do that and will ask unanimous consent for it to be joined with Senator Carper's bill and Senator Kennedy's bill. prgtoken At this point, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 4104, introduced earlier today. I ask further that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-6-30

as the Congress considers the defense authorization bill--called the NDAA--this week, I hope that my amendments to improve the Pentagon's financial management systems and crack down on wasteful spending will be supported. prgtoken Thirty years after Congress passed the Chief Financial Officers Act, the Department of Defense remains the only executive agency in our Federal Government that cannot get a clean audit opinion. prgtoken Every dollar of defense spending should be used to ensure our Nation's security and support for our men and women in uniform, which is why the Department of Defense needs to be held accountable for waste, fraud, and abuse. A clean audit has something to do with proof that they can do that. prgtoken .
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2, INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Republican, WA) \u2014 2020-6-30

I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this issue before us today. prgtoken I rise in strong opposition to the rule and the underlying bill. Unfortunately, this is another example of the ic majority putting politics over people. It is a missed opportunity to reach an agreement on many solutions that have bipartisan support. prgtoken The Energy and Commerce Committee on which I serve is historically the most bipartisan committee in Congress. Our record of results with both Chairman Walden and Chairman Upton proves it. No other committee sent more bills to the President's desk than Energy and Commerce during their tenure. prgtoken This record of bipartisan results for the people has unfortunately faltered under this current majority. And the process and the politics of H.R. 2 are a perfect example of why. prgtoken It is hard, it is actually impossible, for this historic results- oriented committee to reach an agreement when there is no regular order and we, the minority, are left out of the process. prgtoken It is easy to pass a partisan wish list for my friends across the aisle to campaign on when you don't expect that they are going to become law. prgtoken Instead of using the committee process to advance solutions like rural broadband deployment, vehicle safety improvements, and American leadership in clean energy, the majority is continuing to take the easy way out and is more interested in scoring political points. prgtoken We see the continued consolidation of power and decisionmaking within the 's office. prgtoken Last Congress, this House unanimously passed the SELF DRIVE Act-- unanimous--which would have ensured the most important vehicle safety technology of our lifetime is deployed here in America. prgtoken Autonomous vehicles have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives, restore independence to our seniors and people with disabilities, and create a cleaner environment with less road congestion. prgtoken Autonomous vehicles are our future. America could lead, America should lead in this new era, but sadly, the majority is content to let other countries lead. In fact, the U.S. has fallen behind since our work on the SELF DRIVE Act. We will continue to fall behind because we lack a national strategy and a viable path to deployment. prgtoken Other countries, like China, are not waiting for us. They are moving full speed ahead with testing, and it is happening in our own backyard. prgtoken Last Congress, every single on the Energy and Commerce Committee agreed that we needed to modernize the SAFETEA Act, to lead on this transformative technology. What has changed? prgtoken If the majority was serious about addressing the nearly 40,000 deaths on our roads each year, they would tell the well-funded trial bar enough is enough and pursue meaningful legislation to unleash American innovation in our auto sector, a part of a new era of American innovation. But, no. They a
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2, INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2020-6-30

. My amendment creates a national program to reduce pedestrian-motor vehicle accidents by identifying locations where deaths have occurred and supports local efforts to address those conditions. It is very important to the Nation, very important to the State. prgtoken I look forward in going forward to be able to continue to work on these vital issues that were supported by any number of safety entities called under the umbrella of the road advocates. And I know that they will encourage us to work diligently on this. prgtoken To my constituents in Houston, we will work together on making sure that I-45 is not intrusive. prgtoken I support the Moving Forward Act. prgtoken , I include in the Record this particular Houston Chronicle article of June 9. [From the Houston Chronicle, June 9, 2020] Interstate 45 Realignment Would Cut Through a Historic Black Neighborhood in Houston (By James Brasuell) The construction of America's downtown highways destroyed thousands of black neighborhoods during the height of the urban renewal era in the 1940s and '50s--and a new impact study of a controversial highway project in Houston serves as a reminder that the racist policy never ended. The latest estimates of the human cost of the Interstate 45 project reveal that the highway expansion would require the destruction of 158 houses, 433 apartments or condos, 486 public housing units, 340 businesses, five churches and two schools; the Houston Chronicle reported. The buildings that the Texas Department of Transportation seeks to demolish are disproportionately located in low-income communities of color, including many within the borders of Texas's first black-formed municipality, Independence Heights, a region of major historic significance. BIPOC activists have long cited displacement and the destruction of black communities in their fight against the $7 billion megaproject, which would functionally rebuild most of the downtown freeway system in the process of expanding and rerouting the interstate. But the scale of the estimated destruction hits particularly hard after a week of civil unrest and consequent police brutality in response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. The Black Lives Matter movement is demanding that cities across the country defund their bloated law enforcement budgets and make reparative investments in black communities--precisely the opposite of projects like the I-45, which would raze black neighborhoods and destroy black wealth. The relationship between highways and racial injustice exemplifies the kinds of systemic issues that many protesters are now seeking to challenge, Linda Poon wrote at Citylab last week. Policies that on their face may have
PRIDE MONTH
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2020-6-30

I want to take a few minutes on the floor today to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and their long march toward equality, as well as talk a little bit about how the actions of this President and his administration have threatened our hard-fought progress. prgtoken As Pride Month comes to a close--a month that has seen communities of every size, in every State, protesting against our Nation's long legacy of police brutality and systemic racism, while also navigating impacts of a global health pandemic. prgtoken I am reminded of the Black and Brown transgender women who 51 years ago, stood against the bigotry and violence of the police after they raided the Stonewall Inn and then sought to suppress 6 days of protest. prgtoken I am reminded of their courage and how their struggles mirror the intersectional challenges people are facing today and the demands ringing out from protesters in the streets. prgtoken I am reminded of Tony McDade, an unarmed Black transgender man killed by police in Tallahassee in late May, and of Nina Pop, a transwoman murdered in her Missouri apartment earlier in May--a fate that meets countless Black transwomen and other transwomen of color. prgtoken , a half century after Stonewall, I am reminded that while we have made some critical progress, we are still fighting so many of the same battles, and we still have so much, much more work to do. prgtoken Thre is no denying President and Vice President have made this work far more difficult. This administration's far-reaching ideological agenda seems aimed at relegating LGBTQIA+ people to second- class citizens. prgtoken Back in June of 2017, I sent a letter to President outlining the multitude of ways his actions in the first 100 days of his administration had already threatened to cause harm to LGBTQIA+ people in Washington State and around the Nation. prgtoken Three years later, it is sad but safe to say that President has built those threats into an all-out attack on members of the community, from the administration's efforts to strip protections from LGBTQIA+ people seeking access to health care--during a public health emergency, no less--to eliminating protections for Federal contractor and subcontractor LGBTQIA + workers, to rolling back the -era HUD equal access rule, allowing shelters to discriminate against transgender people now, and banning transgender servicemembers inour military. prgtoken This is all in addition to this administration's proposed QUOTE ``faith-based'' rules that have allowed multiple federal agencies to begin discriminating against LGTBQIA+ people seeking access to vital taxpayer services and the parade of homophobic and transphobic judicial and executive appointments that have been jammed through with the help of Senate s. prgtoken I unfortunately could go on because the list of offenses is long, but let me prgtoken say, in closing: As a proud ally o
EXTENDING THE AUTHORITY FOR COMMITMENTS FOR THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2020-6-30

I want to thank Senator Coons for his comments and Senator Shaheen. Senator Coons is absolutely right. There are many reasons why we needed to bring up the next stimulus package before we go on recess. The issue of the State and local governments are real. prgtoken I have heard from Governor Hogan of Maryland. I have heard from Mayor Young of Baltimore City. I have heard from our county execs. Their fiscal year begins at midnight tonight. They have hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue shortfalls that they have to make up because they have to have a balanced budget. That is going to mean they are going to have to consider layoffs. It means it will be difficult to open up schools in the fall. And the list goes on and on and on. They need help from us. prgtoken The CARES Act was important. It did provide some meaningful help, but the CARES Act dealt with the direct cost to State and local government of taking care of COVID-19, not the revenue loss as a result of income tax revenues down, as a result of the special fees that local governments receive for parking or for rental cars or hotel taxes. We never made up any of that. They have to balance their budget. We needed to act on that. prgtoken Senator Coons is absolutely right when he talks about the fact that in March, when we passed the CARES Act, we thought that the unemployed would have jobs available, certainly, by July, but that is not going to be the case for millions of Americans. prgtoken We are going to have to do something about the expiring unemployment insurance, and we have to deal with election security. There are a lot of issues. prgtoken We have to deal with pre-K through 12 and higher education. They have direct costs that have yet to be met. They are in danger of not being able to safely reopen in the fall, and we have to act to help them in that regard. I just really want to underscore the point that Senator Coons made. prgtoken I want to thank Senator Coons, and I want to thank Senator Shaheen because we have put out there for the public to take a look at what the second round of help for small businesses will look like. We put a priority, as I think we should, on the smaller of the small businesses, first, by eligibility--100 employees or less--and, second, by guaranteed set-asides for those that are 10 employees or less. We have a needs-based approach, 50 percent loss in revenue as a result of COVID-19, and we make it easier for the smaller small businesses to be able to get loans by making it more financially rewarding for the financial institutions to make those loans. We have stepped up to say that this is what we need to look at. prgtoken I must tell you that we are in a pretty good position in the Small Business Committee because we have open dialogue and negotiations. Today, on two occasions, I was in contact with the chairman of the committee, and we are negotiating this and we will be ready. We want you to kno
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2020-6-30

this is one of the very few bills that is moving forward during this pandemic, and it is named H.R. 2, which means it was of great importance even before the pandemic. prgtoken The transportation bills we have been filing have been essentially flat funded. It is time we put some money into our transportation system. The last bill was no mere extension. Our last bill was essentially that. There was no new funding on it. In fact, this bill breaks new ground. prgtoken I have been on this committee ever since coming to Congress. Each transportation bill looked essentially the same as the last. However, with climate change, we can't write these bills in the same way. prgtoken You see attention to climate change throughout this bill. You see a fund for greenhouse emissions. We have in this bill discretionary grants for electric vehicles. That was unknown and unseen in the last bill. prgtoken We are paying special attention to disadvantaged business enterprises. We remember the George Floyd killing. We have not done a good job with these enterprises in my own region. We found that minority and women-owned firms were unlikely to receive contracts, even if they seemed fully qualified. prgtoken And, of course, in this district, which staff and Members use to get to the House, we have funding money for the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Almost half of Federal employees in this region use Metro to get to this very House. prgtoken , this bill breaks new ground, and this Congress should indicate that it is ready for a 21st century bill.