mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Welcoming the Guest Chaplain (Executive Session)
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2022-12-6

we have so many things going on in Washington these days, with just about everything from budgetary matters to wrapping up this session of the Congress. prgtoken I was delighted today to take a step back and, in my role as President pro tempore, introduce today's visiting Chaplain. I am always pleased to introduce the Chaplain, usually Dr. Barry Black, sometimes visiting ones, but this one is special. prgtoken He is the bishop of Burlington, which, really, the diocese covers all the State of Vermont. His name is Christopher Coyne. He knows our part of New England. He was born in Woburn, MA, and graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a B.A. in business, St. John's Seminary in Boston as a Master of Divinity, ordained a priest in June 1989, but then has fulfilled significant roles, both in the diocese where he originated and with the Vatican in Rome. And I will talk more about that at another time. prgtoken But he was elected chairman of the Committee of Communications of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. And when the bishops met, the voice you often heard was Bishop Coyne because of his credibility, his honesty, and the fact that he would give very direct answers. prgtoken And then Pope Francis named him bishop of the Diocese of Burlington, and he was installed in that January 29, 2015, and brought a new, really, wave of enthusiasm into the Catholic diocese in Vermont. He made it a point to go around the State meeting with people. prgtoken I would tell a personal story. I was at an event in Burlington on Veterans Day. I was going to be speaking there. And a jogger came up and tapped me on the shoulder. It was the bishop. He was out doing his morning run and walk. But it is something that is interrupted all the time because he will stop and talk with everybody, and they want to talk with him. prgtoken He is the kind of bishop every diocese should have: approachable, honest, good for the community. He has reached out to the Jewish community, the Protestant community. It has brought enthusiasm on both sides. prgtoken I see our distinguished majority leader on the floor who has been working hard the last few days on too many things, but I know he will get us through it, and I will do my part on the appropriations. prgtoken Mr. Leader, I just wanted to say a word about our distinguished visiting Chaplain Bishop Coyne, taking advantage of the privileges of the floor, sitting over there, and I will yield the floor and yield to you.
HONORING FRED HAMPTON
Bobby L. Rush (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-12-6

I thank my friend, Louie Gohmert, for his friendship over the past years that we have served together in this Chamber. prgtoken I certainly thank him for his support of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act that was signed into law by President a few months ago. I thank Representative Gohmert for his support and for his steadfastness on that bill. prgtoken , it is for the final time that I stand in this well on this floor to commemorate the memory and the legacy of Fred Hampton, my friend and comrade in the Black Panther Party. prgtoken This last Sunday marked 53 years since Chairman Fred was assassinated by a racist, corrupt Chicago Police Department, which, as a part of the FBI's COINTELPRO program, the FBI's national counterintelligence program, without legal authority and in stark violation of the U.S. Constitution, surveilled, harassed, harmed, arrested, and assassinated innocent, ordinary American citizens. prgtoken My friend, Fred Hampton, was a brilliant young man that I recruited to join the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, which I, along with Mr. Bob Brown, organized in 1968. prgtoken Fred and I fought together side by side against police brutality and police murder in Chicago specifically, but across our great Nation in general. prgtoken We set up free community health clinics, free breakfast for children programs, and a free busing to prison program to allow families to visit their loved ones who were in prison. prgtoken , we initiated free sickle cell anemia testing programs to educate this Nation and to tell Black people about this dreaded but often and largely ignored disease. prgtoken , thanks to his charismatic leadership, Fred Hampton was so powerful and so inspirational throughout the city of Chicago and the Nation at large, his charisma, his influence extended even to other countries. prgtoken Chairman Fred was a charismatic, courageous, exceptional, and highly committed leader, who, at the age of 21, was assassinated while he slept under the influence of the drug Seconal that was put in his favorite drink at that time, which was Kool-Aid. His Kool-Aid was laced with Seconal. prgtoken Why? Because Fred Hampton used every fiber of his talent, his immense talent, without hesitancy, to fight for poor people: poor Whites, poor Blacks, poor Asians, poor Hispanic people, poor people across the board. prgtoken His oratory skills exceeded almost every significant leader of his time. Indeed, , he was able to move the masses not simply and only because of his oratory but also because of his example. prgtoken To see Fred, to hear Fred, was to know Fred, to be inspired by Fred. prgtoken , Chicago, my home city, the city I love, was and still is one of the most segregated cities in America, but Chairman Fred understood how to connect across racial and geographic boundaries. He knew how to connect with aspirations and deep-seated desires of people across racial and geographic lines. He knew h
RECOGNIZING RANDY J. HOWE
Henry Cuellar (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2022-12-6

. Madam , today I rise to congratulate Randy J. Howe on his retirement after 34 years spent protecting our nation's borders. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Mr. Howe for his service to our great nation. prgtoken After graduating from Niagara University in 1988, Mr. Howe joined the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in San Diego, California. He went on to work for the newly established U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where he held various leadership positions, including Preclearance Director, Buffalo Area Port Director, Executive Director of Operations at the CBP Headquarters, and eventually Director of Field Operations for the Laredo Field Office. prgtoken As a native of Laredo, Texas, and a strong supporter of our law enforcement agencies along the border, I know just how demanding Mr. Howe's job can be. He and his colleagues are on the front lines of the battle against the importation of illicit drugs and human smuggling. His work is also critical to supporting trade and unlocking supply chains across North America. prgtoken Mr. Howe is responsible for operation and enforcement activities at eight international ports of entry that span 450 miles in South Texas. He leads over 3,300 dedicated officers across 18 international crossings, eight airports, three rail crossings, two dams, a seaport, and a ferry. He also leads the Machinery Center of Excellence, which manages 37 partner accounts, incorporating 191 importers of records representing some of the nation's largest corporations. prgtoken I would also like to recognize Mr. Howe's family. He and his wife, Athina, are celebrating 30 years of marriage. His children have followed in their father's footsteps to serve the public good: his son, Mackenzie, is also a CBP officer, and his daughter, Angelina, is a registered nurse. prgtoken On behalf of the 28th District of Texas and on behalf of a grateful nation, I want to congratulate Mr. Howe on his well-deserved retirement and thank him for his decades of service. I wish him the best in the next chapter of his life.
Tribute to Jim Gardner (Executive Session)
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2022-12-6

I join my colleague from our home State of Delaware in ensuring that Jim Gardner's four decades of leadership in our community, in our local news, and in laying down a marker for what it means to be a real journalist, a trusted and loyal and important part of community leadership--that his service will be remembered and recognized in the Congressional Record. prgtoken Jim Gardner, as my colleague laid out in great detail, born and raised in New York City, turned on to journalism as a student at Columbia University by reporting on the historic Columbia riots in 1968 and then began his remarkable run with WPVI-TV Philadelphia on June 1, 1976. prgtoken I have had the honor of being in the newsroom and talking with Jim as he has prepared for a broadcast, of getting a sense of just how good and balanced and thoughtful a journalistic leader he is. prgtoken For all of us, it is a real loss that, four decades later, Jim has anchored his last regularly scheduled 11 p.m. broadcast. He is still anchoring the 6 p.m. news. prgtoken I will tell you, Jim, my wife Annie and I love watching you. You have given us a sense of continuity, of community, and of character in our local news, unmatched in so many other communities around our country. You are a genuine treasure, a jewel of the Delaware Valley, and we will miss you deeply. You have interviewed Popes and Presidents, local elected officials and international leaders. You have contributed to our understanding of our place in the world and brought us closer together. prgtoken I just wanted to say to you personally, congratulations on your retirement. I know that you will get to spend more time with Josh, Jenn, Emily, and Jesse, and your grandson Henry. prgtoken Thank you to Amy. prgtoken As my colleague and friend Tom Carper said, it is our spouses who often experience the highs and the lows of our public service, and I know your family has supported you through this remarkable work. prgtoken It would be impossible to list all the stories that you reported on or contributed to, but know, Jim, that you have left a lasting legacy in the hearts of the millions of people who have watched you over decades and felt that they were brought a little bit closer to their world. prgtoken Thank you, and we look forward to recognizing you in the Record of the United States Senate. prgtoken . prgtoken .
AMERICAN HOSTAGES IN RUSSIA
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2022-12-6

I rise today to talk about the horrible and despicable plight of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan among other hostages and United States citizens held around the world in this particular situation by a despot who wants to use Brittney as a pawn. prgtoken This wonderful young woman, 6 feet 9 inches, an Olympian, is now being taken to a labor camp with vicious conditions, food that is disgraceful, conditions that are disgraceful. It is only because of the selfish despot that wants to eliminate democracy, live in an oppressive society, and use her as a vicious pawn. prgtoken I warn Americans: When a former President suggests they want to suspend the Constitution, watch Iran that is killing people in the street simply because they want freedom and democracy, and watch Russia every day. prgtoken It has been said, oh, you made a highlight or a star out of Brittney Griner. No. It was the outcry of her family and community that said: We just want her home. We want Paul Whelan, a veteran, home. prgtoken Yet, this vicious and vile leader thinks that he has something he can dangle in front of our eyes. prgtoken I demand that we get strong-handed with him. This young woman needs to be brought home to her family, and it is a disgrace that we cannot get her home.
VOTE ON HODGE NOMINATION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2022-12-6

I know that Senator Roy Blunt has already delivered his farewell remarks a short time ago. Regrettably, I was tied up in a longstanding appointment and couldn't be on the floor to hear them, but I want to say a few words about my friend from Missouri and thank him for his service to the Senate and to our Nation. prgtoken I grew up in East St. Louis, IL, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, MO. My hometown now is Springfield, IL, and Roy Blunt's hometown is Springfield, MO. We often joke about catching the wrong plane to St. Louis and ending up in one another's homes. prgtoken Senator Blunt and I came from different parties, obviously. We have different ideas about a lot of things. But over the 12 years he served his State of Missouri in the Senate, he has become a friend and ally. prgtoken Managing the Mississippi River is an issue that we share. Many of the locks and dams that keep the river navigable are nearly 100 years old. For many years now, Senator Blunt has worked with me and with the Army Corps of Engineers to come up with a plan that we call the Navigation Ecosystem Sustainability Program--shorthand, NESP. It will expand and modernize seven locks at the most congested locations on the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to make sure the waterways can continue to serve as major navigation channels moving crops and other goods. prgtoken I am really grateful to Roy Blunt for his leadership supporting biomedical research. There is a good story here. My partnership with Senator Blunt started almost 10 years ago. I went up to the National Institutes of Health for a tour and sat down with legendary Dr. Francis Collins, who headed up the Institutes of Health. For years, NIH had limped along with flat funding and sequestration budget cuts. Inadequate funding had really hurt research at NIH. It discouraged a lot of young scientists who just couldn't count on regular funding from Congress, or they chose to maybe move back to other nations where they were born and the research funding was more predictable. prgtoken I asked Dr. Collins: What does NIH need? prgtoken He said: Just give me 5 percent real growth in our budget every year, consistently, and we will light up the scoreboard with our discoveries and cures. prgtoken So I came back and looked for Roy Blunt. He was the leading on the Appropriations Committee for the National Institutes of Health. He chaired the Labor and HHS Appropriations Subcommittee. We decided to put prgtoken together a team. The natural ally on that team was Senator Patty Murray, a for the State of Washington and the lead on the HELP Committee and on the Appropriations Committee. We rounded out with two and two s, the now-retired Senator Lamar Alexander who led the HELP Committee when Patty Murray was ranking member, and vice versa. prgtoken We agreed on a common goal, the four of us: 5 percent real growth every
HONORING THE SERVICE OF TIM O'KEEFE
Mark DeSaulnier (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-12-6

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the service of Tim O'Keefe as he retires from his role as CEO of the Golden Rain Foundation (GRF) of Rossmoor in Walnut Creek. prgtoken Tim's compassion and commitment to advocacy have been evident throughout his career. In 1994, he began working for Catholic Charities, serving as Associate Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer. In 2005, Tim stepped into the role of Executive Director at Shelter Inc helping to provide housing solutions, family support, mental health care, and childcare services for families in need and working to prevent homelessness in the Bay Area. Thanks to Tim's leadership, Shelter Inc. was recognized as one of the top 10 homelessness service providers of the Bay Area. After nearly a decade with Shelter Inc he stepped into the role of CEO of the Golden Rain Foundation, working on behalf of Rossmoor residents. prgtoken In his position with GRF, Tim has spearheaded a variety of projects aimed at engaging Rossmoor residents and allowing residents to thrive. Under Tim's leadership, GRF has successfully provided a wide range of programs and amenities to the Rossmoor community. GRF maintains and provides recreational spaces within Rossmoor, enabling residents to easily connect with other community members and promoting an active, healthy lifestyle within the community. prgtoken Tim's hard work and dedication have helped to transform the lives of countless Contra Costa and Bay Area residents. Please join me in congratulating Tim as he retires after nearly three decades of public service.
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF CONSUMER REPORTS ADVOCACY
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2022-12-6

today I rise to congratulate Consumer Reports on 50 years of advocacy in Washington, DC. prgtoken In 1936, scientists and researchers established a union of consumers to test products and give evidence-based recommendations through what was to become the iconic publication Consumer Reports. In 1972, the organization saw an opportunity to do even more for consumers and for the country at large by sharing data and insights with policymakers and making policy recommendations in support of consumer safety, fairness, and transparency in the marketplace. prgtoken Fifty years ago, a small team was established in Washington, DC, that has been working with Senators on both sides of the aisle, with our colleagues in the House of Representatives, and with staff at Federal Agencies such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, United States Department of Agriculture, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau--which Consumer Reports played a major role in helping establish in 2010. prgtoken For the past five decades, Consumer Reports has ensured that we in government hear the voices of consumers, understand their needs in the marketplace, and shape the rules and safeguards that consumers deserve. prgtoken Consumer Reports has partnered with me and others to take actions that not only help people save their hard-earned money, but also save lives. Products are safer, our standards are higher, and consumer protections have endured, thanks to the extraordinary work of this organization. prgtoken On the 50th anniversary of Consumer Reports establishing its first team of advocates in Washington, DC, I congratulate and commend Consumer Reports president and CEO Marta L. Tellado, along with the past and present staff and board of directors, all of whom have dedicated their talents and resources to creating a fair, safe, and just marketplace for all of us.
VETERAN SERVICE RECOGNITION ACT OF 2022
J. Luis Correa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-12-6

this is the oath a soldier takes when he is joining the military: I do swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me. prgtoken , follow me here. A soldier takes this oath without any reservation, mental or otherwise. He fights for our country, for our Nation, he or she is honorably discharged, and is not a citizen. prgtoken Corporal Jose Angel Garibay lived in my district. Jose Angel was the first servicemember in Orange County to make the ultimate sacrifice for this country in Iraq after 9/11. He took the oath. Yet, he died as a noncitizen. He deserved to die as an American citizen. prgtoken And many, many other honorably discharged veterans, are deported, but they can come back once they die because they still have the right to be buried in a national cemetery. prgtoken Let's pay our debt to our veterans. We ask them to fight, to serve our country, to defend our freedom, and our moral obligation is to take care of all our veterans. Let's pay our debt to prgtoken our veterans. Let's pass the Veteran Service Recognition Act.
VETERAN SERVICE RECOGNITION ACT OF 2022
Mark Takano (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-12-6

I thank Chairwoman Lofgren for her leadership and Chairman Nadler for his staunch support to move my bill, the Veteran Service Recognition Act, through committee and to bring it to the floor. prgtoken As chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, one of my top priorities has been the prevention of undue noncitizen veteran deportations. prgtoken Most Americans would be shocked and in disbelief that we have deported people who have served in our military, have served in uniform, have even been in combat. They would be shocked to learn that we have done this, but it is true. We have actually taken American heroes who have served in our military and deported them. prgtoken While many would be shocked to learn that veterans who have served our country are being subjected to deportations, the number of these individuals is unknown because we have not kept adequate records on who these people are. prgtoken In 2019, Representative Vargas and I requested that the Government Accountability Office evaluate the scope of servicemember and veteran deportations and determine the state of and adherence to DHS policies on such deportations, DHS' own policies. prgtoken What the GAO found was significant gaps not only in the Federal approach to processing potentially removable veterans but also in how the government facilitated the naturalization of noncitizen servicemembers and veterans. prgtoken I was further dismayed by the additional findings that the number of these veterans was not being tracked; deportation often prevented these individuals from accessing their VA benefits and services or attending hearings to appeal VA decisions; and ICE did not consistently adhere to its own policies on removal proceedings involving veterans. prgtoken The GAO report made it abundantly clear that reforms are desperately needed across the Federal Government, and that is precisely what my bill endeavors to do today. prgtoken Despite being born in a different country, these veterans served in the United States for the promise of a better future. They put their lives on the line to promote our ideals and values because they believe in the American experience. prgtoken Often, these individuals, like many veterans, leave service with traumas or prgtoken ailments that impact their physical and mental health. This can lead to drug addiction, self-harm, or PTSD, which also can serve as a precursor to violence or criminal activity. prgtoken We must recognize these struggles that our veterans face and show greater compassion toward those who may have made a mistake, including those noncitizen veterans who are facing deportation due to their actions. prgtoken I say to you, , if there is anyone who deserves a second chance in our country, it is people who have worn the uniform of the United States of America. prgtoken The Veteran Service Recognition Act creates a pathway for us to recognize their service and prevent the undue deportation of s