mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2022-7-19

. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8294, the appropriations minibus for fiscal year 2023. prgtoken I really want to start out my remarks, Mr. Chair, by saying what a joy it is to work with my counterpart, Judge Carter, as our ranking member. He and I really worked hand in glove. We are personal friends, and we worked very closely together, along with the ranking member, Ms. Granger, and Ms. DeLauro. In a very divisive process, it is really nice to have met and befriended someone like Judge Carter. I wish him the best. prgtoken By now, we all know President 's wise words: ``Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I will tell you what you value.'' prgtoken This minibus truly reflects our values, the values of promoting progress and opportunity, and protecting those who most need it. That is why I take tremendous pride in this bill as the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee chair. It is a statement of principled values, especially with its strong support for veterans, servicemembers, and their families. prgtoken We steer $15.1 billion to critical military infrastructure, such as new barracks and child development centers, and focus on ensuring that family housing is clear of mold, lead, and contaminants. We invest in climate and energy resilience projects and devote $200 million to PFAS contamination cleanup at closed installations. prgtoken We provide more to NATO security and support the infrastructure necessary for wartime, peace, and deterrence operations by bolstering requirements to confront Russian aggression and protect our European allies. prgtoken This bill improves the quality of life on military installations and honors servicemembers and their families once they leave these facilities by ensuring veterans receive the care and support they earned. We do it by providing the Department of Veterans Affairs with $135 billion to boost medical research and fully fund medical care. We make major investments in women's health, mental health, suicide prevention, and homelessness programs, and we tackle the disability claims backlog. prgtoken The bill also tackles two issues close to my and many Members' hearts. It includes a prohibition on the painful scientific testing on dogs and cats, and it also makes permanent VA's authority to offer a full range of fertility treatment. That means expanding eligibility to include partners in addition to spouses, removing discrimination against same-sex couples, and allowing the use of donated sperm and eggs in IVF. prgtoken Outside of MILCON-VA, the Energy and Water bill appropriates a record $407 million for Everglades restoration. The river of grass is the lifeblood of south Florida, and the chance to make this level of historic progress is hugely significant toward our restoration efforts. prgtoken I am proud that this bill makes it a priority to re
GLOBAL LEARNING LOSS ASSESSMENT ACT
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2022-7-19

I rise today to speak about the bipartisan Global Learning Loss Assessment Act, S. 552, which I introduced along with Senator Boozman last year. This bill requires the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, to submit a report to Congress that assesses learning loss, identifies gaps in access to education, and outlines the response that is needed to help students recover from COVID-19 and reach their full potential. I applaud the advancement of this bill, which was voted on favorably in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier today and will now move to the Senate floor for consideration. I should note that the House companion bill passed the House in June 2021. So it is time for the Senate to act. prgtoken The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools around the world to suspend in-person learning as a measure to contain the spread of the virus and safeguard public health. Even before the pandemic began, UNESCO reported that 258 million children were out of school globally, including 130 million girls. Now, the pandemic has disrupted the education of an estimated 90 percent of the world's student population--over 1.6 billion children and youth--who saw their schools close at some point due to COVID-19. prgtoken We already know that school closures lead to interrupted learning, poor nutrition, gaps in childcare, increased dropout rates, exposure to violence, and social isolation. What is more, students already at a disadvantage before COVID-19 will experience greater learning loss, thereby worsening inequity and inequality in education. prgtoken School closures are especially burdensome for girls, who are frequently expected to shoulder more household responsibilities and are more vulnerable to gender-based violence--GBV. For example, according to a study by the United Nations Development Program, school closures in Sierra Leone necessitated by the Ebola pandemic led to increased instances of sexual- and gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy, school dropout, and child labor for girls. prgtoken Restrictions associated with COVID-19 have also made girls more vulnerable to child and early forced marriage. The United Nations Population Fund--UNFPA--estimates that 13,000,000 more child marriages could take place by 2030 than would have without the pandemic, and when a girl gets married, her education almost always stops. prgtoken When school closures occur, a significant percentage of distance learning alternatives rely exclusively on online platforms. However, according to UNICEF, two-thirds of the world's school-aged children do not have an internet connection in their homes, with that number rising to about 90 percent of students in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, schools and local learning centers frequently have inadequate internet connectivity. prgtoken The Global Learning Loss Assessment Act will help improve the quality and reach of international education assistance by givi
TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023
Danny K. Davis (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-7-19

. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of En Bloc 3 that includes my Rules amendment number 110 to increase funding for diversity in the aviation field. prgtoken Being an aircraft pilot is an in-demand, high-paying profession, with the median annual wage for a commercial pilot being over $99,000. Unfortunately, the aviation industry is impressively homogenous. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 93 percent of aviation pilots and engineers in 2021 were White with only 6.1 percent being Hispanic/Latino, 3.9 percent being Black, and 1.5 percent being Asian. Approximately 95 percent of aviation pilots and engineers are men. prgtoken Prior to the pandemic, the pilot pipeline was untenably low, We have heard repeatedly this summer about how the recent travel problems occur in part due to a pilot shortage. The high cost of pilot training is a key barrier to entering the profession, especially for people of color. Pilot training can cost between $80,000 to $100,000. prgtoken My amendment gives Congress an opportunity to help individuals enter aviation careers while increasing the diversity of the field. My amendment increases and decreases the Research, Engineering, and Development program by $10 million to highlight the need to double funding for the Aviation Workforce Development Grants. The Aviation Workforce Development Grants program invests in training and diversification of aircraft pilots and aviation maintenance workers. The aircraft pilot program and the aviation maintenance program each is currently authorized at $5 million. My amendment highlights how doubling funding for these grants would help address the immediate need to increase the aviation workforce with a focus on individuals currently underrepresented in the profession. prgtoken Further, my amendment focuses on how the Aviation Workforce program could include more students of color by expanding partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and the five Minority Serving Institutions, including: Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; Alaska Native and prgtoken Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Hispanic Serving Institutions; Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions; and Predominantly Black Institutions. These institutions have expertise in educating and graduating low income students of color. Collaborating with these institutions is an effective way to target grants to students from racial/ethnic backgrounds with financial need. prgtoken In closing, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to bring attention to the need to increase funding for aviation workforce training and diversity.
Semiconductors (Executive Session)
Raphael G. Warnock (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2022-7-19

as it turns out, I rise to echo the sentiments of my colleague, the distinguished Senator from the State of Illinois. prgtoken The Senate is prepared to finally begin debating a targeted version of the jobs and competition bill that many of us have been working on for more than a year, and I rise today to urge my colleagues not to waste any more time in getting this important bill across the finish line. We should not allow politics to get in the way of the people's work. prgtoken As a voice in the Senate for my home State of Georgia, I cannot stress enough how critical it is for us to get this bill done for our national security prgtoken and to keep our economy competitive against global actors like the Chinese Communist Party and to lower rising costs for hard-working families all across Georgia and all across our country. prgtoken Now, I know that there might be disappointment from some of my colleagues that we are not able to pass the more robust package right now that we have been working on and negotiating since last April. And, honestly, I share that disappointment. prgtoken As both a member of the Commerce Committee and a member of the committee that has been negotiating the final competition bill, I have been working hard to secure several priorities for Georgia in that package, and I am not about to stop fighting for those priorities. prgtoken I am going to keep fighting to get investments and policies like funding for regional tech hubs, for STEM education--an education program that invests in all of our children, in all of our young people--and workforce development passed into law. prgtoken But let me be clear: Passing a bill that will strengthen domestic production of one of our country's most valuable resources, semiconductors or chips, is a crucial opportunity to invest in the economy, invest in our security, and our future. And we cannot wait another minute. prgtoken I want to shine a spotlight on this because I have heard from Georgians about the importance of this legislation and, specifically, investing and making more chips here in the United States. We know that chips are essential components in the products that support thousands of good-paying jobs in Georgia, not to mention things like cars, cell phones, computers, vacuum cleaners, ATMs. Chips are all around us, a host of products we rely on every single day. prgtoken And we know that our chips supply chains are under significant strain, both from production limits and geopolitical threats. But what you may not know is how these issues directly affect workers and companies on the ground all across the State of Georgia--companies like Kia, which has a thriving facility out in West Point, GA, about halfway between Atlanta and Montgomery, AL, on I-85. Semiconductors are essential to the manufacturing of the roughly 340,000 vehicles Kia produces in Georgia every year. At least twice in the past year, this facility, which I have
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF LEHMAN CAVES NATIONAL MONUMENT
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2022-7-19

I come forward today to recognize the 100th anniversary of Lehman Caves National Monument, the precursor to Great Basin National Park. Today, Great Basin National Park is a 77,000-acre expanse known for its natural beauty and wonderful trails. The Lehman Caves Monument has been managed by the National Park Service for more than half a century, prior to the creation of the larger park. Lehman Caves attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, providing them with the opportunity to explore underground wonders. prgtoken The caves themselves were first used by Native Americans and later ``rediscovered'' by settlers in the late 1880s before President Warren Harding established Lehman Caves National Monument on January 24, 1922. This declaration provided for custodians of the caves to make improvements, including much-needed repairs and the creation of safer routes for tourists to explore the caves' beauty. In the 1930s, President Franklin Roosevelt transferred control of Lehman Caves to the National Park Service, enhancing work to repair and rehabilitate the caves. The caves were then added to the larger National Park legislation that officially created Great Basin National Park, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on October 27, 1986. As a part of Great Basin National Park, Lehman Caves remains accessible today through tours led by park rangers. prgtoken Further, the quarter-mile long cavern is filled with spectacular geological formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, popcorn, and a wavy rock pattern of colorful flowstone, commonly referred to as ``cave bacon.'' The cavern is also home to a number of unique species. The Great Basin cave pseudoscorpion and the Lehman Caves millipede, for example, were first found in Lehman Caves and exist only in Great Basin National Park. From its geology to its ecosystem, Lehman Caves has provided visitors with an experience unlike any other in the world. prgtoken The joy that outdoor recreation brings Nevada's residents and visitors is invaluable, and the ongoing success of monuments and parks like Lehman Caves is yet another reason that we must work to keep our natural resources healthy and available for future generations. From Lehman Caves to Lake Tahoe, Nevada's public lands are treasured by visitors and locals alike. prgtoken I am pleased to recognize Lehman Caves' 100 years of official service to our great State, and I wish Great Basin National Park staff well in continuing their work to preserve and enhance the park for many years to come. Nevadans are fortunate to have this precious natural wonder in our State, and we will continue to protect it as a part of our home.
Abortion (Executive Calendar)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2022-7-19

I rise today to speak on behalf of American women, our fundamental rights, and our freedom to make our own healthcare decisions. prgtoken It is shocking that in this day and age that we have to actually stand up and fight for something as basic as making our own reproductive health decisions, not a bunch of politicians, not a bunch of judges but women making our own healthcare decisions. prgtoken Thanks to a radically conservative Supreme Court that we now have, reproductive freedom is no longer a constitutional right in the United States of America--no longer a constitutional right in the United States of America after 50 years. prgtoken Today's daughters and granddaughters have fewer freedoms than their grandmothers did, and, for the record, we are furious. Want to know just how furious? Well, in Michigan, our State could soon revert back to a 1931 law that makes abortion at any stage a felony--no exceptions for rape or incest; putting people in jail, potentially; women going to jail; doctors going to jail. Who knows how far this would go? prgtoken Well, the people of Michigan aren't going to stand for that, and a group called Reproductive Freedom for All has gotten to work. These passionate advocates and volunteers from all across Michigan--west side, east side, up north, down south in Michigan--have collected more than 750,000 signatures to put reproductive freedom on the ballot for Michigan women this November. prgtoken It is the most signatures ever collected for a ballot measure in Michigan, twice as many as is actually needed to put the ballot proposal on the November ballot--the most ever 750,000 people have come forward to sign petitions to give them the right to vote, to protect their reproductive freedoms. So our freedoms are on the ballot in November. prgtoken Now, we also know that we have to continue to do everything we can right now, both at the State level and the Federal level, because waiting isn't an option. Women's lives and people's livelihoods are on the line today, and it has revealed a stark contrast when we look at the actions that are being taken or not taken. prgtoken are standing with women to protect our reproductive freedoms. As of June 1, in five States have already enacted laws--new laws--protecting access to legal abortion, and 62 pieces of legislation have been introduced in 17 States across America to protect reproductive freedom. Vermont, California, and Arizona have joined Michigan in pursuing ballot initiatives to enshrine reproductive freedom in their State constitutions. prgtoken So men and women will have the opportunity there, the freedom to vote to protect their reproductive freedoms. ic Governors have issued executive orders and taken other actions to protect access to reproductive healthcare. The administration signed an Executive order directing Agencies to protect access to medical care and is pro
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2022-7-19

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-7-19

today, I am reintroducing legislation that would guarantee legal rights for millions of marriages in the United States. Americans should be free to marry the person they love, regardless of their sexual orientation or race, without fear of discrimination or fear that their marriages will be invalidated. prgtoken Very simply, this bill makes clear that the Federal Government and the States must recognize a legal marriage--as has been the law of the land for same-sex couples since 2015 and for interracial couples since 1967. prgtoken I have long been an ally and advocate for the LGBT community. I spent two decades as a supervisor and mayor of San Francisco, when the city was at the forefront of elevating their voices and advancing their rights, and I watched firsthand as the LGBT community fought for legal recognition of their lives, relationships, and personal dignity. prgtoken That is why I first introduced the Respect for Marriage Act in 2011. The initial version of the bill would have repealed the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act--commonly referred to as DOMA--and ensured that legally married couples, including same-sex couples, were treated equally under Federal law. prgtoken In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same- sex couples have the right to marry under the U.S. Constitution. The Court recognized that committed couples should be able to marry, regardless of their sexual orientation--a belief that the American people have held for quite some time. In fact, a recent poll placed support for same-sex marriage at 71 percent. prgtoken Fifty-five years ago, in Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court ruled that ``the freedom to marry . . . a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the state.'' Support for interracial marriage has grown exponentially since then, and a 2021 Gallup poll found it has reached an approval rating of 94 percent. prgtoken Unfortunately, we may now be taking a step backward. Following the Supreme Court's decision overturning the longstanding constitutional protections provided by Roe v. Wade, it became clear that this conservative Supreme Court is open to revisiting many other established constitutional rights, including the right to same-sex marriage and the right to interracial marriage. prgtoken Overturning Obergefell and Loving would be a disastrous return to a patchwork of State laws where couples could be subject to State- sanctioned discrimination. The legal ramifications would be far- reaching, from disrupting tax filings and benefits to calling parental rights into question--and beyond. prgtoken That is why I, along with my colleagues in the House and the Senate, am reintroducing the Respect for Marriage Act: to ensure that Federal law protects marriage equality and to ensure that States cannot discriminate against valid same-sex or interracial marriages. prgtoken Inequitable treatment of LGBT Americans